Growing Readers
Location:
New
Contact: Amy Read
910-798-6308
Description: Early Literacy Consultants enrich learning environments in child care facilities by modeling and training providers in early literacy teaching techniques and providing age-appropriate books for classrooms with infants through children age 5.
Grants
Three levels of early literacy training are offered to teachers in selected classrooms of licensed child care facilities. All Smart Start Growing Readers training focuses on the six early literacy skills that research shows young children need in order to be ready to learn to read. These six early literacy skills are:
- Narrative skills
- Letter knowledge
- Phonological awareness
- Print awareness
- Print motivation
- Vocabular development
Storytime components that augment early literacy skills are included in all trainings. These components include, but are not limited to puppet use, songs, rhymes, flannel board stories, music, storytelling and finger plays.
Level 1 & Level 2 training: offer either intensive or intermediate, on-site, early literacy support through demonstration and modeling of age-appropriate storytime activities and the completion of assignments designed to address areas identified in individualized Technical Assistance Plans which are developed based on pre-assessment results. Training visits occur multiple times each month during one of two half-year long sessions.
Level 3 training: supports the continuation of quality early literacy activites by providing on-site instructional support through a monthly classroom visit. Demonstration storytimes, pre-post self assessments, and mid-year storytime observation feedback are available through this service.
Level 1 & Level 2 participants who successfully complete all training requirements are eligible to receive a NON-CASH GRANT package of an Early Literacy Materials (ELM) kit for the classroom. ELM kits include high quality books based on pre-reading skills and may also include puppets, flannel materials and music and language materials.
- A Rotating Book Bag delivery service is provided to all training participants throughout the program year.
- Group training workshops are provided to early childhood educators as well as parents.
- Library-based early literacy activities for young children are supported through this program.