Areas of Expertise - Early Childhood Language and Literacy
Language and literacy skills are critical to children's school success. Every year nearly 4 million U.S. children are enrolled in public schools and approximately 30 percent will be reading at a minimal level by the 4th grade. Children who enter school with limited verbal abilities, an inability to attend to language sounds, and a lack of letter knowledge are more likely to have reading difficulties.
Early Childhood Associate. uses current research on language and literacy to inform its training and technical assistance and contributes to expanding the base of knowledge related to young children's language and literacy development.
In 2001, Early Childhood Associates completed an evaluation of the Lowell Early Learning Opportunities Act grant that correlated preschool program quality with thirteen language and literacy indicators. The report documented that children who attended a one year public school preschool program with a degreed teacher demonstrated statistically significantly stronger school readiness skills than children who attended a community program with a non-degreed teacher.
Since 2006, Early Childhood Associates has been the external evaluator for two Early Reading First grantees in Michigan. The projects support children's oral language, phonological awareness, letter identification and book knowledge skills to ensure their success as readers and in school. As the evaluator, Early Childhood Associates provides up-to-date progress monitoring reports to the programs so that teachers can use assessment data to guide curriculum development. Our work with Early Reading First continues in Massachusetts with the University of Massachusetts/Boston and the Lynn Public Schools and in Maine at the University of Southern Maine and three school districts—Portland, Auburn-Lewiston and Biddeford. In both of these programs, ECA spearheads the program evaluation using a control group design and offers a unique monthly program called Data Days, which empowers teachers to interpret and use data to improve student outcomes, teacher knowledge and skills and classroom quality.
Early Childhood Associates & the Warren Institute work collaboratively with a number of communities in Massachusetts who have high concentrations of low income families and English language learners. In our complex culture, to succeed in school, in employment and in society, individuals need strong communication skills that have their foundation in early experiences. Early Childhood Associates & the Warren Institute have developed products, provides training, and disseminates research to support children's language and literacy development.
