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Reading and Writing Go to Preschool Probably no topic is more talked about by educators, parents, and politicians than reading. Research has proven the crucial role that early literacy skills have in children’s future academic success. For example, children who don’t know the alphabet when they enter kindergarten lag behind in reading as early as first grade. Seventy percent of poor readers in third grade remain poor readers in high school. The National Research Council targeted preschools in their landmark 1998 publication, Preventing Reading Difficulties: It is clear from the research that the process of learning to read is a lengthy one that begins very early in life. Given the importance identified in the research literature of starting school motivated to read and with the prerequisite language and early literacy skills, the committee recommends that all children, especially those at risk for reading difficulties, should have access to early childhood environments that promote language and literacy growth and that address a variety of skills that have been identified as predictors of later reading achievement. Preschools and other group care settings for young children often provide relatively impoverished language and literacy environments, in particular those available to families with limited economic resources. As ever more young children are entering group care settings pursuant to expectations that their mothers will join the work force, it becomes critical that the preschool opportunities available to lower-income families be designed in ways that support language and literacy development. The Federal government, both through the Head Start Program and NCLB, has made early literacy a national priority. The exciting news is that experts believe nearly every child can be taught to read…and to read well.| How Does the Focus on Early Literacy Affect Preschool Curriculum? | | Reading research has shown that children don’t learn the skills they need to be successful readers on their own. Some skills need to be taught or they will never be learned. Preschool curricula have responded by developing early literacy teaching goals and objectives. All popular curricula today teach children the skills of becoming successful readers and writers. In addition, supplementary curricula such as Bright Beginnings and the Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM) have been developed to focus solely on reading and writing. No preschool curriculum can exist today that does not address the teaching of early literacy. |
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