Parents | Educators
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Parents
Websites
Zero
to Three's Brain Development FAQs
In question and answer format, presents recent research
on brain development and early literacy of children
newborn to age three. Website categoriezes information for parents,
child care providers, and health clinicians.
Brain Connection
Brief overview of infant brain development.
Ready
At Five
Tip sheets with activities related to early literacy and school readiness for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
A
Child Becomes a Reader: Birth Through Preschool
Summarizes skills important in becoming a reader (for
newborn to age 6) and then has a section of activities
by ages. Includes bibliography and brief explanation
of No Child Left Behind Act. Put out by The Partnership
for Reading, administered by the National Institute
for Literacy in cooperation with National Institute
for Child Health and Human Development, and US Department
of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services.
Birth
to Six
Succinct explanations of the importance of early brain
development and early literacy. Includes parent tips.
Multnomah County (OR) Public Library.
Grow
Up Reading @ The West Bloomfield Township Public Library
Includes the early literacy skills from the Every Child
Ready to Read Project as part of their parent information
on reading with young children.
Early Learning Information and Activities
Scroll down to sections entitled Fun Ideas, Every Child Ready to Read Six Pre-Reading Skills (brochures and Podcast), Wiggles, Tickles and Rhymes, and Read to Your Baby Booklet. From Pierce County (Tacoma, WA) Library.
Parent's
Guide to Reading with Your Child
Includes importance of bonding as part of reading together,
suggestions for reading routines for infants and toddlers,
and 3 to 5 year olds, on choosing books. Brain Waves,
how the activities surrounding reading a book affect
brain learning/development. Literacy Activity Calendar
for parents showing skills being enhanced by each activity.
Sponsored by National Center for Family Literacy.
Parents
Page
Parent Page Handouts on a variety of topics including
choosing books for young children and reading with your
child. In English and Spanish. Sponsored by Parents
As Teachers, an early childhood parent education and
family support program serving families throughout pregnancy
until age five. Program designed to enhance child development
and school achievement through parent education.
Babies
Are Born Learning
Tri-fold in English or Spanish to help parents understand
ways to help their children birth to five years through
play, reading, talking, listening and showing respect
for their children.
Child
Development
Good summary of brain development and cognitive development
in infants and toddlers. From Early Head Start
Resource Center
Ready*Set*Read
Activities
Explains what behaviors to expect from children (birth
to age five), how they learn, what children learn about
language, and activities to enjoy with children at each
age-level: birth to eight months old, eight to 18 months
old, 18 - 36 months old, and three to five year olds.
Your
Baby, Toddler and Preschooler
Ways for parent to build a child's early literacy skills.
Good section on choosing good books, reading aloud,
and language-rich homes. From Reading Is Fundamental.
Brain
Development in Infants and Toddlers
Research on early brain development pulled from a variety
of early childhood web sources. By National Child Care
Information Center.
Colorín
Colorado: Helping Kids Learn to Read . . . and Succeed!
Information, activities, and advice for Spanish-speaking
parents. Concentrates on school-age children, but some
information for young children as well. It's bilingual.
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Books
Acredolo, Linda. Baby Minds: Brain-Building
Games Your Baby Will Love, Birth to Age Three.
NY: Bantam, 2000.
Combines a conversational tone with recent research
findings on infant and child development, including
chapters on the brain, emotional development, the way
children think and learn, early literacy, mathematical
concepts, and creativity. Age breakdown from birth to
36 months for activities and development within each
chapter.
Bickart, Toni. Reading Right From
the Start: What Parents Can Do in the First Five Years.
Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 2000.
Bickart, Toni. El buen comienzo
de la lectura: lo que pueden hacer los padres durante
los primeros cinco años. Washington, DC:
Teaching Strategies, 2001.
Practical advice in an easy-to-read format on ways parents
can help their young children become good readers and
writers. Chapters on Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers,
and Ready for Kindergarten. Charts in each chapter explain
activities to do throughout the day and how they support
your child's development.
Born to Succeed (12 minutes);La
llave del éxito (10 minutes) (videos) Portland,
OR: Multnomah County (OR) Public Library.
Young parents share their experiences of reading with
their infants and toddlers, describing how it strengthens
their relationship and builds literacy development.
Unscripted and unstaged, their personal stories provide
a powerful and poignant message to young parents.
Mis Padres, Mis Maestros: My Parents,
My Teachers. (video, 15 minutes each part, English
and Spanish) Chicago: El Valor, 1998.
Using real life situations, shows the importance of
communicating, playing, reading, and singing to their
baby for the development of the newborn's brain, the
first three years of life are the most critical. Emphasizes
the importance of reading, talking, and singing to your
child from birth, and that parents are a baby's first
teacher. The parents' level of participation and love
that they offer their baby will have a profound effect
on his or her development throughout life.
National Research Council. Starting
Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999. (www.nap.edu)
Helps parents and educators understand the key elements
that research shows children need to become good readers,
and how to prevent reading difficulties. Enhances research
with many ideas and examples. Chapters for Preschool
Years, Kindergarten through Grade Three, and Preventing
Reading Difficulties.
Ramey, Craig. Right From Birth:
Building Your Child's Foundation for Life, Birth to
18 Months. NY: Goddard Press, 1999.
Written with parents in mind, summarizes research and
its implications regarding emotional growth, social
skills, communication, and early learning of children
from birth to 18 months. Offers insights and suggestions
for activities parents can do to support their children.
Ready to Learn
and Listos para aprender (videos, 30 minutes)
Los Angeles, CA: I Am Your Child.
Hosted by LeVar Burton, Jamie Lee Curtis (English),
and Edward James Olmos (Spanish) lead a discussion on
the importance of early literacy and show parents and
caregivers how to help young children develop language
skills through everyday activities like talking, singing
and playing.
Schickedanz, Judith. Much More Than
the ABCs: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education
of Young Children, 1999.
For parents and educators of children from birth to
age five, focuses on selecting books at each developmental
level and ways to support early literacy skills through
the use of books.
Shore, Rima. Rethinking the Brain:
New Insights Into Early Development. NY: Families
and Work Institute, 1997.
An outstanding, thorough and readable review of research
on the development of children ages 0-5. Helps in understanding
the critical importance of the first years of life in
laying the foundation for emotional, social and cognitive
development.
Silberg, Jackie. Brain Games for
Babies, Toddlers & Twos: 140 Ways to Boost Development.NY:
Sterling, 2000.
Activities and games for adults playing with newborn
to three-year-olds, going through the day. Arranged
by age from birth to 36 months in three-month intervals.
One activity per page including brief research information
for each. Illustrated with color photographs.
Toddler Play: 100 Fun-Filled Activities
to Maximize Your Toddler's Potential. Chanhassen,
MN: Creative Publishing International, 2001.
Illustrated with brightly colored photographs, combines
play activities (games, songs, chants) with the developmental
and educational benefits and summarizes research reports
on child development. Arranged by age from one year
to two-and-a-half years in six-month intervals.
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Educators (see
also Parent Section)
Websites
Zero to Three's Brain Development FAQs
In question and answer format, presents recent research
on brain development and early literacy of children
newborn to age three. Website categoriezes information for parents,
child care providers, and health clinicians.
Ready At Five
Tip sheets with activities related to early literacy and school readiness for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Early
Literacy, part of Telus Learning Connection Project
Centre
Pulls together research quotes and has suggestions of
early literacy activities for teachers ad parents to
do with their young children.
Research
Spotlights
"Crib notes" of early brain development. Easy-to-read
summaries that bring research to life and deepen our
understanding of children's development. Some have video
footage online.
Information
Resources
Includes articles, chapters, and annotated reviews of
print and video materials, research abstracts and webs
resources in several areas, including early childhood
development, family partnerships, and community partnerships.
Early literacy is a small portion of their focus.
From Early Head Start National Resource Center.
Brain
Development in Infants and Toddlers
Research on early brain development pulled from a variety
of early childhood web sources. By National Child
Care Information Center.
Get
Ready to Read
Includes screening tool for four-year-olds, based on
research from the National Institute for Child Health
and Human Development, to determine where a child's
pre-reading skills are strong or weak. Information to
support parents and educators as they help their young
children be ready to read. Includes thoughtful answers
to questions from parents and educators.
Early Learning Information and Activities
Scroll down to sections entitled Fun Ideas, Every Child Ready to Read Six Pre-Reading Skills (brochures and Podcast), Wiggles, Tickles and Rhymes, and Read to Your Baby Booklet. From Pierce County (Tacoma, WA) Library.
Children
and Electronic Media Resources
Report by Kaiser Foundation (2003) from survey of about
1,000 parents on the use of and effects of media on
children newborn to six years of age. Influence of TV
and computer screen time on reading.
Books
National Reading Panel. Report of
the National Reading Panel:
Teaching Children to Read, An Evidence-Based Assessment
of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and
Its Implications for Reading Instruction, Reports of
the Subgroups. Washington, DC: National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, 2000.
Assesses the status of research-based knowledge on the
teaching of reading, including the effectiveness of
various approaches. Chapters include alphabetics, fluency,
comprehension, teacher education and reading instruction,
and computer technology and reading instruction.
National Research Council. Preventing
Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington,
DC: National Academy Press, 1998. (www.nap.edu)
Against the background of normal progress, examines
the factors that put children at risk of poor reading.
Explores how literacy can be fostered from birth through
kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation
of philosophies, systems and materials commonly used
to teach reading.
Schickedanz, Judith. Much More Than
the ABCs: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing.
Washington, DC: National Association for the Education
of Young Children, 1999.
For parents and educators of children from birth to
age five, focuses on selecting books at each developmental
level and ways to support early literacy skills through
the use of books.
Report of the National Reading Panel:
Teaching Children to Read, An Evidence-Based Assessment
of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and
Its Implications for Reading Instruction.
Rockville, MD: NICHD Clearninghouse, 2000.
Report of the Panel, leading scientists in reading research,
convened by the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development. Looks at methods of instruction in
areas of Alphabetics, Fluency, Comprehension, and at
Teacher Education and Computer Technology in the area
of reading instruction.
Basis for policy considerations and decisions.
Available on line at www.nationalreadingpanel.org
Shore, Rima. Rethinking the Brain:
New Insights Into Early Development. NY: Families
and Work Institute, 1997.
An outstanding, thorough and readable review of research
on the development of children ages 0-5. Helps in understanding
the critical importance of the first years of life in
laying the foundation for emotional, social and cognitive
development.
Straight Talk About Reading: How
Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years.
Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 1999.
Research background on the teaching of reading and the
parents' role, including some activities. Concentrates
on Pre-K through third grade.
Tabors, Patton. One Child, Two Languages.
A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning
English As a Second Language. Baltimore, MD:
Paul H. Brookes, 1997.
For early childhood educators, offers specific techniques
needed to facilitate the natural progression of second-language
learning. Ways to create a supportive classroom environment
for children learning English as a second language while
acknowledging the importance of the child's home language
and culture. Includes ways to measure progress, address
individual differences and to work with parents.
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Research
Websites
Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study
Monitor this site for first wave of data following children
from birth to kindergarten. First wave will compile
data from interviews with parent of nine-month-old babies.
Birth
Cohort and Kindergarten Cohort.
Statistics for children entering kindergarten through
first grade on reading proficiency in relationship to
material education, income.
Inequality
at the Starting Gate
Using the U.S. Department of Education's Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort (1998) of 16,000
families, presents statistical information and research
showing the less publicized inequalities facing children
before they start school; includes factors such as number
of books in the home, visits to the public library.
Reading
Research Resources
Reviews reading research and describes on-going research
at National Institute for Child Health and Human Development
of the National Institutes of Health.
Recent
Research on Brain Development and Reading Skills
Highlights recent articles on brain development and
reading skills. Sponsored by History, Arts and Libraries
Division of State of Michigan.
NCEDL
Research Database
Research focuses on enhancing the cognitive, social,
and emotional development of children birth to age eight.
You can search the reports of 12 national research and
development centers funded by the US Office of Educational
Research and Improvement (OERI), get summaries, findings,
and publications as a result of the study. Offers a
speakers list. Sponsored by National Center for Early
Development and Learning.
Clearinghouse
on Early Education and Parenting
Successor to ERIC/EECE. Provides access to educational
literature and resources. Click on "Popular Topics,"
then on "Research on Early Childhood Education"
and "School Readiness". Get summaries of reports and
papers. Subject descriptors are listed. English and
Spanish.
Center
for Applied Linguistics
Describes its own research projects including those
in the areas of Literacy (PreK-12) and Bilingual Education.
Some funded by National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development.
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Books
If you or a community partner is writing a grant and
needs research data to support the grant application,
these resources can help.
Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers.
Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 2001.
Explores the question, "What will it take to provide
better early education and care for our children ages
two to five?" Synthesizes current research findings
on how young children learn and the impact of early
learning. Presents recommendations in areas such as
the teacher-child relationship, the organization and
content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children
most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation,
assessment of teaching and learning.
From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The
Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington,
DC: National Academy Press, 2000. (www.nap.edu)
Researchers in the fields of neurobiological studies
and behavioral and social sciences converge to create
the "science" of early childhood development. Provides
in-depth discussion of early brain development information,
nature vs. nurture debate, and impact of culture on
development. Product of investigation of the National
Academy of Sciences.
Hart, Betty. Meaningful Differences
in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.
Baltimore: P.H. Brookes, 1995.
Describes research study investigating the link between
children's early family experience and their later intellectual
growth, a link that exists regardless of a child's race.
Report of the National Reading Panel:
Teaching Children to Read, An Evidence-Based Assessment
of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and
Its Implications for Reading Instruction.
Rockville, MD: NICHD Clearninghouse, 2000.
Report of the Panel, leading scientists in reading research,
convened by the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development. Looks at methods of instruction in
areas of Alphabetics, Fluency, Comprehension, and at
Teacher Education and Computer Technology in the area
of reading instruction.
Basis for policy considerations and decisions.
Available on line at www.nationalreadingpanel.org
National Research Council. Preventing
Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington,
DC: National
Academy Press, 1998.
Against the background of normal progress, examines
the factors that put children at risk of poor reading.
Explores how literacy can be fostered from birth through
kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation
of philosophies, systems and materials commonly used
to teach reading.
back to
top
Brain Development
Identifies organizations working who advocate for young children through partnerships and by spread the word on brain developmentt. Sponsored by The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC), a service of the U.S. Child Care Bureau.
Investing
in Our Children: What We Know and Don't Know About the
Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions
An independent cost-benefit analysis published by Rand
Corporation on the impact of early childhood intervention
on child health and development, educational attainment,
and economic well-being.
Early
Child Development (including The ABC's of ECD)
Benefits and costs of investing in early childhood development.
Designed to assist policy makers, program managers,
and practitioners in their efforts to promote the healthy
growth and integral development of young children. Includes
information on program design, statistics. Sponsored
by World Bank's Early Child Development team.
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Nation's largest organization of early childhood educators
and others dedicated to advocating for and improving
the quality of programs for children birth through grade
three. Publishes research and practical applications
on a variety of aspects of early childhood education.
Subscriptions to Young Children and Early Childhood
Research Quarterly through membership. Has local chapters.
Connect
for Kids
The Benton Foundation provides information for adults
to advocate for children in their communities. Topics
include Child Care and Early Development, Parenting,
and Education. Describes model local programs under
each topic. Some national statistics included.
Family and Early
Childhood Research and Training, Research Triangle Institute
Staff supports local, state, national, and international efforts to promote and
improve child development in the context of the family and the school. Provides a range of research and program evaluation services that includes child
and family assessments, classroom observations, program quality assessments, and
training.
Library's
Role in Emergent Literacy
Articulates the role the public library plays in supporting
parents and the community in strengthening early literacy
through library services.
Eager
to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. Washington,
DC: National
Academy Press, 2001.
Explores the question, "What will it take to provide
better early education and care for our children ages
two to five?" Synthesizes current research findings
on how young children learn and the impact of early
learning. Presents recommendations in areas such as
the teacher-child relationship, the organization and
content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children
most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation,
assessment of teaching and learning.
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