Supporting Emergent Literacy: A Call to Administrators

Supporting Emergent Literacy: A Call to Administrators

When you ask a family member what they want their children to learn in preschool, many will say they want them to learn how to read. New teachers and caregivers often emphasize the importance of teaching reading or literacy skills in their classrooms. Lawmakers focus on ensuring that children are competent, confident readers by grade 3. All these stakeholders share the same goal: to guide children toward becoming proficient readers. But the question remains—how do we achieve this? Where do we start? The answer lies in emergent literacy.

What Is Emergent Literacy?

Emergent literacy is the term used to describe the skills and knowledge children develop in relation to reading and writing before they start conventional instruction. Beginning at birth and continuing through the preschool year, emergent literacy includes

• oral language, such as speaking and listening;
• understanding that print can convey meaning;
• basic alphabet knowledge;
• early phonological awareness;
• recognizing words; and
• noticing rhymes and patterns.

Emergent literacy prepares a child’s brain for reading. During this stage, children learn skills that are important to the development of literacy. Their literacy skills are emerging.

Why Is Emergent Literacy Important?

Emergent literacy is crucial because, like any foundation, it serves as the bedrock upon which everything else is constructed. Consider any analogy you prefer—buildings, friendships, trees, etc. If the base is not secure, your structure will falter. Without oral language skills, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness, a child will lack the foundational skills needed to tackle literacy challenges when they arise. A child might be able to read the words but not understand the meaning, or maybe their comprehension is superb, but they cannot decode a new word. Maybe they can decode words and comprehend what they have read, but they do not have a connection with the text.

Why is emergent literacy important? Because without it we have no basis for future literacy learning, making it difficult for children to succeed academically and communicate effectively.

The Administrator’s Role

As administrators, your role is pivotal in supporting emergent literacy. It’s essential to create an environment where teachers have the resources, training, and support they need to implement developmentally appropriate practices. The science of reading provides a research-backed framework for literacy instruction, focusing on the five pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Your support is critical in helping teachers apply these principles in their classrooms. By fostering meaningful connections with books, promoting functional literacy, and providing intentional language and literacy instruction, teachers can build a strong literacy foundation for all learners.

Let’s Not Forget the Joy of the Emergent Stage

Literacy joy begins in the emergent stage. When I recall my earliest memory of books and reading, it isn’t about flashcards or worksheets—it was sitting on my grandmother’s lap. She turned off the television, drew me close, and held me as she read. I remember her scent, the sound of her voice, and the story of the Littlest Angel. I couldn’t read yet, but she laid the foundation for reading right there on her lap. As a teacher, I wanted that for all the children in my class—the connection. I couldn’t gather my whole class on my lap, but I could pull them close, turn off any distractions, and away we’d go into a book together.  The children in my class might not have mastered reading those books we enjoyed so much, but they wanted to, and when they were ready, they did. I built that foundation!

A Call to Action

Let’s recommit ourselves to building a robust emergent literacy foundation. As administrators, you have the power to shape the educational landscape by supporting teachers, advocating for appropriate practices, and ensuring that preschool remains a space where children can explore and develop these crucial early skills.