Early Childhood Development and Literacy
Resources on the science and social implications of early childhood education.
The Three Core Concepts in Early Child Development: “Serve and Return” [VIDEO]
This video illustrates how important it is to focus resources on kids who are age 0 – 3 and how the 30 Million Word Gap between low income and high income kids is possible.
From Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child:
“One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures, and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. This back-and-forth process is fundamental to the wiring of the brain, especially in the earliest years.
This video is part two of a three-part series titled “Three Core Concepts in Early Development” from the Center and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. The series depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.”
Flipping The Switch by Marian Wright Edelman, Contributor, Huffington Post (05/05/17)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flipping-the-switch_us_590cdf8de4b046ea176aeb1b
Vroom
From the website: Research shows that there is no better time to create a strong foundation than the first five years of life, because this is when brain development is the most rapid. And, the things that matter the most, like talking and playing, can be layered onto existing routines. Vroom was born out of a need for creative tools and materials that inspire families to turn everyday moments into brain building moments. It was developed with thoughtful input from parents, early childhood experts, neuroscientists, parents and community leaders. The Bezos Family Foundation provided funding, and a lot of passion, because we believe that all parents have the potential to create a bright future for their children. Our goal is to share the science of early brain development in new ways so that all children have the chance to become thriving adults.
http://www.joinvroom.org/
Today’s four-year-olds often ‘not physically ready’ for school, experts warn: Competitive parenting, iPads and screens are all contributing to a decrease in child mobility that can impact on academic learning – The Independent (9/1/16)
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/school-age-four-year-old-children-not-physically-ready-experts-warn-a7220476.html
Finnish Kids Don’t Learn To Read In Kindergarten. They Turn Out Great Anyway. – Huffington Post (10/05/2015)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/finland-schools-kindergarten-literacy_us_560ece14e4b0af3706e0a60c
Three literacy and movement games your students can play today by Anna Adler, Mass Literacy (05/21/14)
http://www.massliteracy.org/three-literacy-movement-games-students-can-play-today/
What Parents Need to Know Elevate Early Education (2013). Richmond, VA.
Source: http://www.e3va.org/ready-or-not/what-parents-need-to-know/
From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2000)
Source: https://runningbrooke.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Neurons-to-Neighborhoods.pdf
School Readiness Indicators Initiative (2005). Findings from the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative: A 17 State Partnership. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.
Source: www.gettingready.org
DC May Have Universal Access to Pre-School but Low Income Kids Need more Than Access Wexler, Natalie. (2014, April 21).
Source: http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22360/dc-may-have-universal-access-to-preschool-but-low-income-kids-need-more-than-access/
Licensed/Regulated Child Care & Pre-School Providers in Alexandria:
Source: http://www.dss.virginia.gov/facility/search/cc.cgi
Early Childhood Literacy
Double Jeopardy: How Third Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation Annie E. Casey Foundation (2012). Baltimore, MD: Hernandez, Donald J.
Source: http://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy/
Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Baltimore, MD: A KIDS COUNT Special Report. Annie E. Casey Foundation (2010).
Source: http://www.aecf.org/resources/early-warning-why-reading-by-the-end-of-third-grade-matters/
The Thirty Million Word Gap Houston, TX: Orr, Ashlin. Center for Education School Literacy & Culture at Rice University. (2011-12).
Source: http://literacy.rice.edu/thirty-million-word-gap
