Our granddaughter is 5 and in kindergarten. Anticipating that phonics might not be stressed, her parents laid the ground work for her, starting early. She learned all of the letters and letter sounds well before kindergarten, and could read and write many simple words, and they taught her how to sound out. She is one of 3 students, of over 80 in the kindergarten classes in her school, who goes to an advanced reading group twice a week. At Thanksgiving, the kids were all playing “Ad Libs” (game), and the 5 year old was reading all of the cards out loud. Her parents also have read books to her, most every day of her life, as have I when she visits. When she was barely three, I remember telling her that when she learns to read, she can learn ANYTHING.
It is not for all little children, but has given her a freedom and much-reduced frustration, to be able to sound out words.
My mom taught me to read by age four so learning sight words in school didn’t affect me much. My husband was taught sight words and to this day he, an intelligent man, occasionally has to ask me how to pronounce a word. It didn’t hamper his love for reading, but it did for some of his brothers.