EU HIGH LEVEL GROUP OF EXPERTS ON LITERACY FINAL REPORT Literacy for all

Workshop 2: Young children Key questions: How to help support parents to create a literate environment at home? Any examples of good practices at the national level (eg family literacy programmes)? What about parents from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds? What specific measures should be taken at the European and national levels to support these parents? Do you know of any good practices in ECEC to promote literacy at an early age? What about specific programmes to detect literacy problems? HLG-member: Renate Valtin Speakers: Jackie Marsh and Roel van Steensel

Workshop 2: Young children The importance of the early years Family support Preschool education

Preconditions for success 4 Creating a literate environment Creating a literate environment Raise the quality of teaching Raise the quality of teaching Ensure participation and inclusion Ensure participation and inclusion

Preconditions for success: A literate environment The primary objective is to increase literacy motivation and engagement by encouraging and supporting reading and writing for pleasure. Stimulate and support the family: Family literacy programs, “My Pa reads to me” Books and other materials need to be available: Bookstart programs free access to well equipped libraries

Preconditions for success: Quality of Teaching Increase the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care and provide free access Reinforcing the quality of ECEC staff requiring higher degrees, paying higher salaries. Staff need both good initial education and ongoing training. Ensure early screening for language and emerging literacy problems and provide reliable access to the professional support children need to overcome difficulties.

Preconditions for success: Quality of Teaching A coherent literacy curriculum that maximises language and emergent literacy activities in ECEC curriculum ECEC and preschool programmes should be comprehensive, with the aim of improving children's clarity of speech (volume and enunciation), broadening their vocabulary, grammatical accuracy and communicative abilities. ECEC staff should give children a variety of situations where they can learn and experience different functions of language: in social play, in conflict situations, and for problem-solving.

Preconditions for success: Quality of Teaching Provide playful experience where children see and interact with print as they build an awareness of its functions and conventions (reading books, telling tales, speaking about books) The ability to shift the attention from content to form may be fostered in language games, using rhymes, tongue-twisters and poems

Preconditions for success: Participation and Inclusion Closing the social and digital gap: Access to high-quality and free ECEC at least from age 4 should be 100%. Reaching out for the disadvantaged (some migrant groups) Obligatory screening of language competence, support for those who need it Language training for migrant parents

Age-specific recommendations 10 Young children Young children Primary school years Primary school years Adolescents Adults 1.Stimulate and support the family 2.Increase the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care and provide for access 3.Ensure early screening for language problems 4.Cooperate among stakeholders from a child- centred perspective 1.Stimulate and support the family 2.Increase the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care and provide for access 3.Ensure early screening for language problems 4.Cooperate among stakeholders from a child- centred perspective

Workshop 2: Young children Speakers: Jackie Marsh Roel van Steensel