Early Reading First

Through a three-year federal grant, Illinois Action for Children provides intensive coaching, professional development, and other services so that two child care centers can become "Centers of Excellence" demonstrating best practices in early education.

In the areas of language and literacy, teachers focus on:

• Oral language (vocabulary, expressive language, listening comprehension)
• Phonological awareness (rhyming, blending, segmenting)
• Print awareness
• Alphabetic knowledge

Illinois Action for Children provides intensive coaching for teachers, parents, and family child care providers who send children to the center. Kendall College offers workshops and college courses for teachers, while Learning Point Associates serves as the project evaluator.

Participating child care centers are: