Early literacy is sometimes confused with a child’s ability to read and write at a young age. In reality, early literacy means the development of oral language and literacy skills that begins at birth through every day interactions such as talking, singing and reading to your baby. From these activities, babies develop listening skills and an interest in sounds.Parents, siblings and child care providers play an important role in helping young children understand the language that they will eventually use themselves.

More than 80 percent of children do not eat enough of the healthy foods that their brains and bodies need for nourishment. Not having enough or proper nourishment can affect a child’s learning ability and concentration, and can cause them to be overweight.

Growing young readers may take some time and commitment on your part but the benefits are so much greater than you can imagine. Begin sharing books with your baby as soon as you are able, and carve out time each day – before bed, in the early afternoon, or after bath time – whatever works for you.Reading aloud to your child builds many foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive reading, promotes bonding and helps children understand that reading is for pleasure as well as learning.

When considering a child care program, whether it is a center-based provider or a family home, it is likely that your search criteria includes several factors: child safety, cost, location, hours of operation, and curriculum. All of these factors are extremely important, but what about some of the components that are not as easy to see or find out such as are the children participating in age-appropriate learning.