The mother of one of my oldest childhood friends sent her to preschool for two years in a row, bewildering the rest of the moms who either didn't believe in the importance of preschool or felt one year was a sufficient amount of time to play and learn nursery rhymes. But fourteen years later, that girl ended up at the top of our class in high school, graduating with nearly flawless SAT scores and matriculating at Harvard University.

Coincidence? Maybe not.

By now, the word is out: a head start on education paves the way for a child's successful academic career. In a recent opinion article, "Funding preschool is vital to state's future," published in The Mercury News and written by Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University system, he explains that although his campuses serve "students toward the end of the education pipeline," he recognizes "how important a strong, early start is to get our youth ready to learn at every level. The better prepared children are, the better they will succeed in college." Reed goes on to explain that many preschool-age children aren't receiving that head start and are missing out on "early academic skills such as pre-reading...and social skills such as self-control and curiosity."

In Louisiana's Jefferson Parish, over 2,000 students are enrolled in LA4, a state-funded pre-kindergarten program that primes children for kindergarten by focusing on early science, math, literacy and language skills. According to The Times-Picayune article, "Pre-school seen as key to raising scores" by Barri Bronston, school officials were driven to increase Pre-K enrollment because of a high rate of students flunking kindergarten or first grade. Apparently, the program has proven effective. Mary Louise Jones, director of elementary education for Louisiana's Department of Education, says that many LA4 graduates enter kindergarten "on the verge of reading, having been exposed to an environment that emphasizes early reading skills and a love for books."

Whether you want to build a solid foundation of early learning at home or at a school is a different story. The fight for and against universal preschool continues to wage on; however, I can't help but look at the many, many families who cannot afford preschool or to stay at home, and the number of women entering the work force, and think that more preschool is a good way to go.

Chances are you won't have to keep your child in preschool for two years in a row for them to do well in school. But, as my friend's mom likes to say, "Nobody is laughing at me now!"

The gift of literacy is one of the most valuable gifts a parent can bestow on their children. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, children whose parents read to them, sing songs, or tell stories often become better readers and achieve a higher level of intelligence. Parents who had obtained at least a high school diploma or equivalent were more likely to read or teach letters and words to their children. But high school diploma or not, parents don't need to be expert readers to help their children. Follow these helpful tips to encourage young children on their journey through the exciting, eye-opening world of reading:

-Allocate a minimum of fifteen minutes a day for reading to your child. Another option is to create original stories together.

-Instead of going to the movies or shopping mall, visit a library or bookstore. What better way to instill a love of reading than bringing your children to places filled with so many opportunities to pick up book and read? Allow your kids to peruse whatever captures their attention, from fiction books to magazines to comics. If your child expresses interest in a certain magazine or subject, subscribe to that publication and make sure it's addressed to them.

-Be attentive to subjects that appeal to your child, then capitalize on their enthusiasm by finding books related to that particular area of interest.

-Encourage children to improve their reading skills by obtaining books that are slightly beyond their level but still in their interest range.

-Find out which books are on your child's required reading list at school and take the time to at least skim through each one. Discuss the subject matter during daily conversation, whether it's over dinner or right before bedtime.

-Associating reading with punishment may discourage children from enjoying the experience in the future.

-Set an example! When your kids see you reading and enjoying it, they will most likely follow in your footsteps.

-Practice patience. If your child becomes distracted or doesn't want to continue any longer, don't push too hard. Chances are your child's interest will be renewed in due time.

-Your child may request that you read the same book to them over and over again every night. Though the repetition is tedious for parents, try to accommodate their wishes. Studies actually show that repetition enhances children's comprehension while retaining their attention.

The importance of reading simply cannot be underestimated. According to the Committee on Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children of the National Research Council, the schooling of 25-40% of American children is jeopardized because they don't read well enough. Make time each day to share the power of the written word with your children and watch them reap the benefits throughout their educational careers.

Photo Credits: www.freefoto.com

Curiously enough, the hit Nickelodeon show "Blue's Clues" plays the same episode every day for a week. In New York Times article "The Joy of Repetition, Repetition, Repetition," Lawrie Mifflin explains how a confused mother, believing it was an error, called Nickelodeon to complain. But the daily repetition, far from a mistake, was a carefully calculated technique, proving that the "show's creators deeply understand the world of people under the age of 5, people who love to watch the same videos over and over again." Using substantial child-development research from Alice Wilder and Angela Santomero, "Blue's Clues," the highest-rated preschool television show, relies on "a recognized concept of early-childhood learning"-repetition.

While an adult "considers constant repetition boring, because it requires reliving the same experience over and over again," young children bear an entirely different view (Gladwell 125). To preschoolers, "repetition isn't boring, because each time they watch something they are experiencing it in a completely different way" (Gladwell 125). Repetition proves an effective educational tool, allowing children to develop skills and breeding excitement and anticipation. At Cavallo Publishing, a similar approach is applied to educational books for young children. Not only do preschoolers enjoy repetition, it also drives them to accomplish a certain level of mastery with new concepts.

Studies have shown that repetition successfully enhances children's comprehension while retaining their attention. ZooZoo Storytellers books are designed for reiteration to increase a child's understanding and make them feel more at ease with the material. In fact, each book is accompanied by a comprehensive teacher's guide to teach one Storytellers book over the course of five days, covering areas like story retelling or concepts about print. The rich illustrations allow children to notice previously overlooked features with every review, and repetition offers students a chance to predict the story's outcome, intensifying their interest and involvement.

Another helpful touch? The Storytellers feature five characters-Pam, Carlos, Emma, Max, and Ferdinand-who appear throughout the series and remain a reassuring element in an unfamiliar setting. Familiarity with these characters is intended to promote greater enthusiasm in children, especially those who might otherwise feel indifferent or daunted, when confronted by a new book. Students share unique experiences with the recurring characters and eagerly anticipate reading about their latest adventures. Think about it! If you were a preschooler being taught how to read, wouldn't you feel better picking up a book that included characters you already knew and liked?

So the next time your child or student asks you to repeat the same story over and over again, try to accommodate their request even if it bores you! The repetition may do nothing for you, but young children will pick up new vocabulary, language structures, and concepts with every review!

Mifflin, Lawrie. "The Joy of Repetition, Repetition, Repetition." New York Times 3 Aug. 1997. 4 March. 2008

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York: Back Bay 2000.

April celebrates poetry and calls our attention to the art of poetry, poets, our poetic heritage, and poetry publications. So now is the perfect time to incorporate poetry into your classroom. Everyone, from early to fluent readers, will benefit from hearing and listening to poems. As author Mem Fox explains in Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, "Rhymers will be readers; it's that simple. Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they're four years old, they're usually among the best readers by the time they're eight."

This year, April 17th marks the first national Poem In Your Pocket Day. Select a poem you like and carry it with you-in your pocket, of course!-to share with friends and family. Read all about Poem In Your Pocket Day here.

For some fun and stimulating ideas on how to utilize poetry in the classroom, click here! Never underestimate the power that poetry has for young children!

Photo Credits: www.jupiterimages.com

The Perpetual Preschool
Get activity ideas for a variety of holidays and themes to use in your preschool classrooms.

Letter Buddies
Based on letters with distinct personalities, Letter Buddies is a fun and innovative way for children to learn the alphabet.

A to Z Teacher Stuff
A comprehensive site created by teachers with tons of online resources and a helpful teacher's forum where educators can share ideas and best practices.

5 Minutes for Mom
This cute and colorful site is aimed at moms or anyone else with young children. They showcase everything from toys, books, clothes, to parenting ideas, giveaways, and blogs.

iParenting Preschool & Child
iParenting offers a plethora of tips for parents of preschool children, and covers topics like kindergarten readiness, nutrition, parenting styles, and extracurricular activities. A great resource!

When children enter school, they require an array of early literacy skills to succeed as readers. These six specific skills are the foundation of learning how to read and write in the future. Children who enter school without acquiring any early literacy skills will struggle to benefit from classroom reading instruction, and eventually lag behind in their educational careers.

Vocabulary, or understanding the names of objects and knowing words, helps children to recognize written characters. A larger vocabulary means a better reader. By the time they enter school, most children know between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Boost a child's vocabulary knowledge by reading both fiction and nonfiction books together, which contain more uncommon words than daily conversation. When your child chats with you, expand upon your conversation, ask in depth questions to stimulate further discussion, and add detail.

Print motivation helps children appreciate and enjoy reading, and view it as an opportunity to explore their personal hobbies and interests. Encourage print motivation by distributing books throughout the house, subscribing to a magazine addressed in their name, allowing them to choose books that grab their attention, and frequenting the library or bookstore. Most importantly, set a positive example by reading-instead of switching on the television-in front of your child.

Children with print awareness understand that print is beneficial and serves a variety of functions, and that words on a page represent spoken language. To develop print awareness, point out print in a child's surroundings, such as in signs, menus, or newspapers. Trace your finger underneath text as you are reading aloud. Doing this will help children realize that you read print from left to right. Explore punctuation marks and explain to your child how sentences with a question mark or exclamation point are read differently.

Narrative skill is the ability to understand and tell stories and describe events or objects. This particular skill is an important asset when children are learning to read. Bolster narrative skills by asking your child to tell you about events throughout the day or regarding a certain book. Return the favor by telling your child stories-a familiar tale, a made-up story, or an interesting snippet of family history. Use puppets or dolls to tell and retell stories, and select wordless books to read so your child can tell the story. Make sure to ask open-ended questions to foster greater narrative skills.

Letter knowledge means children know the distinct names and sounds of letters. Encourage letter knowledge by providing exciting reading or writing activities, playing with rhymes, using magnetic letters, reading alphabet books, and playing "I Spy" games. Point out letters when reading books, signs, or labels and name them together. Try to avoid drilling children on the alphabet; instead, make the process a fun learning experience.

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and distinguish the sounds in words. Learn nursery rhymes, make up your own rhymes, and sing songs to help children discern sounds. Create nonsensical words by changing the first sound of a word, such as dog, pog, rog, nog, sog. Ask your child to change the beginning sounds of his or her name and in the process, create a new word!

Students who have difficulty with letter recognition will benefit from the countless tactile activities that magnetic letters offer. At home or in the classroom, children can manipulate magnetic letters to get a head start on reading concepts, build their eye-hand coordination, and learn alphabetic principle skills and phonics. Games work best when you have more than one set, as well as an uppercase and lowercase set of letters. Try the following ideas for a hands-on educational approach using magnetic letters.

-MY NAME If you have magnetic white boards, invite students to find the letters that make up their own name or the names of their friends and classmates.

-LETTER SORTING Ask students to separate letters by color or shape. Are letters straight, round, or both? Do they have circles or not? You may use multiple sets of uppercase and lowercase letters.

-FIND A LETTER A class that needs a jolt of energy can play this exciting activity. Put all the letters up on the board and split the class into teams. Call out, "Find me the 'T'" and one member of each group must race to the board to find the correct letter. If you use multiple sets, you can ask them to "Find all the 'F's!" and so forth.

-MIX IT UP Combine letters they know and understand with some letters they don't. Have students identify the unknown letter through process of elimination.

-NAME GAME Have students make their name using magnetic letters, and then quickly mix them up. Allow students to practice putting their name back together as fast as possible.

-MATCHING Challenge students by asking them to match capital letters with lowercase ones. When they've completed the task, have them look, touch, and say the name and accompanying sound of each letter.

-RANDOM ALPHABET Choose a letter at random and as a class, think of words that begin with that letter. For example, F is for fan, fire, fish, flower, or fork.

-CLASSROOM LETTERS Have students choose a letter at random. Walk around the class and try to find objects that contain the letter. For example, P can stand for paper, pen, or pencil.

-SING THE ALPHABET Put letters in the order of the alphabet. As you sing the alphabet song, have children point to the letters.

-HUNT FOR THE LETTER Write a set of alphabet letters on index cards and mix them up. Ask children to take turns drawing one card and then finding the corresponding magnetic letter.

-ALPHABET CHAIN Take turns putting the letters in order. Start with A, then ask students to find the next letter B, and repeat until you reach the end.

Need more tips? Find much more at Magnetic Madness!

Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), focuses attention on young children as well as early childhood teachers and programs. The celebration first began in 1971 as a way of recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) set the stage for children's future success. During this special week, we focus on how our communities can serve the needs of all young children. The theme for 2008 is Bring Communities Together for Children-Children Bring Communities Together.

Make this week a smashing success with the following ideas, and remember, it's never a bad time to celebrate young children!

Celebrate Week of the Young Child by hosting family-friendly programs, creating greater community awareness, and promoting better futures for all children.

-If you're feeling ambitious, organize a mini-conference on children's literacy. Ask early childhood educators and parents to attend, and then arrange for several workshops covering topics related to early literacy. Some topic ideas include family literacy, how to conduct story time, or effective reading techniques.

-Kick off the week with a classroom breakfast for parents, children, and educators. Help students decorate personal invitations inviting their parents. Involve the school or community library, where volunteers can partner with children to read a book over orange juice and breakfast bagels.

-Since this year's theme emphasizes children and communities, draw upon community resources! Put together Reading Bags by asking local businesses, community partners, libraries, and schools to pitch in. Place books, games, posters, bookmarks, and a list of suggested activities for parents and teachers in each bag.

-Pass out certificates for children to take home to their parents. Make sure the certificates recognize Week of the Young Child and the child's unique accomplishments.

-In class, hand out old magazines (National Geographic is a great choice) and ask kids to cut out pictures of children. Help them assemble a giant class collage depicting children from all over the world. Don't forget to include pictures of your own students in the collage! They'll love seeing their faces among the other children from different parts of the globe.

-Display children's artwork and crafts at a local library or store. Invite teachers, friends, and family to come view the display. Set up a table where you can demonstrate a simple craft project, encouraging parents and children to create something together. Try to involve parents in Week of the Young Child as much as possible by inviting them to school or organizing family-oriented activities.

-Since Week of the Young Child falls in the same month as National Poetry Month, organize a Children's Poetry Festival to celebrate both! Ask local businesses or organizations to donate free books and services, and arrange for poetry readings, puppet shows, and skits. Coordinate a book drive or family book swap at the festival.