“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
Frederick Douglass
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for
daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building
block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams,
clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a
vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for
girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone,
everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human
right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means
through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full
potential.” ― Kofi Annan
Through my journey in early childhood education, I have
learned that child development and learning are only a few key pieces to
developing a child as a whole. I examined literacy processes for young children
by focusing on the cognitive, emotional, cultural, motivational, and
environmental factors that influence the development and learning of successful
teaching practices to create social change for early childhood literacy. While
play and personal relationships offer the most benefits in development and learning,
family dynamic, economic status, cultural roles, language barriers, or flawed
education, can also be areas of hindrance to the education and achievement of a
child.
Resources that were the most thought provoking in the search
for the answer of ending illiteracy include: Helping families connect early
literacy with social-emotional development, which examines the importance of
emergent literacy, but includes an informative view on the development of
children’s socio-emotional skills in conjunction with the cognitive demands.
“Researchers have long emphasized that children’s socio-emotional and cognitive
skills are interrelated and develop within response and caring environments.
Both what children think and how they feel influence their ability to learn
concepts, manage their own behaviors, and relate to others” (Santos &
Schafer, 2012, p. 89). Additionally, a
resource titled, Supplementing literacy instruction with a media-rich
intervention: Results of a randomized controlled trial, examined a study that
shows that incorporating media into the curriculum gives economically
disadvantaged students a chance to succeed with literacy. Using media such as
public education television, like Sesame Street and Super Why, can help close
the achievement gap.
Early childhood professionals have the overwhelming task of
educating today’s children, who are culturally, linguistically, and
developmentally different. Federal mandates, socioeconomic needs, and
implementing best practices, can effect a child’s growth in the early childhood
stage of development and learning. Due
to controversy, no consensus has been found to remedy the illiteracy problem in
the United States. The dissatisfaction
of subpar early childhood programs and its effect on early childhood literacy
has fueled my desire for social change. By addressing these factors effecting
early childhood literacy, I can pursue research and professional development to
strengthen my knowledge and voice for children’s literacy needs.
Santos, R., Fettig, A., & Shaffer, L. (2012). Helping
families connect early literacy with
social-emotional development. YC: Young Children, 67(2), 88-95.
