We all have the responsibility to help address the literacy crisis in Michigan. The Wayne RESA GSRP team is thrilled for the opportunity to enlist everyone to become a part of the foundation of our literacy work with young children. Our momentum comes with a sense of urgency for the good of our preschoolers. All children need regular exposure to authentic meaningful literacy practices to help them thrive; it is a matter of equality. Ten researched based age appropriate instructional practices have been identified by the Early Literacy Taskforce, a subcommittee of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) General Education Leadership Network (GLEN) that are essential to prekindergarten children becoming literate. Every child in every classroom should experience all ten practices every day including practice #10, which encourages school and home collaboration to promote literacy experiences at home for children and families, which is a key and necessary component. The good news is with all hands on deck we can reach our true destination: literacy for all Wayne County children. You can find more information about the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy: Prekindergarten.
Guest Author: Cynthia Ulmer, Wayne RESA Early Childhood Consultant
Great Start Readiness Program is a Michigan state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children with factors which may place them at risk of educational failure. The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start. Funding is allocated to Wayne RESA to administer the program locally.
These blogs were developed and funded under a grant awarded by the Michigan Department of Education.
Research on preschool programs and specific research on GSRP indicates that children provided with a high-quality preschool experience show significant positive developmental differences when compared to children from the same backgrounds who did not attend a high-quality preschool program.