Eng 102

Professor: Heidi Ashbaugh

The Importance of Literacy Education Early On

Stephanie Mercurio

February 17, 2010

Information retrieved February 6, 2010 from http://www.unfpa.org/swp/

The Importance of Literacy Education 2

Imagine trying to survive in life by without using the ability to read, or fully comprehend

instructions. How hard would this be? Literacy is important enough to have a massive impact in the

world. Future educators cannot allow this particular topic to be taken for granted. The ability to read is

a privilege we take for granted here in the United States. An uneducated person who cannot read and

write is essentially closed off to all the information and insights of the world ascertainable through

books or the Internet. For an adult to choose to remain illiterate is basically saying the adult prefers to

shut him/herself off from the outside world, staying behind and dependent on other people. An

educated adult, however, can view the world as an open door to endless possibilities. Teachers and

parents should teach literacy skills to children from birth, because literacy is involved in everyday

activities and students fall behind if they don't put the effort into reading.

In reality, we don’t need to look any further than our daily routines to recognize the weight

literacy skills have. This world is quickly changing and the rate that information comes in is even

faster. The accompanying

chart shows youth literacy

rates throughout the world

and how the youth of

developed countries that are

more involved in teaching

youth literacy skills are more

advanced than the youth of

undeveloped countries that

may not have the means necessary to teach literacy skills. Because these countries realize the

Photo Retrieved February 6, 2010 from Your Baby Can Read http://www.yourbabycanread.com/

The Importance of Literacy Education 3

importance of teaching literacy, they may more of an advantage when it comes to playing a role on the

world stage.

Children in any country need an upper hand straight out of the gate to compete when they hit school.

As babies develop, parents and educators should encourage and stimulate their minds. One way to do

this is by playing games that allow them to use their sounds. Imitating animal or outside noises will en-

gage them and activate their imaginations,

and either a parent or an educator can do this

type of activity. The "Reach Out and Read"

clinic in Boston City Hospital has had years

of success stories of parents helping their chil-

dren to read. "Parents who participated in

ROR, compared with parents who did not,

were more likely to report reading aloud as

a favorite activity, increased centered

literacy orientation, frequent reading

aloud, and, most importantly, increased language development" (Zuckerman, 2009). Typically a child

will begin to say words around 13 months; but it is not unheard of for him/her to start even sooner.

With this knowledge, parents and educators can create an environment for a child that helps him/her

grow faster. By even speaking to, or near, young children, adults can help children learn language:

“What reading to newborns does do is expose the babies to a lot of human speech. Listening as their

parents talk to them is one very important way that babies begin to learn language. And strong language

skills are among the best predictors of later reading and writing abilities” (Needlman, 2001). The above

photo shows a still from the popular "Your Baby Can Read" dvd series. While not scientifically proven

The Importance of Literacy Education 4

to help babies read, this program exposes children to words and images with the intent of teaching early

literacy skills. The creators of this series claim that teaching a baby literacy skills from birth to about

age four is the best time to reach a child. While every child is different, it is important to involve chil-

dren in activities that will teach them literacy skills so that they can survive in a world which values lit-

eracy.

Percentage of pre-kindergarten children ages 3–5 who participated in home literacy activities with a family member three or more times in the preceding

week, by selected child and family characteristics: 1993 & 2005Child and

family characterist

ics

Read to Told a story Taught letters,

words, or numbers

Taught songs or music

1993 2005 1993 2005 1993 2005 1993 2005

Total 78.3 85.7 43.0 53.7 57.7 76.6 41.0 54.4

Age

3 79.4 86.4 46.4 54.5 57.2 75.5 45.0 60.9

4 77.8 84.7 41.2 52.8 58.1 76.8 38.9 49.7

5 75.9 86.5 35.8 54.6 57.9 80.0 33.1 47.1

So the question may arise…do parents matter in this area? The short answer is they do. The

longer answer is that it can be difficult to encourage parents to work with their children: “Many child

care workers would be very quick to point out that parents don’t really even want the job. Preparing the

child to read and write, they maintain, is just one of the many childrearing responsibilities the parent

has abdicated to the child care center” (Gramling, 2009). Education drives the sense of independence

and self-sufficiency. Instilling the values of awareness and understanding gives them a mind of their

own. Starting off young will help prepare them. Children need consistency, they need reinforcement,

and it can’t just be done at school. The following chart shows how the rate of parents who participated

in home literacy activities with their pre-kindergarten children has increased. To help prepare their

Chart Retrieved February 6, 2010 from U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=56

The Importance of Literacy Education 5

children for the world of education, parents need to continue to teach literacy skills to their children

from an early age.

Sitting down a few hours a day with our children, in the home, and speaking to them,

persuading them and motivating them is a bonding experience. This one-on-one time between parent

and child, not only produces good literacy skills, it trains them for the future by developing effective

learning habits. These habits should be formed early. Speaking to the child about what goes on during

the day connects them with the action of speaking and doing is a simple and effective way to develop a

child's literacy. Engaging the child in a one sided conversation can intrigue him/her. An example of this

engagement might be: “Mommy went shopping today, and bought your favorite food” or “Daddy

bought a new book today and will read with you.” These are just a few small ways to help develop

literacy skills in a child’s mind. In addition, parents can make a positive impact on their child's future

classroom behavior. For example, "improved early literacy skills are associated with lasting decreases

in disruptive classroom behavior" (Lane, Wehby, Gregg & Menzies, 2002). Other scholars agree.

According to Kathleen Roskos, "high quality early education" directly impacts a child's later academic

achievement (2004). The importance of learning is to enable the child to put his/her potential to the best

use. Without literacy, the human mind can function, but remains incomplete. What types of jobs can

graduates obtain without knowing how to read? Professional jobs are immediately removed from the

table, but as we continue to look, so are blue-collar jobs.

Chart Retrieved February 6, 2010 from U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics

http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp

The Importance of Literacy Education 6

The effects of not being able to read or write do not just impede school learning, but also

disturbs the steps one would take as an adult in the work world. In other words, without education there

is less of an opportunity to do what

one wants to do. The chart to the right

offers a look at the U.S. literacy rate

for 2003. The people who fall in the

"below basic" and "basic" categories

may struggle finding employment. The

mind is meant to soak up everything

and learn from all the information it

absorbs; without instruction, a person is unfinished, so to speak. In addition to just reading and writing,

which gives one the power to make individual decisions and not rely on other peoples’ words, there are

other types of literacy that adults need to use in order to survive. Joan Menard writes that "literacy

demands have increased with the complexity of tasks, and many different types of literacy are needed

to sustain a prosperous and democratic society" (2009). Without literacy skills as an adult, how can

someone become an active member of society? Imagine relying on other people to go food shopping,

getting the correct medication, or making sure the bills are paid, are everyday occurrences that cannot

be delayed because on cannot read. Having gone so long depending on others to do daily activities will

eventually wear thin. People have their own responsibilities; they do not want to add an additional load

to an already busy life. At some point everyone has to stand on their own two feet. According to

Summer Institute of Linguistics (2010):

What literacy can mean for both the individual and society at large is betterment of people's lives—enhanced self-esteem, ability to read instructions on medications and civic documents, ability to learn new things which will help them to expand their knowledge, ability to cope with the majority society, etc. Literacy provides people with

The Importance of Literacy Education 7

the option of becoming members of a self-confident and informed populace that can understand issues, represent themselves, take responsibility for self-improvement and family health, and better participate in civic affairs. These are among the more priceless payoffs of literacy.

If parents and educators teach children literacy skills at an early age, they can ensure that their

children can have an easier life.

With all the knowledge we have obtained about the advancement of learning and in which we

as a world are headed, why wouldn’t the opportunity for early education be a number one priority?

Illiteracy is a worldly epidemic that desperately needs attention. Parents and guardians cannot and

should not rely solely on someone else educating our children. These are no longer the times where

children begin learning to read and write only in elementary school: “Social development during the

preschool years is closely linked to achievements in cognitive and linguistic skills” (Lander, 2009) and

that it is a significant factor in the development of early literacy. Practice at home needs to be

appropriately enforced and should make the natural process of developing the skill stronger. This can

be done simply by positive exchanges between adult and child through the use of literacy, and by doing

this at an early age, parents and educators will help children do better later in life.

Education means a tremendous advantage for children in the world in the world. Parents may

disagree and believe that it is the school's responsibility to educate their children these fundamentals;

after all, that is why they pay school taxes right? In addition, "Many parents may believe that because

infants and most toddlers do not talk, talking to their young children is irrelevant, or they may think

that a child should be seen and not heard" (Dodici, Draper & Peterson, 2003). Yet what negative could

possible come from teaching early to read early on? Regardless of whose responsibility it is to teach lit-

eracy, literacy should be reinforced within the home, simply to reassure and follow through with the

technique. Educational Researchers Browder, Gibbs, Algrim-Delzell, Courtade, Mraz, and Flowers

suggest that there is an important goal in encouraging early childhood literacy: increasing "quality of

The Importance of Literacy Education 8

life... including increased inclusive opportunities, social relationships, and self-directed social choices"

(2009). Education not only presents the opportunity of intelligence and understanding, but also gives us

a sense to judge between what is good for us and what is bad. This logic is crucial to making life deci-

sions.

Just as proficient, qualified people such as lawyers, doctors, and teachers, are required to follow

career-long learning, everyday citizens should as well. Reading is everywhere, and the world changes

so quickly. New circumstances arise daily and education is essential for the development of a nation.

Starting off young and continuing to enforce literacy at home and in school, staying in tune with our

education, and keeping up-to-date with reading is a necessity. It is a vital way of life and this is

something we, as educators, should enforce in the classrooms.

The Importance of Literacy Education 9

References

Browder, D., Gibbs, S., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Courtade, R.G.(2009, Oct.1)

Literacy for students with severe developmental disabilities: What should we teach and what

should we hope to achieve, Remedial and Special Education, 30, 269 Retrieved January 13,

2010, from ProQuest (IS SN 07419325.)

Dodici, J.B., Draper, C. D., Peterson, A.C.(2003, Sept.1)Early parent—child interactions and

early literacy development, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 3, 124-136

Retrieved January 13, 2010 from EBSCOhost (AN 11202741.)

Gramling, M. (2009, July/August) Early literacy: Do parents matter? Young Children and Writing, 44.

Retrieved February 27, 2010 from ExchangePresss.

Lane, L. K., Wehby, J., Menzies, M.H., Gregg, M. R.(2002, Nov. 1)Early literacy Instruction for First-

Grade Students At-Risk for Antisocial Behavior, Education & Treatment of Children. 25, 438

Retrieved January 13, 2010 from ProQuest (IS SN 07488491.)

Menard, J (2009, Sept.1)Waging war on illiteracies, The New England Journal of Higher Education,

24, 11 Retrieved January 13, 2010 from ProQuest (IS SN 19385978)

Roskos, K. (2004, Sept.1)Early literacy assessment-Thoughtful, sensible, and good.

Reading Teacher, 1, 91-94. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from EBSCOhost (AN 14387249.)

Unknown Author (2010) Issues in literacy, SIL International. Retrieved February 17, 2010 from

http://www.sil.org/literacy/issues.htm

Zuckerman, B.(2009, Dec.)Promoting early literacy in pediatric practice: Twenty years of reach out and

read, Pediatrics, Retrieved January 22, 2010 from