Reading, Reasoning, and Literacy: Strategies for Early Childhood Education From the Analysis of Classroom Observations
Researchers have posited that children generally learn to read in environments that are trusting, comfortable, and offer small group or one to one adult support, all of which are characteristics of a high quality early childhood education program. This evaluation research study examines the Pre Kindergarten Incentive Program, an early childhood demonstration program in Washington, DC designed to study several urban community based sites. The authors facilitate a discourse on how all early childhood education programs can become high quality programs through standardized observations, evaluations, and constructive feedback. The article describes the demonstration program, highlights general findings from standardized classroom observations, discusses areas needing improvement, and presents strategies for addressing areas of challenge. It will reveal to early childhood educators how evaluation findings can improve teaching and learning techniques and environments in early childhood programs. The goal is to promote overall improvement in reading, reasoning, and literacy for children enrolled in early childhood programs and thereby better prepare them for kindergarten.