RELATED LINKS: EARLY

LITERACY/READING
 America Reads
 American Library Association
 Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
 Beginning with Books
 CIERA (Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement)
 Compact for Reading (U.S. Department of Education)
 Department of Education, Especially for Parents
 Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
 Even Start
 Family Literacy Foundation
 First Book
 Get Caught Reading
 International Reading Association
 Jim Trelease
 The Literacy Partnership
 Motheread/Fatheread
 National Center for Family Literacy
 National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
 National Reading Panel
 Norfolk Public Library
 PBS Literacy Link
 Proliteracy America
 Raising a Reader
 REACH Foundation for adult literacy
 Reach Out and Read
 Read Aloud Virginia
 Read Across America, National Education Association
 Reading is Fundamental
 Success for All
 The Nation’s Report Card
 Tidewater Literacy Council
 Ultimate Guide to Reading Comprehension
 Virginia Beach Public Library – Children’s Room
 Virginia Beach Public Library – Ready to Learn
 Wally Amos
 WHRO
 RELATED LINKS: QUALITY
PRESCHOOL AND CHILD
CARE
 Head Start
 National Association for the Education of Young Children
 National Child Care Information Center
 National Network for Child Care
 Smart Beginnings Historic Triangle
 Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads
 Smart Start
 The Planning Council
 United Way Success by Six (6) Ready for School Readiness!
 Virginia Child Care Resource & Referral Network
 Voices for Virginia’s Children and Youth

BRAIN BUILDING WITH BOOKS

 Oral language is the beginning of literacy. Speak clearly and Talk! Talk! Talk!
 Create a safe and comfortable print-rich environment.
Use multi-sensory experiences (smell, taste, touch, hearing, & sight)
 Cuddle up with a child and a book. Attachment and responsive care reduces the amount of cortisol, a stress
hormone to the brain. Increased levels of cortisol interfere with a child’s learning.
 Use dramatic play and create prop boxes to act out the characters in a story.
 Read aloud! Use your finger to show left to right reading.
 Repetition/Rhyme – Read it and Say it again and again!
Children learn from repetition and are able to predict what will happen next.
 Take a picture walk and point out the illustrations and talk about what you see.
This helps the child understand the printed word.
 Ask open-ended questions, “What are you building with the blocks?”
 Compare and Contrast. “Is the elephant bigger than the mouse?” “Are they the same color?”
 After you read, ask the child what happened at the beginning, middle and end.
Introduce the parts of the book (title and author).

EARLY LITERACY:
STORYTELLING TIPS
 Early experiences with spoken and written language set the stage and are the building blocks for children to
become successful readers.
 Talk! – Children learn language through listening and conversations.
 Read aloud EVERYDAY! – Just 15 minutes makes a lifelong reader.
 Talk slowly and clearly.
 Show and Tell – Talk about what you are doing as you do it.
 PLAY – Children learn through play (building with blocks, painting, putting a puzzle together, sand and water,
pretending) – Encourage children to talk about what they are doing or building by asking questions.
 HAVE FUN AND VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY – It’s Free

ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG

CHILDREN
Infants
 Make mobiles with colored shapes or objects for eye stimulation
 Sing a lullaby or play music and “move” with your child

 Use a lightweight scarf to play “peek-a-boo”

 Make a textured block out of material such as satin, velvet, corduroy, and flannel

 Provide a variety of interesting objects for the child to practice their thumb and index finger in a pincher grip
 Read, read, read storybooks

 Make a baby book with pictures of the infant and family members

 Create musical instruments with paper plates, bells, rattles, wooden spoons, and other objects

 Provide “tummy time” on the floor for the infant to build upper body strength

Toddlers
 Toss/catch a small ball

 Play “Ring around the Rosy”

 Provide playdough for the child to manipulate
 Finger paint with pudding – Let them taste too!

 Play a “Body Part” Game -Touch your nose, head, ear, tummy, leg, etc.
 Provide lots of books – Children need their own to handle and love!
 Play a follow directions game – “Can you close the door?”, “Bring me the ball, please.”, “Can you find the red
ball?”, etc.

 Sing songs – “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”

 Play outside – Sand, water, riding, and push toys should be available
 WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR A
CHILD TO ENTER SCHOOL
READY TO LEARN?
Preschool and Kindergarten Collaboration
 Open doors of communication between preschool and kindergarten teachers, directors, and elementary
school principals

 Communication of kindergarten expectations to preschools that serve as feeders to local elementary schools;
collaboration on decisions of what children need to learn during the preschool years

 Proper documentation of children’s growth and development

Parent Education/Training
 Affordable training for parents offered by reputable agencies at convenient times (working, stay-at-home,
and high need) that educates parents on how to get their children READY TO LEARN for school

 Creation of alliances with local hospitals and businesses to spread awareness of the importance of school
readiness

 Encouragement of parents to develop a love of learning within their families

 Access to available community resource and training guides for parents

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
 Children who lack social and emotional skills cannot succeed in school
 10% of all kindergarten children exhibit problematic behavior
 Children who enter school lacking social and emotional competence are less likely to be
successful by the end of the first grade (US Dept. of Education 2002)

 Ways to improve:
o Ensure quality early childhood programs
o Promote family economic security
o Deliver services aimed at socio-emotional domain

Children With Special Needs

 Sensory integration dysfunction – Sensory integration is a neurobiological process in which the brain
analyzes, interprets, and acts on sensory stimulation taken in from the environment (Ayres 2005; Hatch-
Rasmussen 1995).
  Tactile sensation – Tactile sensation is felt and processed by the nerves in the skin and experienced in the
brain as touch, temperature, pleasure, pain and pressure

WIRED FOR LIFE: EARLY

CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
The “Wired for Life” project is a collaboration among community partners from across the region.
The WHRO Center for Regional Citizenship joined with the community to create tools for effective public participation
supporting quality early childhood education.
The half hour Wired for Life documentary is designed to increase public understanding of:

 how critical the first five years of life are to a child’s future success;
 what defines quality early education;
 the challenges facing parents and providers;
 the impact of early childhood education on economic and workforce development;
 quality early education as a universal local, state and national issue that affects everyone.
Visit wiredforlife.org for more information.

RELATED LINKS: ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT
 Economic Policy Institute
 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Early Childhood Development
 Hampton Roads Partnership
 James Heckman, Investments in Early Childhood
 National League of Cities
 VOICES, Virginia Economic Impact Study

BRAIN BUILDERS FOR

TODDLERS
 Provide responsive care (hugs, laughter, smiles and bonding time).
 Foster a child’s natural curiosity through actively engaging them in play, keeping safety in mind.
 Encourage fine/gross motor development (sitting, crawling, pointing, using rattles, blocks or balls).
 Ask open-ended questions. “Where is that ball going?” “What is that sound?”
 Use nature to stimulate sensory experiences (observe a bird, watch the weather) then talk about what you
see. “What is that bird doing?”
 INDEPENDENT ONLINE
TRAINING
Square One has developed online training courses. Each 1 hour course will provide professional development “online” training
for early childhood educators, home visiting agency staff, healthcare providers, childcare providers, parents and grandparents.
After participating in the online training, you will be asked to take a Final Quiz. Participants will need an 80% pass rate to
receive a “Training Certificate” which will automatically be sent to you. The link for each quiz can be found on the course page
or at the end of the course materials.

Available Courses
 Infant Development (0-12 months) Course [Disponible en
Español]
Addresses the development of an infant from birth to 12 months of age. Developmental milestones, sleep issues, nutrition,
and other healthy development information will provide best practice strategies to those who work with infants.

 Parental Health Course

Includes research based information on good health practices, teen parenting issues, and parental adjustment/postpartum
depression. Participants will learn “how to have a healthy baby” and find out ways to reduce stress as well.

 Preschooler Development Course

Designed to provide information on Preschooler Development (37 months – 5 yrs.), in a one hour format, focusing on the
development of a preschool child.

 Prevent Disease – IMMUNIZE! Course

Designed to provide information on the importance of immunizations for adults. Parents, grandparents, early childhood
educators, childcare providers, home visiting agency staff, healthcare professionals and others who work with infants and
young children need to be vaccinated!

 Toddler Development Course

Designed to provide information on Toddler Development (13-36 months), in a one hour format, focusing on the
development of a toddler-aged child.

This online training will be offered FREE to participants with thanks to grant funding from National Business Coalition on
Health, GlaxoSmithKline, and the Community Leadership Partners Grant by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation in
South Hampton Roads, VA.