Victoria Hughes

ECD 243
02.20.2017
Advocacy Paper
(The importance of Early Literacy Learning)

Literacy is the ability to read and write. According to a survey about 32

million American adults are illiterate (unable to read or write). Science
suggests that this is due to a lack of exposure to vocabulary, and books at a
young age. The most critical time for literacy learning in a childs life is
between the ages of birth and age five. By the age of five 90% of the brain
has already developed. With that being said, it is absolutely crucial that
children are being read to, communicated with, and taught vocabulary each
and every day early on in their lives. Upon visiting the center prior to student
teaching one of the first thoughts to come to my mind was, Where are the
books? Where is the literacy? I sat in the classroom for an entire day
observing, and not one single book was read throughout the entirety of my
day spent there. I was in utter shock to say the least! Looking around a
typical preschool classroom there should be books displayed every few feet
or so at a childs level so it is accessible to them at any point throughout the
day. Teachers should be reading, and elaborating on childrens interests
several times throughout the day.
In each and every professional source, instructional class, conference
session, etcetera the importance of early literacy is not only stressed as
important, it is wired into our brains as an absolutely crucial part of the
curriculum for young children. According to the NAEYC Code of Ethical
Conduct we as teachers are supposed to appreciate childhood as a unique
and valuable stage of the human life cycle. With that being said, it is
important that we need to take advantage of this time in their lives as a
prime stage for literacy learning. The Code also states that it is our
responsibility as teachers to base program practices upon current knowledge
and research in the field of early childhood education, child development,
and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child. So
the teacher should always base their curriculum on practices that are
enabling children to learn to their full potential. Without books in the
classroom, and children being read to often this is just not a possibility.
Teachers are never using appropriate learning practices if books, and/or
literacy are not involved in each and every activity in the classroom.
The Foundation, Make Way for Books says, The quality and quantity of
language that children hear in their first three years contributes to their
cognitive development, and the interactions children have with language in
their earliest years form the foundation of their ability to be able to read and
to comprehend what they read later on. When children are read stories, they
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ECD 243
02.20.2017
encounter new words beyond the words that they would hear as families go
about their daily business together, as they eat, get ready for bed, go to
the store, for example. When parents read to children, they hear more
complex and sophisticated language which become the building blocks of
their literacy and language development. In other words, through listening
to the reading of books children are exposed to all kinds of new vocabulary
outside of words used in their basic daily routines. Learning new words and
their meanings is a very important aspect of childrens learning, and has a
great impact on what kind of learners they will become later on down the
road.
It is important that parents and teachers are paying attention to their
childrens needs as well. All children learn differently, and at all different
paces. Another important aspect to encouraging plentiful literacy throughout
the classroom is making sure that you provide books that your children are
interested in. For example, if a child likes drawing, books pertaining to art
would be ideal. Also, when participating in conversation with children it is
crucial that the conversation sparks information in which they are already
familiar with, or conversation based on something that they are interested in.
When a child is interested it does not feel like learning, but just plain fun
instead! Children will grow and prosper so much in the area of literacy and all
other subjects as well if the correct tools are used in teaching it, but
beginning all of these techniques early in the childrens lives is what matters
most.
It is absolutely critical for our youth that the importance of early
literacy is stressed in every early childhood classroom. Not only are the
children benefiting from early literacy, but their future teachers are as well. If
they are not having to spend time playing catch up because the child is
behind due to lack of early literacy exposure they are able to make the most
out of class by progressing with further requirements of that particular grade
level. There needs to be books provided and available around every corner,
curriculums need to be readdressed to include reading several times a day,
and parents need to be reading to their children as well as having meaningful
conversations at home. It is not okay for children to have a whole day spent
in the classroom, or home environment without books being read, and really
elaborating on these books. Everyday spent without literacy incorporated
into a childs life is indeed a day wasted. As mentioned in the paragraph
above, not only is literacy important in the area of English, early literacy
incorporation will also influence every other subject in the childs curriculum
later on in life. Early literacy has been known to improve skills in all other
subjects including but not limited to math, science, and social studies as
well. Lets start a generation who believes that each and every child should
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ECD 243
02.20.2017
be involved in healthy rich conversation, surrounded by books in the
classroom and at home, and teachers who support this theory and read to
their children often. It is never too early for early literacy!