FEATURED LINK:

The Search Institute’s research has found that early literacy is one of 40 Developmental Assets that leads to young children growing up healthy, responsible and caring. Early literacy indicates that “the child enjoys a variety of pre-reading activities, including adults reading to her or him daily, looking at and handling books, playing with a variety of media, and showing interest in pictures, letters, and numbers.

ACHIEVEMENT GAP:

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Report – 35% of U.S. children enter kindergarten unprepared to learn, with most lacking the vocabulary and sentence structure crucial to school success. -

Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children – Studies have found that by age 3, the observed cumulative vocabulary for children in professional families was 1,116, for working class families it was about 740, and for welfare families it was 525.

The Early Catastrophe:The 30 Million Word Gap – By age three, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from poor families. By kindergarten the gap is even greater. The consequences are catastrophic.

EARLY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT:

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development – According to the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, the human brain develops more quickly during the first five years than at any other point in one’s life.

Brain Initiative, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families – Studies have shown that 85% of the foundation for a child’s intellect, personality and skills is formed by age 5.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Family Involvement Makes a Difference, Harvard Family Research Project- Parents who maintain direct and regular contact with the early educational setting and experience fewer barriers to involvement have children who demonstrate positive engagement with peers, adults, and learning…. [In addition] family involvement in early childhood sets the stage for involvement in future school settings.

DIALOGIC/SHARED READING

Becoming a Nation of Readers, National Commission on Reading- The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.