The fifth foundational principle for meeting ALL children’s needs is Emergent Multilingual Support which involves maximizing multilingual learners’ language capital. If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit this original blog post https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/2025/04/25/all-really-does-mean-all/ which shared the 6 evidence-based foundational principles for supporting all children to be successful in the classroom. As our nation, and specifically… Read more »
Meeting Everyone’s Needs: Foundational Principle 4: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
The fourth foundational principle for meeting ALL children’s needs is Culturally Responsive Pedagogy which entails addressing social barriers that can cause disparities in children’s achievement by being mindful of and removing these barriers so all children succeed. If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit this original blog post https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/2025/04/25/all-really-does-mean-all/ which shared the 6 evidence-based… Read more »
Meeting Everyone’s Needs: Foundational Principle 3: Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
The third foundational principle for meeting ALL children’s needs is Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS). MTSS grew out of the integration of two other intervention-based frameworks: Response to Intervention (RTI) and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). In early childhood education, fostering the development of young learners requires a proactive and structured approach to meet their diverse needs. MTSS… Read more »
Meeting Everyone’s Needs: Foundational Principle 2: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
All children are unique and learn and develop at their own pace. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supports all children to meaningfully participate in the classroom by offering multiple means of representation (sharing content), engagement (accommodating different learning styles/preferences), and expression (demonstrating understanding). When applied to early literacy instruction, implementing UDL practices can support and… Read more »
Meeting Everyone’s Needs: Foundational Principle 1: Inclusion
The first foundational principle for meeting all children’s needs is Inclusion. The 2009 Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion describes Inclusion as embodying the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child… Read more »
ALL really does mean ALL: Early Literacy Practices that Meet Everyone’s Needs
All children are unique. They each have learning differences, learning style preferences and develop at their own pace. Even so, we can support all children to achieve high outcomes by embracing the strengths that exist in the broad range of human experience, including children’s abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and cultures. An extensive literature review identified 6 … Read more »
What does it mean to be READY for Kindergarten?
Kindergarten teachers have weighed in and have shared the skills they think are most important for children just starting formal schooling. It may surprise you to learn that it isn’t recognizing and naming alphabet letters and sounds, colors and numbers or even writing their name. While these can be helpful, kindergarten teachers say that these… Read more »
Words, words, words!
Yes, we know, vocabulary development is important! But just how important is it? Research tells us that “vocabulary is very important to reading comprehension; readers need to know the meanings of individual words to understand the text as a whole” and “oral language is a predictor of a range of expressive skills beyond comprehension, including… Read more »
Sunshine & Stories: Developing Early Literacy Outdoors
Spring is the perfect time to take early literacy learning into the great outdoors. For our youngest learners, the natural environment offers sensory experiences, exploration, and discovery—all which foster literacy development. Let’s take a closer look at some exciting outdoor activities that enhance early literacy skills while basking in the beauty of spring. Outside Storytime… Read more »
A Breath of Fresh Air: Tips for Developing Early Literacy Skills in the Spring
As we know, and research supports, young children’s literacy development is crucial to building a foundation for future language acquisition, communication skills, and later reading success (National Early Literacy Panel [NELP], 2008). Springtime provides a wonderful opportunity to foster children’s literacy skills by offering new experiences and vibrant outdoor settings that can ignite children’s natural… Read more »