In celebration of Dr. Seuss our Merrill Klamath Family Head Start staff have prepared Green Eggs and Ham for the children.
Staff from Merrill Head Start celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss on March 2nd with their preschool class. The Story Green Eggs and Ham was read to children as they enjoyed actual green eggs and ham for breakfast! Literacy and educational activities celebrating Dr. Suess continued throughout the day.
Emerging literacy refers to the knowledge and skills that lay the foundation for reading and writing. For infants and toddlers, emerging literacy is embedded in the Language and Communication domain. This reflects how closely connected these emerging literacy skills are to very young children’s beginning receptive, expressive, and vocabulary skills. For preschoolers, Language and Literacy are distinct domains. They reflect children’s growing skills as they begin to grasp differences between spoken and written language, as well as how they are connected.
Language development refers to children’s emerging abilities to understand and use language. Language skills are receptive-the ability to listen to and understand language-and expressive-the ability to use language to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Children’s language ability affects learning and development in all areas, especially emerging literacy.
Language and literacy skills can develop in any language, and for the most part, they develop first in the child’s home language. Supporting development of the home language helps prepare young children for learning English.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs must promote language and literacy goals for all children that are age, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and responsive. However, children who are dual language learners (DLLs) need intentional support to develop their home language as well as acquire English. For example, this may include creating environments that include their home language and culture; planning and organizing thematic instruction; and supporting them through transitions.
Here are additional resources for promoting language and literacy at home!