Thinking about kids learning language is so exciting to me. I fondly reminisce about my children at those stages. Then again, it's amazing to hear any baby saying new words or putting words together to communicate or beginning to recognize signs or symbols. It's hard for me to imagine children who don't have encouragement at home to continue to speak or learn about the environment around them. Perhaps caregivers are too busy working to make ends meet, or they don't know the value of these early experiences. These children eventually go to school and are already at a severe language deficit, one that can often never be made up. (Hart and Risley, 1995) I'm sure you've met many of them in your classrooms. Some children don't even have a book in their homes. Another study found that the number of books in the home had as much effect on a child's literacy as the parents' level of education. In other words, parents with less education with a great number of books at home could give their children the same boost in literacy as parents with college educations. (Evans, M.D.R., et al, 2007)
That's why I'm a huge supporter of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. I think Universal Pre-K is a worthy investment our country should make. There are also some great non-profits that target this very situation. Reach Out and Read is an innovative organization that partners with health-care providers to promote literacy from the pediatrician's office. First Book helps supply books to low-income families.
But what can we do in our own busy professional lives? We can encourage any programs in our schools that promote family education. Some schools have partnered with their communities to link volunteer readers with their students. When more families understand the value of speaking to their children, reading to them, and providing them with books, we help bridge that literacy gap. Another great idea is giving books as birthday gifts or prizes to students. An organization such as Donors Choose may be able to help fund your effort. Maybe some of your students would qualify for books from First Book. Perhaps you could ask your pediatrician if he/she knows about Reach Out and Read.
Sorry to get on my soapbox. I just get so excited about kids reading and then I get so frustrated when I think of the barriers some kids face, through no fault of their own. I'll post links for you to explore it more yourself. Let me know what you think--maybe we can join forces!
Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was very interesting and I completely agree with you. Even in 2nd grade, I see the effects of what happens when students don't have the support at home and haven't read or been read to much. Another issue I have seen is that in some places, public Pre-K programs are only available to low income families. While this is wonderful that there is something free available to families, the spots are still limited. In addition, sometimes a family may not qualify because they make just a little too much money. However, that doesn't mean that they have enough money to be paying for those programs for their children. Some of the families at my school can't help their children because they are working two jobs and just don't have the time. The whole topic is frustrating and sad. I wish there was an answer because the bottom line is students are coming to school at a disadvantage from the beginning. Thanks for the insightful post. I thought all of the program information you posted was really helpful.
Heather Painter