What We Know About Early Literacy
Early literacy (reading and writing) does not mean early reading instruction or teaching babies to read; it is the natural development of skills through the enjoyment of books, the importance of positive interactions between babies and parents, and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences.
Literacy development begins at birth and is closely linked to a baby's earliest experiences with books and stories. Babies learn language through social literacy experiences - parents interacting with them using books. These experiences also serve to associate books with parental affection, attention, and approval.
A study of three to five year olds who had been read to at least three times per week found the children:
- Two times more likely to recognize all letters.
- Two times more likely to have word-sight recognition.
- Two times more likely to understand words in context.
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that 62% of parents with a high socioeconomic status read to their children every day compared to only 36% of parents with a low socioeconomic status.
Source: National Institute for Family Literacy, http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/parental.html, 1999.