Research shows that learning to read is a process that begins long before children enter kindergarten. During the pre-kindergarten years, children develop the early literacy skills that help them to learn how to read during the first few years of elementary school. Early screening and intervention are the keys to overcoming reading difficulties and avoiding the problems that go along with them. Early literacy screening:
1. Helps parents and early childhood professionals understand each child's progress towards developing literacy concepts and acquiring skills.
2. Helps to identify developmentally appropriate experiences and teaching that can be used to support early literacy learning.
3. Alerts early childhood professionals and parents to seek additional advice if a child does not appear to be making appropriate progress.
