Before kids reach kindergarten age, children’s minds rapidly develop like no other time in human life. One way to bring learning to the forefront of how we support children as a society is to start, fund, and support programs that boost children’s literacy, including those that empower parents and families through giving them books.

In the NYT article, “Helping Children Thrive,” the Harlem Children’s Zone Baby College and Harlem Gems programs are given as exemplary examples of early education programs. These programs have a four-to-one student teacher ratio and teach pre-literacy, French, and social skills. High quality preschool programs help underprivileged children to make up for some of the resources they are lacking, and another example of a literacy program supporting young children is called “Reach Out and Read.”

Through this non-profit program, doctors and nurses give out books to families during young children’s check-ups and remind them of the importance of reading to children. Children receive new books at each check-up, and the Reach Out and Read site shares that, “many Reach Out and Read program sites create literacy-rich environments that include gently-used books for waiting room use and/or volunteer readers to model for parents the techniques of reading aloud to young children.” Many parents may not be able to afford new books for their kids, and those who might not traditionally read to their children at home can benefit from another adult modelling the read aloud process for them.

Reach Out and Read serves 4.5 million children in all 50 states of the U.S. Their research shows that the preschoolers they work with score three to six months ahead of peers on vocabulary tests. This program is important because it directly recognizes children’s literacy as important to their growth and development, and it is powerful because it can reach so many children through doctor’s visits. By linking reading with physical health, the program honors reading as the crucial element to children’s well-being that research has shown it to be.

Lectura Books provides award-winning bilingual books that are a great tool for English Learner students and their parents. The multicultural stories of each book help to engage the parents of ELL students. This encourages more reading and speaking of English at home. Visit their website to see some of their most popular book titles.

The Latino Family Literacy Project are experts in working with Spanish speaking parents and can train your staff to work specifically with Spanish-speaking parents at your school. Attendees can participate via online webinar training and will learn a culturally competent and research-based program to deliver to parents either online or in person at school.

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State of Florida Informational Resources:

• Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/default.asp
• ELL Support Page: http://www.fldoe.org/aala/
• English Language Development Standards: https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx
• Florida ELL Database Handbook: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7587/urlt/0064430-1314-ell-databaseprogramhandbook.pdf
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/Florida.php
• Florida English Proficiency Assessment Standards: https://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS/

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Central Florida TESOL – One of two Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages(TESOL) organizations in the state, dedicated to the advocacy and development of policies supporting equal opportunities for English Language Learners: http://www.centralfloridatesol.org/
• Sunshine State TESOL – The second advocacy group supporting educators in the development and implementation of language policy: http://sstesol.org/
• Florida Education Association – The Florida affiliate of the nationwide American Federation of Teachers which works to establish a standard for success and excellence for public schools throughout the state: https://feaweb.org/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project – A program that teaches parents how to read with their children, through developing routine reading habits that promote learning of English vocabulary together as a family outside the classroom. https://www.lecturabooks.com/parent-programs/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project Webinar Training: https://www.latinoliteracy.com/webinars/

If your school could benefit from ELL resources, Lectura Books offers award-winning bilingual books that can be used as a great teaching tool for English leaners.

If you liked this blog, visit out our Facebook and Twitter page. We frequently post updated and relevant information related to ELLs.

References

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

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You can view a list of NYC’s bilingual and ELL programs on the NYC DOE site.

One of the main challenges to the program has been finding teachers who are bilingual themselves, licensed, and qualified to teach bilingual classes. With the increased need for teachers, there is an increased need for salary funding, which the $1 million allocated for the new ELL programs in the state may not cover sufficiently. The New York Times shares that Milady Baez of the NYC Education Department says the city is planning to open more bilingual programs and spend $40 million in the next school year to do so. In order to bring on more teachers, both the city and state are working to recruit language teachers and help new teachers to become licensed. Unfortunately, current teachers who switch to English language specialist positions lose seniority within the teacher’s union, and this challenge is also in the midst of being addressed. The New York City’s English Language Learners Demographics Report, based on 2013-14 SY ELL Data, shows that “43.3% (or 423,189) of all NYCDOE students report speaking a language other than English at home.” This statistic highlights the importance of these rigorous English language instruction reforms in New York, and of overcoming the impediments to their fulfillment.

Lectura Books provides dual language books for teachers and parents to provide meaningful learning tools for English Learners at any grade level.

The post What are the New Rules for ELLs in NYC Schools? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Reading aloud also provides children with the ability to learn throughout the story. A child reading on his or her own may continue through the text without absorbing or comprehending what is on the page, which only serves to defeat the purpose. When the teacher reads aloud to the class, comments and explanations can be offered for difficult words or ideas right there on the spot. Through this method, the instructor may also encourage questions and group discussion about what has just been read aloud for a deeper understanding of the material.

Books are, in essence, a visual medium so employing additional visual aids either from the pages of the book itself or from outside resources can also foster a stronger, more effective learning experience. Using various media to dissect words, phrases, and concepts from the book, as it is being read aloud, makes for a more enjoyable way of gaining the knowledge that these students are seeking.

Lectura Books has exceptional bilingual children’s books that will encourage reading aloud. The bold illustrations feature many multicultural experiences that will engage the readers. The Latino Family Literacy Project is an award-winning curriculum for Parent Involvement and is published by Lectura Books. Teachers will learn a whole new framework for understanding how to work with Latino immigrant parents and will be provided with curriculum that is easy-to-follow and engaging to parents. Come join us for breakfast at a workshop, or join us right from your desktop on a live webinar workshop!

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California law states, “the government and the public schools of California have a moral obligation and a constitutional duty to provide all of California’s children, regardless of their ethnicity or national origins, with the skills necessary to become productive members of our society, and of these skills, literacy in the English language is among the most important”. By this statement, California dedicates its efforts to making sure that all students become English language proficient; this includes English learners and non-English learners alike. However, with English the chosen language of instruction, limited English proficient students miss out on the same opportunity of academic success as non-English learners.

According to the California Department of Education, monolingual English-speaking students enter school with speaking vocabularies between 2,000 to 8,000 words, vastly different from the vocabularies of entering English learners. Moreover, there are about 1.4 million English learners in California, constituting about 22.7% of total enrollment in California public schools. So how does California help their English learner population?

Many states and districts form committees with experts to help create guidelines to support their states’ teachers and staff who work with English Learners. The California Department of Education, for example, provides assistance to local schools and districts in helping English Learners achieve the following goals:

• Ensure that English learners acquire full proficiency in English as rapidly and effectively as possible and attain parity with native speakers of English.
• Ensure that English learners, within a reasonable period of time, achieve the same rigorous grade-level academic standards that are expected of all students.

In addition, the California State Board of Education has created a California English Language Development Standards Implementation Plan that provides a very thorough plan-of-action for helping English learners achieve school success. The plan “describes the rationale and strategies for the successful integration of the CA ELD Standards, which align to the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy, to address the English language and literacy skills that English learners need in key content areas”. For additional information on CA ELD Standards and resources for teaching California’s English learners, visit the California Department of Education webpage here.

Getting Parents Involved

A portion of a good district plan includes working with English learners by providing English support and resources for parents. In fact, the California Education Code allows funding for schools “to provide adult English language instruction programs to parents who pledge to provide personal English language tutoring to California school children with limited English proficiency”. Essentially, the provision facilitates increasing parent involvement and developing English language vocabulary skills for English learners –both of which are keys to school success and goals of The Latino Family Literacy Project.

As of yet, parent involvement doesn’t have a lot of structure and standards. However, if a district coordinates its efforts to have all schools provide the same program for strong outcomes in parent involvement with English learners, they can reach their goals in graduating students with the language needed for academic success. The Latino Family Literacy Project is an example of an program designed for  English learners whose native language is Spanish. Moreover, our program also provides expert training to educators so they are equipped to help not only their students learn academic language, but also provide parents with effective strategies that will allow them to support their children as they learn academic language. For more information on our programs, visit our web page.

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