Early language is important because it provides the foundations for reading, for writing, for social development-- for learning in every subject. Increasingly, research makes the link between early oral language skills and future education progress. Therefore, the growing challenge of children starting school unable to speak in sentences could not…

From an early age, young children, when given the opportunity, demonstrate their interest and enthusiasm for writing. Toddlers spontaneously pick up pencils and crayons to make marks on paper, walls, and floors. Preschoolers' scribbles are indications of their growing understanding of how print and story work. Their oral stories are often…