Preschool Literacy Research Paper

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The Benefits of Preschool Literacy

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This paper is going to outline the myriad of benefits that high-quality preschool literacy programs will afford families, communities, school districts and the world. Today, numerous researchers are delving into HOW to establish an effective and successful pre-school program. In this paper, I hope to answer several questions: ▪ What is pre-school literacy? ▪ What benefits do participants in a preschool program receive? ▪ HOW do we go about establishing a high-quality pre-school literacy program?

I am rather passionate about this area. Being a speech pathologist, literacy skills and communication
school district based programs ▪ Consistent participation on the part of the parents ▪ Difficulty providing quality training programs for the teachers and teaching assistants/aides due to lack of funding, time, resources

While I feel there are many excellent examples of qualified and successful preschool programs in Rockland County, we do not meet the needs of all the children of the preschool age. As CPSE chair, I am able to provide special education needs to many children that require it. However, there is great variability between the programs that we recommend students attend. Consistent high-quality preschool programs would be beneficial to ALL students involved, not just the special needs children.

In conclusion, it is a well-documented fact that preschool literacy education benefits all children involved. The need lies in our ability to establish high-caliber programs that are consistent, with staff that is well trained and caring. I think if we can distribute the information about the long-term effects researched and prove to the masses (school boards!) that the bottom line would be cost savings to the community, we might see some change. I look forward to that
Schweinhart, L. J. Lasting Benefits of Preschool Programs ERIC Digest. ericdigests.org. Retrieved February 25, 2008, from http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/lasting.htm

2. Dougherty, C., et al. Improving Early Literacy of Preschool Children - a Handbook for Prekindergarten Educators. Texas Instruments, 1999.

3. Lee, J. The Benefits of Preschool for High School and Beyond. Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved February 25, 2008, from http://www.ccsso.org

4. Roskos, K. A., Christie, J. F. & Richgels, D. J. The Essentials of Early Literacy Instruction. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved February 23, 2008, from www.naeyc.org/resources/journal

5. Mangione, P. L. (2005). Creating Language and Literacy Experiences for Infants and Toddlers. PITC Graduate Conference. Berkeley, CA.

6. Johnson, D. & Sulzby, E. Critical Issue: Addressing the Literacy Needs of Emergent and Early Readers. North Central Regional Educational Library. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li100.htm

7. Barnett, W. (2006, Jan. 10). Research on the Benefits of Preschool Education: Securing High Returns from Preschool for All Children. New York,