Many parents and caregivers find themselves at home with young children while schools and child care centers are closed. Reading aloud is one of the most significant activities for developing literacy that also creates a sense of connection and safety in what may be a difficult time. Read on for research-backed tips to help make the most of these shared experiences.

As many as 10% of children, and disproportionately children from low-income households, are affected by early language impairment. SMALL Talk, an ongoing Crane Center project, is looking to identify the early risk factors as the first step in preventing language impairment in these vulnerable populations.

This study examined the individual differences in social interactions between children in the same classroom showing trends especially important to inclusive classroom environments. Read our highlights of the research, key takeaways and practitioner application as well as view the peer-reviewed publication.

Alphabet knowledge is a basic building block for early reading and writing. Children who learn the forms, names and sounds of letters during early childhood are less likely to experience reading difficulties later in school. See highlights of Crane Center research and find resources for assessing and teaching the alphabet.

This year, we started Tuned In – our Friday morning round-up of policy-related news and analysis. It’s been a labor of love that my colleague Caitlin and I really enjoy providing to you all. In lieu of our regular edition today, here’s a reflection on nine of the best (policy-related) things that happened in 2019, in no particular order.

In part one of this two-part series, we discussed planning intentional and differentiated language and literacy learning opportunities based on children’s needs. In this second part, we focus on ways to implement these teaching goals by embedding them within naturally occurring play.

STAR Read-Aloud Practices are designed to develop and strengthen young children’s awareness of and knowledge about print. They utilize evidence-based reading techniques that have been found to be especially helpful in early childhood education classrooms.

A practitioner-friendly, scientifically based curricular supplement designed to develop and strengthen young children’s early foundations in language and literacy. Lessons are organized around adult-child readings of high-quality storybooks and supplement – not replace – an educator’s instruction. It is widely used in early childhood programs in the United States and internationally.

This white paper presents results of a community-based, multi-pronged initiative, Ready 4 Success, which was designed to improve the quality of language and literacy instruction in preschool classrooms and, in turn, children’s language and literacy skills.

In the United States, the number of young bilinguals in PreK-12 settings is rapidly increasing. This paper summarizes key findings and patterns of early bilingual development and separates scientific findings from common myths that influence home and school language practices, assessment and support services, and the organizational structures of education programs these children.

Ohio passed a third-grade reading “guarantee” in 2012. This paper examines the impact of that policy seven years later, by analyzing national and state reading achievement data.

Early childhood educators play a critical role in providing the language and literacy instruction that young children need in order to develop key skills for later school success. This study seeks to understand how educators’ backgrounds may be linked to the amount of language and literacy instruction they provide.