Literacy skills development in early childhood and first-grade classrooms

Data for action on early childhood development

Literacy development is affected by several factors exerting an influence long before school entrance. The language and the cognitive basis of children’s literacy development has been well documented. However, it is also recognised that the home literacy environment and teachers’ instructional practices play an important role in developing literacy skills and children’s interest in reading. The highquality classroom interactions described by emotionally supportive relationships in a well-organised classroom are of particular importance for children’s reading skills development and motivation, especially among children at risk for reading difficulties. The present article attempts to describe the development of emergent literacy skills of young children and how to support their literacy skills development in early school years.

BackgroundThe social environment is a fundamental determinant of early child development and, in turn, early child development is a determinant of health, well-being, and learning skills across the life course. Redistributive policies aimed at reducing social inequalities, such as a welfare state and labour market policies, have shown a positive association with selected health indicators. In this study, we investigated the influence of redistributive policies specifically on the social environment of early child development in five countries with different political traditions. The objective of this analysis was to highlight similarities and differences in social and health services between the countries and their associations with other health outcomes that can inform better global early child development policies and improve early child health and development.MethodsFour social determinants of early child development were selected to provide a cross-section of key time periods in a child’s life from prenatal to kindergarten. They included: 1) prenatal care, 2) maternal leave, 3) child health care, and 4) child care and early childhood education. We searched international databases and reports (e.g. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Bank, and UNICEF) to obtain information about early child development policies, services and outcomes.ResultsAlthough a comparative analysis cannot claim causation, our analysis suggests that redistributive policies aimed at reducing social inequalities are associated with a positive influence on the social determinants of early child development. Generous redistributive policies are associated with a higher maternal leave allowance and pay and more preventive child healthcare visits. A decreasing trend in infant mortality, low birth weight rate, and under five mortality rate were observed with an increase in redistributive policies. No clear influence of redistributive policies was observed on breastfeeding and immunization rates. In the analysis of child care and early education, the lack of uniform measures of early child development outcomes was apparent.ConclusionsThis paper provides further support for an association between redistributive policies and early child health and development outcomes, along with the organization of early child health and development services.

Introduction: The percentage of the Palestinian children considered “below level” – or “not on track” in their early childhood development is higher than their peers in neighbouring countries. This research presents a framework to explain pathways between water stress, child health, family wealth, parental support, and early childhood development in Palestine, and presents a different perspective in water stress and policies and services addressing children. Objective: To assess evidence of the link between water stress and vulnerability in early childhood development and to examine the implications of this relationship for services and policies in Palestine. Method and Results: Demographic and health data obtained from nationally representative surveys were merged and analysed. Descriptive analysis was used to investigate the features of household water stress and show its association with risk for delayed early childhood development in Palestine. Data on social, economic, health, and environmental conditions in 52 communities in Palestine were aggregated to develop a Child-Water Stress Index to be used as a single summary measure that captures the multidimensional influence of water stress. At the household level, a Mediation Model was developed and applied to investigate the pathways through which water stress interacts with child health, family care, and wealth level and in turn, influences early childhood development. An evaluation strategy is presented, with new perspectives for enhancing the effectiveness of early childhood programmes and policies in the Palestinian context. Qualitative data using focus group discussions with parents and semi structured interviews with practitioners were conducted to provide in depth analysis of the findings. Conclusion: Children experiencing water stress are more likely to not be on track in their early childhood development. Water stress is more likely to influence childhood development through indirect pathways by interacting with determinants of optimal early childhood development including disrupted family support, wealth level, and child health. Water stress exacerbates the impact of limited wealth and inadequate family support on early childhood health and development, suggesting the need for a holistic perspective in evaluating services and policies.

Effects of the Global Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic on Early Childhood Development: Short- and Long-Term Risks and Mitigating Program and Policy Actions

Patrice Lee Engle

Investing in children in their early years represents a unique window of opportunity to improve individual, community, and societal outcomes. For poverty reduction and shared prosperity, investments in early childhood development (ECD) or early childhood education and development (ECED), are among the best investments that countries can make. This study provides an assessment of ECD policies and programs in Indonesia based on the World Bank’s Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER). Developed by the education global practice, SABER provides a set of diagnostic tools to assess country policies in a number of areas including ECD. The SABER-ECD tool employs a diagnostic framework structured around three policy goals: establishing an enabling environment, implementing widely, and monitoring and assuring quality. For each goal, three policy levers are analyzed, ranging from the legal framework for ECD services to the extent to which service providers such as care centers or preschools comply with national standards. The SABER-ECD tool to a large extent focuses on policy intent, but as its name indicates, the second policy goal in the ECD module is about implementation. The study relies on administrative and household survey data in order to provide a diagnostic of policies and programs related to ECD in Indonesia. Administrative data are used to assess ECD policies and programs at the national and district levels. The study consists of five chapters: chapter one gives overview. Chapter two applies the SABER-ECD framework at the national level. Chapter three focuses on measuring in a more comprehensive way the coverage of essential ECD interventions nationally and at the provincial level. Chapter four provides results from the application of the SABER-ECD framework to five districts. Chapter five compares the SABER-ECD ratings obtained for Indonesia with the ratings for other countries (in total, the tool has been implemented in about 28 countries so far).

The influence of the neighborhood physical environment on early child health and development: A review and call for research

Children's early development is a key component that affects their wellbeing and health as they age. In recent times, scholars' interest in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Child Development (ECD) has grown exponentially. However, rural-urban differentials in early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and particularly in Ghana are unknown. This study examined the rural-urban differentials in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Child Development (ECD) in Ghana. We used cross-sectional data from 2017/2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) by the Ghana Statistical Service. We restricted the data to children aged 3 and 4 years. A sample size of 3683 children was used in this study. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Child Development (ECD) in rural and urban Ghana. Both ECE and ECD scores were higher in the urban areas than in the rural areas. The regression shows the rural-urban disparity in ECD by ECE. The Preschool Program (ECE) has a good impact on children's early development in Ghana. However, the Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) in rural areas was higher than in urban areas. Beyond this, other factors such as age of child, ecological zone, maternal education and wealth index were associated with ECD. Our findings show a significant disparity in Early Childhood Education and Childhood Development in rural and urban areas This study therefore recommends that more resources be channeled in rural areas to help improve ECE and ECD while policies should be tailored to Early Childhood Education.

Early childhood development includes several aspects such as physical, motor, language, social and cognitive. Cognitive factors are important role because most learning activities are always related to thinking and remembering problems. Besides language development is very important, it is because language is a communication tool of children with their environment, with good communication it will result in good interactions. Therefore, children need to be given the right stimulus so that during the child's growth and development to the maximum. One stimulus that can be given for cognitive development and language of early childhood is by providing an interesting medium, because in the development of early childhood the way of thinking requires visualization of abstract thinking. The purpose of this research is to design an application of learning English for mobile-based early childhood which is expected to be used as an \alternative as a medium to assist cognitive development and communication of early childhood. English based learning applications for mobile children are made with Construct 2 software. The development method uses the Multimedia Development Life Cycle. While testing the application using ISO 9126, the results of testing the quality of the application using ISO 9126 which includes the Functionality and Usability characteristics obtained Functionality test results obtained value of 100%, and the Usability test results obtained value of 91.11% so it can be concluded that the design of English learning applications is appropriate to be used as a medium to assist cognitive development and communication of early childhood.

Stimulation activities for early childhood development can be carried out in school learning activities (TK/RA/PAUD) by teachers by paying attention to several aspects of development that must be achieved by early childhood. The purpose of this community service activity is to increase the knowledge of kindergarten/RA/PAUD teachers in conducting stimulation and early detection of early childhood growth and development as well as socializing activities of stimulation and early detection of early childhood growth and development to the community. The training method is held in a hybrid manner (the theoretical material is provided online while the practicum material is carried out offline). Community outreach activities were divided into three stages of activity, namely pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention for 15 kindergarten/RA/PAUD teachers in Kaduagung Timur Village, Lebak Regency, Banten. The results of community service activities show an increase in the average knowledge of kindergarten/RA/PAUD teachers regarding stimulation, early detection, and early childhood development of 33.33 (p=0.000), it is proven that this community service activity has a positive impact on teacher knowledge Kindergarten/RA/PAUD regarding stimulation, early detection, and early childhood development. Monitoring and evaluation results show that kindergarten/RA/PAUD teachers have socialized ways of stimulation, early detection, and early childhood development and development to parents, so that the dissemination of information regarding stimulation and early detection of growth and development can be carried out.

In this chapter, children’s affective development in childhood is considered within the framework of their close relationships. The striking developments in children’s emotional expression and experience and in their understanding of emotions during early childhood take place in the context of these relationships and profoundly affect the nature of such relationships. In turn, children’s experiences within their close relationships are related to both normative and individual differences in affective development. Three core themes in current developmental research are particularly important for our understanding of affective development and its links with children’s social relationships. First, there has been major growth over the past decade in research on children’s understanding of emotions—clearly of key significance for the nature of relationships. Second, a key theme in research on affective development in infancy and early childhood has been the significance of reciprocal emotional communication between child and caregiver and the growth of “intersubjectivity” (Braten, 1998). These developments are seen as setting the stage for relationship development in the childhood years that follow. Third, the work on links between affective development and social relationships has provided an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between cognitive and social approaches to understanding children’s development and to address major questions in psychology concerning links between affect and cognition (Dunn, 1996). In infancy and childhood, changes in what causes babies’ distress, comfort, amusement, and interest are intimately linked to the changes in their relationships with others. In parallel, parents’ and siblings’ emotional behavior with young children are intricately connected with the babies’ increasingly differentiated response to their partners’ affective communication. In terms of theoretical approaches, there has been growing interest in functional accounts of the significance of emotional development (Campos, Mumme, Kermoian, & Campos, 1994), in the development of ideas on affective communication, and in how such emotional communication sets a framework for the development of “shared meaning.” Emotion, as Stern (1985) put it, is the primary medium and the primary subject of communication in infancy. The emotional communication between child and partner in the first two years is thought by many scholars to set up a framework for the growth of joint attention and shared reference, for the development of intentional action and the understanding of agency, and thus for the growth of language and the development of a sense of self (see, e.g., Hobson, 1993; Thompson, 1998). In terms of empirical research, advances have been made in documenting babies’ and young children’s sensitivity to their mothers’ and fathers’ emotional expressions, in the detailed analysis of how affective messages are carried by the voice and face and how they change with children’s development, and in toddlers’ and preschoolers’ rapidly growing understanding of emotion and its role in relation to human action.

Language is an effective medium for children in establishing social communication. Children's language development is a combination of social interaction, emotional development, intellectual ability, as well as physical and motor development. Early education has an important role in developing children's potential. Teachers must be able to choose what methods are effective for developing language in children. This study aims to determine the effect of using the storytelling method on the development of language and language skills of early childhood. The research method used is an associative research type. Respondents in this study amounted to 30 children. Data collection techniques used by observation techniques, the research instrument used was an observation sheet in the form of an assessment rubric. The data analysis technique used a simple linear regression test. The results of the simple linear regression test showed that there was an effect of using the storytelling method on the development and language skills of early childhood. Children are able to speak fluently, word choice and sentence structure are also very good. The storytelling method can improve language development and skills in early childhood. Using the storytelling method can help improve language development and skills in early childhood.

This article discusses the importance of language development and literacy in early childhood as a foundation for communication and interaction skills in the future. The article examines factors that influence this development, both internal (cognitive, motor, and genetic abilities) and external (environment, media, and technology). The article emphasizes the crucial role of parents and educators in creating a conducive learning environment. Parents can provide appropriate stimulation through rich interactions, while educators can use engaging learning methods that are tailored to the child's development. Collaboration between the two is crucial for achieving optimal results. The article also highlights the importance of digital literacy in the digital technology era. The article uses a descriptive method to delve into in-depth information about language development and literacy in early childhood. Data was collected through direct observation, interviews, and documentary studies. The article concludes that language and literacy development in early childhood requires serious attention from parents, educators, and society. Through collective efforts, children can have a strong foundation in developing their language and literacy skills from a young age.

Experience-based brain development: Scientific underpinnings of the importance of early child development in a global world