TOOLKIT OVERVIEW

Schools and families can collaborate in childrens transitioning from preschool to kindergarten

by setting the tone and pace for their long-term educational experience and academic success. It

is important to connect early childhood administrators, parents, and preschool teachers to a

variety of enriched Early Literacy learning experiences. Exposing preschoolers to Early Literacy

experiences prior to entering into kindergarten will impact and their learning skills and help them

off to a strong start upon entering kindergarten. Together early childhood administrators, parents,

and preschool teachers can share the responsibility to ensure their children thrive in Early

Literacy skills by establishing a strong foundation through effective teaching instruction.

The early ages of preschool between three five is normally the time when parents and

teachers begin to focus upon their childs strengths and weaknesses in their early literacy skills.

Parents and preschool teachers want to build those skills for a strong start prior to kindergarten.

This Preschool Early Literacy Toolkit serves as a supportive resource because it includes tools

and materials that will help early childhood administrators, parents, and preschool teachers

implement strategies to facilitate this process and enhance a childs transition to kindergarten.

The Preschool Early Literacy Toolkit supports early childhood administrators, parents,

and preschool teachers with numerous tools and experiences to enhance childrens Early Literacy

skills prior to entering kindergarten. The first component this toolkit offers is Alphabetic

Knowledge. Alphabetic Knowledge is learning letter names, and the alphabetic principle is

understanding the systematic relationship between a letter and its sound (COR Advantage, p.

38). Preschool age children do not differentiate among letters and other visual symbols but

enjoy looking at pictures and noticing individual features. They gradually begin to recognize

letters as distinct characters, each with its own sound(s). The Preschool Early Literacy Toolkit
provides numerous resources and hands on activities to enhance young childrens alphabetic

knowledge. For example, the toolkit provides uppercase and lower case letter charts, letter

sounds activities and computer learning games. The program also provides a collection of

resources to guide effective teaching instruction for early childhood administrators, parents, and

preschool teachers. These support aids will help children become knowledgeable and familiar

with letter symbols, letter names, and letter sounds.

The second component this toolkit offers is Early Writing skills. Early writing is often

used synonymously with the term emergent writing. Emergent writing means that children

begin to understand that writing is a form of communication and their marks on paper convey a

message (Mayer, 2007, p. 35). Once children connect spoken and written words, they want to

write to share their own ideas. Children actually write (scribble and draw) before they can read

(COR Advantage, p. 44). Learning to make letters and numerals is another step along the

writing continuum. Preschoolers later write letter-like forms (lines and curves), which develop

into real letters and then into words (See Appendix B). The Preschool Early Literacy Toolkit

supports Early Writing skills by providing developmentally appropriate resources to support

childrens early stages of drawing and writing upper and lower case letters. In addition, the

program provides tools for suggested writing materials, writing medium and surfaces, ways to

encourage writing, and assessment tools. The Preschool Early Literacy Toolkit includes practical

and easy-to-use materials, and step by step guides to steer early childhood administrators, parent,

and preschool teachers through the process. All materials may be used or may be individualized

according to each childs needs.

Various resources are available to inform strategies and the importance of Early Literacy

skills to help early childhood administrators, parents, and preschool teachers promote Early
Literacy skills among preschoolers. According to National Association for the Education of

Young Children (1998), one of the best predictors of whether a child will go on to contribute

actively in our literate society is the level in which the child progress in reading and writing (p.

1). Therefore, it is important to help young children to be ready for school by working with them

early to develop early literacy skills. Early literacy skills have a clear and consistently strong

relationship with later conventional literacy skills such as decoding, oral reading, fluency,

reading comprehension, writing, and spelling. In the preschool years, children develop

competency in early literacy skills not only through a set curriculum, but also through rich

interactions and experiences with teachers in early childcare settings, peers and family members.

Childrens early literacy skills continue to develop throughout their life span. However, the early

years are the most important for literacy development. Therefore, it is essential for children to

receive developmentally appropriate Early Literacy instruction prior to entering into

kindergarten.

Early literacy is often cited as the most important academic skill in school readiness

because, most school learning depends on learning how to read and write. Epstein (2007), states

teachers and parents can enhance childrens literacy skills in numerous ways. First, by giving

children reasons to write, and trusting their motivation, adults can support children on path to

becoming sufficient writers (p.117). Teachers and parents are encouraged to provide a variety of

writing experiences and materials. Also, teachers and parents can provide a print-rich

environment by providing classroom signs, labels, story wall, word displays, bulletin boards and

charts in the home and classroom. When children have experiences with books and print, they

come to know and expect written words which are connected to spoken words and have meaning

(p. 119). Therefore, teachers and parents are encouraged to provide a wide variety of story books
and others types of printed materials. Epstein states, Children learn how to read by learning

letters and words that personally meaningful to them (p.120). It is common for children to first

read and write the letters in their names. These are some supportive strategies for parents and

preschool teachers to interactively support and guide children to thrive in early literacy skills.

There are key concepts and skills that are significant and foundational, necessary for

early literacy development and growth, research-based, and motivational to arouse and engage

young childrens minds. According to Roskos, Christie & Richegels (2003), teachers can adapt

eight specific strategies to promote successful readers and writers including engaging

conversations, storybook reading, phonological and alphabet awareness, emergent reading and

writing, and interactive book reading (p. 53-55). These basics are supported by strong research

links to early literacy skills and, in some cases, with later elementary-grade reading achievement.

In addition, other important components are needed to accompany effective early literacy

instruction for preschoolers. These components include providing preschool children with

developmentally appropriate settings, materials, experiences, and social and emotional support

that encourage early forms of reading and writing to flourish and develop into conventional

literacy (p. 2). When early childhood administers, parents and preschool teachers provide

meaningful learning instruction for preschoolers it will not only enhance their early literacy

skills, but establish a strong foundation prior to kindergarten entrance.

References

COR Advantage (2014), Scoring Guide. Ypsilanti, MI: High Scope Press.

Hohmann, M., DeBruin-Parecki, A. (2003). Letterlinks: Alphabet Learning with

Childrens Names. Ypsilanti, MI: High Scope Press.

Mayer, K. (2007). Emerging knowledge about emergent writing. YC Young
Children,
62(1), 34.

Roskos, K. A., Christie, J. F., & Richegels, D. J. (2003). The essentials of early
literacy
instruction. Young Children, 58(2), 52-60.

Epstein, A. S. (2007). Essentials of active learning in preschool: Getting to

know the
High/Scope curriculum. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

NAEYC (1998). National Association for the Education of Young Children

position
statement: Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate
practices for young Children. Young Children, 53(4): 3046.