Element 1: The Developing Early Learner
Purpose: Understanding the early learner's overall development lays the foundation for effective early language and literacy development. As early learners develop their language and literacy skills, cognitive abilities, emotional and social maturity, and physical capabilities, it is important to be aware these domains are all interconnected. This interconnectedness is a critical piece in the support of literacy and language development. Possessing such awareness may be helpful to teachers of early learners to enhance their teaching methods. Element 1 provides resources about the development of early learners and the role of family, caregivers, and first teachers with language and literacy development from birth through age eight.
Activity 1: Understand the Continuum of Child Development of the Early Learner
Activity 2: Understand the Role of Literacy in the Family
Element 2: Developing an Early Language and Literacy Learning Profile
Purpose: Understanding the status of early language and literacy in the early childhood care and educational environment at the community level is necessary to improve language and literacy development among early learners. Gathering information about the community helps members, including families, schools, and early childhood educators and caregivers, to understand the local landscape of early language and literacy.
Gathering information about the community is an important part of understanding the early childhood educational environment.
Activity 1: Build a Community Literacy Profile
Activity 2: Build an Early Child Care and School Literacy Profile
Element 3: The Foundation for Learning to Read and Write
Purpose: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) defines early literacy as "what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to read and write." This Element explores the foundation for learning to read and write, focusing on language development and emergent literacy skills.
Activity 1: Understand Language Development
Activity 2: Understand Emergent Literacy Milestones, Terminology, and Stages
Activity 3: Intentional Instruction to Enhance Language and Emergent Literacy Development
Element 4: Becoming a Reader and Writer
Purpose: This Element explores learning to read and write, focusing on the transitions from pre-school to Kindergarten and Kindergarten to first grade and the importance of a child-centered curriculum. Additionally, the Element delineates the research-based components of learning to read and write.
Activity 1: Transitions
Activity 2: The Learning Environment
Activity 3: A Child-Centered Curriculum
Activity 4: Reading Instruction
Activity 5: Writing Instruction
Activity 6: Creative Expression
Activity 7: Technology, Reading, and Writing
Activity 8: Teaching All Children to Read and Write
Task 1: Standards for Early Childhood Educators
Guideline: Each state has professional preparation and licensure standards for educators of early learners. Likewise, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has issued a position statement advocating ethical behavior for early learner educators as well as suggested standards for professional preparation. Educators interested in teaching early learners should be aware of the applicable requirements for the state where they wish to teach and the position statements advocated by NAEYC.
2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial and Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs
This link to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website provides its 2010 standards for early childhood professional preparation programs.
Core Knowledge for PK - 3 Teaching: Ten Components of Effective Instruction
This link is to the Foundation for Child Development's pulbication outlining a suggested core knowledge for PK-3 teaching. As noted in its introduction, "Drawing on guidelines set forth by national education groups and the research that underlies them, this brief outlines what experts in the field identify as “core knowledge†for high-quality PK-3 teaching in the U.S. that is, what educators of children from Preschool through Grade Three must know and be able to do in order to be most effective in their work."
NAEYC Code of Conduct and Standard of Commitment
This link to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website provides its position statement outlining a code of conduct and standard of commitment for those who work with young children. As noted at the NAEYC website, "The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct offers guidelines for responsible behavior and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early childhood care and education." Educators of early learners should be familiar with this suggested code of conduct. The website also provides a link to the Spanish version of this position statement as well as a supplements for early childhood program administrators and early childhood adult educators.
State Teacher Standards for Early Childhood Educators
This resource provides links to each state's standards for the preparation and certification of early childhood educators.
Access to Effective Education and Professional Development for the Early Care and Education Workforce
This link is to professional development policy recommendations from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE). The CSCCE is a program of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley.
Child Development Associate Credential
This link to the Council for Professional Recognition website provides information on the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. As noted at its website, "The Child Development Associate® (CDA) is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE."
Degrees in Context: Asking the Right Questions about Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers Young of Children
This link to National Institute for Early Education Research's (NIEER) Preschool Policy Brief explores the effects of teacher preparation programs, support for ongoing learning, and workplace environment on teaching practice as it relates to teachers of young children.
Element 5: Standards for Early Childhood Teaching and Learning
Purpose: Standards for early learning include those for educators of early learners, state-level early learning guidelines or standards, and applicable national standards. Educators of early learners need to be aware of the standards impacting licensure and instruction. This Element provides information about applicable standards impacting educators of early learners and their students.
Activity 1: Be Aware of Standards for Early Childhood Educators
Activity 2: Be Aware of Early Childhood Learning Standards
Activity 3: Align Curriculum and Instruction to Standards
Element 6: Building Support for Early Learning Programs
Purpose: Building support for language and literacy development of early learners involves the participation of parents and caregivers, the business community, local community groups, and educational and state governmental leaders. To promote and enhance early learner language and development, educators need to be aware of the role each group plays and how to communicate with them. This Element provides resources to help educators of early learners gain such awareness.
Activity 1: Develop Parent, Caregivers, and Community Support
Activity 2: Interact with Advocates and Policy Makers
Element 7: Using Data to Improve Early Learning Outcomes
Purpose: Formative and summative assessments and observations provide the basis for planning instruction, making adjustments, and refining future assessments. Assessment results show educators of early learners where changes need to be made in instructional approaches for groups of students or individual students. The assessment outcomes also show parents of early learners how their child is progressing. This Element explores how to use data to improve learning outcomes for early learners.
Activity 1: Use Multidimensional Learning Data
Activity 2: Use Data to Improve Instruction and Increase Learning
Activity 3: Inform and Collect Feedback from Constituencies
