Launched in 2012, The Big Lift is a collective impact initiative extending from preschool to third grade that aims to boost children's reading proficiency in San Mateo County, California, through four different types of activities, called "pillars": (1) High-Quality Preschool, (2) Summer Learning, (3) School Attendance, and (4) Family…

The Big Lift™ (Big Lift) is a preschool-third-grade collective impact initiative in San Mateo County, California. The initiative is a partnership of the County of San Mateo, San Mateo County Office of Education, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Launched in 2012, the initiative aims to boost children's reading proficiency by third grade…

Young children who are born deaf or hard of hearing are at risk for language and emergent literacy challenges. Emergent literacy skills play a significant role in early reading abilities for typically developing children with hearing. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide an overview of the research relating to oral language and emerging…

When adults share picture books with young children, they build their lifelong literacy and enjoyment of reading. In beautiful full color, the new edition of this popular book will help recognize quality in children's literature and illustration and see how to use picture books to best advantage. Following an introduction, this book is organized…

Teachers can help parents foster emerging literacy skills in their preschool children in a way that is developmentally appropriate and fun: by collaborating to develop their child's lifelong love of reading and writing. Incorporating selected teacher-tested activities from the popular book "More Than Letters," this accessible guide…

Intended for parents, as well as school administrators, policymakers, and teachers, this digest discusses resources available for developing children's early literacy. The digest first discusses research indicating the role of parents in early reading experience, then discusses, in general terms, sources for literacy materials for parents,…

Organized into five sections, this book discusses how children learn to read and write and provides suggestions for parents on how they can nurture children's growth in these areas. Section 1, "How Children Learn To Read and Write," explains general principles that apply to all early age groups. This section discusses how oral and…

The Illinois Early Learning Project (IEL) is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information resources on early learning and training related to implementing the Illinois Early Learning Standards for parents and for early childhood personnel in all settings. The IEL tip sheets offer suggestions to parents and early childhood…

Intended for literacy students who want to share the pleasure of reading with the children they love, this book describes 26 easy, inexpensive activities to expose children to reading. Each activity explains the type of activity, lists materials needed, and provides instructions or suggestions for extending the activity. A suggested book list…

Noting that parents are their children's first teachers, this book presents activities to help parents prepare their children for school. The chapters are: (1) "Getting Started," which discusses chores, hobbies, television viewing, socialization, preschool, learning styles, supplies, work area, and motivation; (2) "Reading,"…

This nontechnical guide for parents and teachers examines learning to read from infants' babbling to the fluent reading of children reading independently for pleasure. Chapter 1, "Baby Speaks," describes language development in infancy. Chapter 2, "Our Alphabet: Language by Ear and by Eye," presents the alphabetic system and…