International Contacts

              In the Zone to Three website is an amazing site that supplies information that is relevant for parents and educators because the information that is found focuses on the brain development of the child. This week the focuses was on Early Language Literacy Development. Literacy development is so important to develop from birth because language will help children communicate their thoughts, feeling, ideas and needs. Although children can communicate their emotions through nonverbal gestures, language is a key point to communication and a child’s success in the future.

            The article brings up three points that pike my interest: One, during the first three years the brain develops traumatically by developing the ability to learn, speak, think, and reason; Two, many low income children are already behind in communication skills and language; Three, “the literacy gap hinders our nation’s ability to create the workforces needed to compete in the global market” (2011, p.1). These areas are a huge concern to me as an educational professional because a strong foundation in language helps students in their future.      

“Studies also show that children from low-income families are both spoken to and read to less frequently than their middle-class peers, which hinders their ability to develop literacy and language skills. This leads to the widening achievement gap or “language gap.” (2011, p.4).

This is an interesting statement made in the article because one side I can understand why children from low income may not have a higher vocabulary then other children who have more resources and may have parents that are more involved with their education. However, this statement feeds into many myths and stereotypes of low income parents. The literacy gap in America seems to be getting wider and I have started wondering “what does the literacy gap look like in my community?”

            Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instructor website help teachers to understand the educational requirements for students in different grade levels. They help educators to better align their educational keys points to help students develop the skills they need to meet.

In another article by Zero to Three called Early Literacy states that we need to challenge our idea of what does early literacy look like and mean for toddler and infants. The writer explains that “by focusing on the importance of the first years of life, we give new meaning to the interactions young children have with books and stories” (Schickedanz, 1999, p.1). As we educate our young children we must start focusing on the on the key principles of language and work on language skills with parents and educators.

Reference

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/early-literacywebmarch1-6.pdf