Oral language and literacy are tools for thinking and communicating. Research tells us that babies’ brains are primed for acquiring language and that children’s later ability to read and write begins at birth as their families talk, sing and read to them. 

Early childhood educators know that oral language and literacy learning is an important part of a high-quality early childhood program. In order to plan meaningful ways for children to develop oral language and literacy skills, teachers must understand the following components of literacy:

By Jan Greenburg

Jan Greenberg is currently Senior Product Development Associate at Teaching Strategies, Inc. (TSI) in Washington, DC, and is primarily responsible for researching, designing, developing and writing products for TSI, including e-learning materials. She is primary author of Celebrating Language and Literacy for Infants, Toddlers & Twos DVD: A User’s Guide, and a booklet for families titled Math Right From the Start. She started her career at TSI as Training Manager, and managed on-site professional development and the Teaching Strategies Professional Development Network. Ms. Greenberg has 30 years experience with special education, early childhood, and migrant Head Start programs as a classroom teacher, materials developer, program assessor, and training and technical assistance provider. Prior to coming to Teaching Strategies, she worked at Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) where she co-conducted workshops for early childhood educators on RIF’s early literacy program, presented at regional and national conferences, and provided content and writing expertise on the development of videos and print materials for family child-care providers.

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