Early Childhood Literacy

Learning to read and write is critical for a child to succeed in school and in life. The early childhood years-birth through age eight-are the most important period for literacy development. The items below offer resources on this issue, including a paper that highlights how states are promoting literacy development in early childhood programs and links to government agencies and organizations working on this issue.

NAEYC position statement

Learning to Read and Write:
Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children: A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 1998 .pdf || .html

Internet links to organizations:

International Reading Association
The International Reading Association is a professional membership organization dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading, and encouraging the lifetime reading habit. Its members include classroom teachers, reading specialists, consultants, administrators, supervisors, university faculty, researchers, psychologists, librarians, media specialists, and parents.

For information about federal funding sources for early childhood literacy:

US Department of Education Resources on Reading and Language Arts

This section on the Department of Education's web site includes information about programs and initiatives, lesson ideas and instructional materials, and research related specifically to reading and language arts. The US Department of Education is currently implementing these initiatives:

• NAEYC's Summary of Early Reading First
  Early Reading First is a new grant program proposed by President Bush and enacted as part of the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Early Reading First provides competitive grants directly to the local level to enhance the reading readiness of preschool age children.

• Reading First
  Reading First is a focused nationwide effort to enable all students to become successful early readers. Funds are dedicated to help states and local school districts eliminate the reading deficit by establishing high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction in kindergarten through grade 3.

• Even Start
  Even Start supports family literacy services for parents and children, primarily from birth through age seven, and has three related goals: to help parents improve their literacy or basic educational skills; to help parents become full partners in educating their children; and to assist children in reaching their full potential as learners.

US Child Care Bureau

US Head Start Bureau