Promoting Early Literacy
Early Literacy Initiative Focused on Family Child Care
Providers and Infants and Toddlers
Statewide Professional Development Opportunity
EEC and ESE Partnership Focused on Strategies for
Closing the Early Literacy Proficiency Gap
Board of Early Education and Care
December 8, 2009
Early Education and Care System
Components: Early Literacy
 Workforce
 Informed
 Finance
and Professional Development (Q, WF)
Families and Public (FS, C, I)
(Q, FS, WF, I)
EEC Strategic Directions:
Q = Quality
FS = Family support, access, and affordability
WF = Workforce
C = Communications
I = Infrastructure
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Proposals Align with Several EEC Initiatives
1. Supported by the recommendations for early literacy from the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Early Literacy
Subcommittee of the Proficiency Gap Task Force to create and align
literacy efforts birth to age eight.

One of the Task Force’s top recommendations includes:
Early Education and Care and K-12 Alignment:
Create an aligned assessment of literacy from Pre –K (3 and 4) to
3rd grade. Develop shared professional development for preschool
through 3rd grade to demonstrate aligned strategies.
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Proposals Align with Several EEC Initiatives
Continued
2. EEC’s new regulations;
Excerpts from New Regulations; Curriculum:
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
The licensee must provide a well-balanced curriculum…the curriculum
must ...support school readiness and/or educational development; and
4. include goals for the knowledge and skills to be acquired by children
in the areas of English language arts, mathematics, science and
technology/engineering, history and social science, comprehensive
health, and the arts.

The licensee must have evidence of a plan describing how program
activities support and engage children through specific learning
experiences. Such plan must...provide for: educators reading books
daily with children of all ages in an engaging manner in group or
individualized settings; learning experiences that support problem
solving, critical thinking, communication, language and literacy
development, social skills and relationship building;
3. Aligned with feedback from EEC Advisory Council to spend ARRA
funding on professional development opportunities that support
the implementation of the new regulations.
Early Literacy Initiative Focused
on Family Child Care Providers
and Infants and Toddlers
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The Importance of Early Literacy

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Improving educational interventions in the child care
setting can lessen the developmental risks faced by very
young children

Early literacy is essential for success in school and life. Research
has shown that early literacy at kindergarten correlates strongly
with literacy skills throughout subsequent grades, and those
children who start behind typically stay behind1. In 2009, 43% of
3rd grade students score below proficient in reading on MCAS2.

Children who are exposed to books and stories from infancy are
more likely to be successful at learning to read;

Early literacy skill acquisition begins in the first year of life and
continues into the preschool years;

Children need exposure to literacy materials and social interaction
for successful literacy development
1See for example, Snow, Catherine E; Porche, Michelle V; Tabors, Patton O; Harris, Stephanie Ross. (2007). Is literacy enough? Pathways to academic success for adolescents. xix, 153 pp. Baltimore, MD, US: Paul H Brookes Publishing. 2Retrieved
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/results.html, November 18, 2009
from The
The Importance of Early Literacy
The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) 1was convened in 2002 to examine the
implications of instructional practices used with children from birth through age 5
and found:

Book-sharing interventions produced statistically significant and moderatesized effects on children’s print knowledge and oral language skills

Home based and parent programs yielded statistically significant and
moderate to large effects on children’s oral language skills and general
cognitive abilities.

Studies of preschool programs produced significant and moderate to large
effects on spelling and reading readiness.

Language-enhancement interventions were successful at increasing children’s
oral language skills to a large and statistically significant degree.
Together, these findings suggest that there are many things programs and parents
can do to improve the literacy development of their young children and that
different approaches influence the development of a different pattern of essential
skills.
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1Executive
Summary, “Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, A Scientific Synthesis of
The Importance of Early Literacy
One study1 broke down the basics of effective early literacy instruction into eight
specific strategies with strong research links to early literacy skills and, in some
cases, with later elementary-grade reading achievement. T
The study noted that linking literacy and play is one of the most effective ways to
make literacy activities meaningful and enjoyable for children.
The eight strategies are:
 Rich teacher talk
 Storybook reading
 Phonological awareness activities
 Alphabet activities
 Support for emergent reading
 Support for emergent writing
 Shared book experience, and
 Integrated, content-focused activities.
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1“The Essentials of Early Literacy Instruction,” Kathleen A. Roskos, James F. Christie, and
Donald J. Richgels, Young Children March 2003, 52-59
Family Child Care Provider’s Role in Promoting
Early Literacy

With appropriate information, support and
materials, Family Child Care providers are key
partners in promoting early literacy development
in the first three years.
 There is a lack of professional development
opportunities and high staff turnover among
providers for this age group.
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Alignment with EEC Initiatives
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
Increasing skills of Family Child Care
providers to increase quality for Infants and
Toddlers in early education and care
programs;

Need for Professional Development
opportunities focused on infants and
toddlers;

Focus on importance of Early Literacy;

Supported by the recommendations of the
Birth to Three Task Force
Primary Factors That Contribute to Poorly
Developed Literacy Skills
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
Lack of understanding/emphasis on early literacy
development in early education and care settings (parents
or providers).

Adult illiteracy/low literacy among parents and child care
providers.

Lack of books and resources in programs.
Approach to Meeting Specific Challenges
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
Specialized training and ongoing technical assistance for
family child care providers focusing on relationship-based
care, early literacy development in the first three years of
life, creating literacy rich child care environments, and
promoting parental involvement in book sharing, reading
aloud and storytelling.

Distribution of developmentally and culturally appropriate
children's books with the goal of each program receiving a
small library of books.

Information and support for early education and care
providers and parents to encourage early literacy
development.
Goals of Initiative
Increase providers’ awareness and knowledge of early
literacy development in the first three years of life.
 Further develop providers’ skills in promoting early
literacy skills during daily routines with the infants and
toddlers in their care.
 Increase providers’ confidence in storytelling,
communicating, and reading aloud to children.
 Develop providers’ skills in choosing, accessing, and
evaluating high quality children’s books.
 Increase availability of developmentally and culturally
appropriate books in early education and care
programs
 An evaluation component to determine the efficacy of
the training.

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Considerations for Vendors/Models
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
To be funded through a competitive process

Intensive Intervention (timeline ~6-12 months for full implementation)

Components of Model(s) for Consideration
• Model to be used (evidence based or supported by research or
practice)
• Cost/Number of family child care providers caring for infants and
toddlers across the state. (# of participants in each of the 5
regions) that can be trained
• Cost/Number of other professionals trained (e.g. early literacy
specialists for additional trainings of staff within their region.)
• Cost of training materials to be distributed
• The potential creation/promotion of literacy rich child care
communities through collaborations with other community early
literacy programs such as children’s librarians, etc.
• Cost/Number of books provided to under-resourced early
education and care programs (encourage vendors to seek
donations where appropriate)
Funding Proposal for Early Literacy Initiative
Focusing on Family Child Care Provider and
Infants and Toddlers

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Use of up to $150,000 of ARRA quality funds
through a competitive RFR to support an early
literacy focused professional development
initiative for Family Child Care providers serving
infants and toddlers.
Statewide Professional
Development Opportunity
EEC and ESE Partnership Focused
on Strategies for Closing the
Early Literacy Proficiency Gap
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Proposed Professional Development
Opportunity for ARRA Funding
Conference held in partnership with ESE on early literacy
within a pre-k to eight frame focused on strategies for closing the
early literacy proficiency gap.
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
March 3, 2009

~800 EEC and ESE providers; including:
• Early Education and Care providers
• district literacy coordinators
• public school literacy coaches
• family literacy coordinators
• Title I staff
• PK staff (mixed delivery) with literacy backgrounds
• Leadership
• Others interested
Conference
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Planning

Joint planning will ensure consideration of the audience as the
menu of breakout sessions are developed that address strategies for
closing the achievement gap

Will consider the timing of the event to better accommodate the
schedule of different types of providers (e.g. Family Child Care
providers; may provide two sessions)

Include an opportunity for post-conference peer support for
reflective practice

Other organizations/individuals have agreed to help plan the day:
- Strategies for Children
- Three-to-Third
- ESE: Kindergarten office, Adult Basic Ed, Family Literacy, Office of
Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction
Preliminary Presentation Topics
Presenters will be selected to address issues cutting across the pre-K to
eight continuum, such as:

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early childhood assessment
family engagement
accountability/summative & formative elements
standards-based literacy curriculum
research-based instructional practices
ongoing professional development and educator preparation in
literacy including the role of literacy coaches
targeting ELLs/oral language development & students with special
needs
Proposal for Joint Professional Development
Opportunity

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Use of $25,000 of ARRA funding to support a one time
professional development opportunity in partnership
with ESE focused on closing the early literacy proficiency
gap within the pre-k to 8 frame that includes an
opportunity for post-conference peer support for
reflective practice.
Funding Proposal for Early Literacy Initiatives
Total Proposal = $175,000
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
Use of up to $150,000 of ARRA quality funds
through a competitive RFR to support an early
literacy focused professional development
initiative for Family Child Care providers serving
infants and toddlers.

Use of $25,000 of ARRA funding to support a one
time professional development opportunity in
partnership with ESE focused on closing the early
literacy proficiency gap within the pre-k to 8 frame
that includes an opportunity for post-conference
peer support for reflective practice.