Parental Involvement: Infants, Toddlers, & Literacy

April 3, 2009
10:30 am - 2:30 pm
St. Louis, MO



This training has been approved for 3 hours of professional development credit.



Using research-based data, this workshop will provide specific techniques for working with infants and toddlers to increase literacy ability. Based primarily on the U.S. Department of Education’s two-day training entitled “Reading and Talking Together,” this workshop will focus on several components of reading: phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Research on cognitive development demonstrates that children’s capacity for learning is not fixed at birth. Development hinges on interplay between genes and experience (mutual dependency). Early experiences have an impact on the architecture of the brain, and affect how the brain is wired. Very young children search for patterns and make connections between elements in their environment, including speech and print.

Children who fall behind in oral language and literacy development are less likely to be successful beginning readers. Oral language and literacy development are interdependent. Oral language:

Provides a sense of words and sentences;

Builds sensitivity to the sound system;

Provides the means for children to demonstrate their understanding of the meaning of written materials.

It is vital to learn how to provide rich language and early literacy support so that children will not enter preschool already facing an achievement gap. Parents and caretakers can easily incorporate literacy into daily activities.

Location

LIFT Office/Webster University
815 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 64101

To Register

You can register at our online registration page. The registration deadline is March 27. Registration is limited to 15 participants, so please register early! You will receive a confirmation notice with maps closer to the date of the workshop.

This is a free workshop. Materials and lunch will be provided. Any cancellations must be made at least 48 hours prior to the workshop or a fee of $100 to cover materials will be assessed.