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Literacy Initiatives

Early Childhood Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS® )

The Arizona Department of Education is partnering with Lexia Learning to provide free LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training for Early Childhood Preschool Educators and community partners across Arizona.

LETRS® for Early Childhood Educators professional learning provides deep knowledge of literacy instruction for the youngest learners.

Lexia LETRS for Early Childhood Educators provides deep knowledge and clarity of effective skills necessary to prepare the youngest learners for success in kindergarten and beyond by providing the "why" and "how" of early literacy instruction across all domains: language, literacy, cognitive, motor, social, and emotional. Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson designed this ongoing professional learning course for early childhood educators because research shows the foundation of literacy begins at a young age. This will support Arizona's literacy initiative to build a generation of lifelong readers. To learn more about EC LETRS professional learning please visit https://www.lexialearning.com/arizona-letrs and our Padlet for frequently asked questions.

If you and/or your district/site is interested in receiving this training, please fill out the form and someone will be in contact with you (please give a few weeks as the volume of requests is high).
This training is designed for Preschool Educators and does not meet the requirements for the K-5 Literacy Endorsement.
ADE and Lexia Learning will be hosting an informational webinar on Tuesday, September 19th at 3:00. Please click here to join.
Coming Soon: Early Childhood LETRS office hours LETRS Interest Form
Comprehensive Literacy State Development-Supplement (CLSD-Supplemental) grant
The Arizona Comprehensive Literacy State Development-Supplement (CLSD-Supplemental) grant is now open and closes on 9/15/2023.
CLSD-Supplemental competitive grant opportunities include literacy-based curriculum and high-quality resources that meets Tier 1 or Tier 2 ESSA requirements, Dyslexia Designee Training, K-5 Literacy Endorsement Professional Development and High Impact Interventions.

Links to upcoming Q&A sessions are available on the CLSD-Supplemental Flyer. Before attending a Q&A Session please watch the recorded webinar.
Webinar Link The Arizona Department of Education Early Childhood Education (ECE) team offers a comprehensive list of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) professional learning opportunities. All ADE-ECE professional learning opportunities meet requirements for continuing education units (CEUs).
New Live Webinars have been added!

Live Webinars

ADE ECE is now offering LIVE Webinar sessions on specific Early Childhood topics. These will be open to the entire ECE field and will be offered regularly. No registration is needed for these sessions unless otherwise noted below. Please add to your calendar as a reminder and join below!

9/6/23

9:00-10:30AM

Early Childhood Quality Improvement Process (ECQUIP) Informational Webinar
Select to Join

9/8/23

12:00-12:45PM

Pyramid Model Informational Meeting for
TRAINERS in Arizona

*For those interested in becoming Pyramid Model Trainers
Registration is REQUIRED

9/15/23

8:30-9:15AM

Pyramid Model Informational Meeting for
IMPLEMENTATION SITES in Arizona

*For those interested in becoming Pyramid Model Implementation Sites
Registration is REQUIRED

9/19/23

3:00-4:00PM

Early Childhood LETRS Informational Webinar
Select to Join

Live Training Schedule

FY23 Live Training Schedule

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 2:00PM-4:00PM
Participants will be able to explain the importance of using data to inform instruction, describe the keys to effective early childhood assessment, identify the different ways to collect and implement informal data in their daily instruction, demonstrate and understand the standards and how to document data.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 4:00PM-6:00PM
Unpacking the AZELS State standards are sometimes written as complex statements that can be interpreted in different ways. Thus, it is important that teachers have a common understanding about the goals and targets of each standard. Participants will be able to: Explain and identify what the students should know and be able to do, identify key concepts and skills of the standard, identify the learning intention and how students will know they are successful.
Saturday, September 30, 2023 9:00AM-11:00AM
This course looks at the Literacy Knowledge strand of Scarborough's Rope. Participants will learn how it aligns to the Emergent Literacy concepts in AZELS. Learners will leave the course with activities and engagement strategies to immediately implement in their learning environment.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 2:00PM-4:00PM
This course looks at oral language development of children from birth through five years old. Participants will dive into the ITDG and AZELS and see the correlation between brain research and how children develop. The course will provide participants with strategies for enhancing children's communication skills, interactions, and literacy rich experiences from infancy to kindergarten entry.
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 4:00PM-6:00PM
Participants will be able to explain the importance of using data to inform instruction, describe the keys to effective early childhood assessment, identify the different ways to collect and implement informal data in their daily instruction, demonstrate and understand the standards and how to document data.
Friday, October 20, 2023 9:00AM-11:00AM
This course looks at the Literacy Knowledge strand of Scarborough's Rope. Participants will learn how it aligns to the Emergent Literacy concepts in AZELS. Learners will leave the course with activities and engagement strategies to immediately implement in their learning environment.
Saturday, October 28, 2023 9:00AM-11:00AM
Unpacking the AZELS State standards are sometimes written as complex statements that can be interpreted in different ways. Thus, it is important that teachers have a common understanding about the goals and targets of each standard. Participants will be able to: Explain and identify what the students should know and be able to do, identify key concepts and skills of the standard, identify the learning intention and how students will know they are successful.
Webinar Recordings

Recorded Webinars

30-min Intro Online Courses

Introductory Online Courses (30 min)
This course provides an introduction to the five domains of the Infant and Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) and how to use the guidelines to provide responsive caregiving and quality learning experiences for all children birth to 3 years of age in early care and education settings. This course provides an introduction to the eight standards within the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) and how to use the standards to provide an instructional foundation for all children 3-5 years old in early care and education settings.
Intro to Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Education (30 min)
The course provides an introduction to the Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Education: Birth through Kindergarten and will help participants develop a working knowledge of the guidelines to support their program be better prepared to help young children succeed.
Cursos de Español

CURSOS INTRODUCTORIOS EN LÍNEA (30 MIN)
Introducción a las Directrices para el Desarrollo del Bebé y del Infante (ITDG) Este curso proporciona una introducción a las Pautas de desarrollo para bebés y niños pequeños (ITDG) y cómo usar las pautas para proporcionar cuidado receptivo y experiencias de aprendizaje de calidad para todos los niños desde el nacimiento hasta los 3 años de edad en entornos de atención y educación temprana. Introducción a los Estándares de Aprendizaje Temprano de Arizona (AZELS) Este curso proporciona una introducción a los ocho estándares dentro de los Estándares de Aprendizaje Temprano de Arizona (AZELS) y cómo usar los estándares para proporcionar una base de instrucción para todos los niños de 3 a 5 años de edad. (30 min) (30 min) This course focuses on the SE Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including early brain research in relation to positive development and how to create rich learning environments for infants and toddlers. This course focuses on the Approaches to Learning Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including an introduction to early brain research in relation to approaches to learning and how to foster initiative, creativity, and problem solving skills in infants and toddlers. This course focuses on the Language Development & Communication Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including an introduction to early brain research and how to build the language and communication skills of listening, speaking, and emergent literacy in infants and toddlers. This course focuses on the Cognitive Development Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including a connection to early brain research and how to foster exploration, build memory skills, and support reasoning and problem-solving through imitation and symbolic play. This course provides an overview of the Social & Emotional Development Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) and an introduction to the Pyramid Model to provide behavior supports, along with strategies to foster positive development in children age 3-5. This course provides an overview of the Approaches to Learning Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster curiosity, confidence, creativity, and problem solving skills in children age 3-5. This course provides an overview of the Language & Literacy Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to build language, emergent literacy, and emergent writing skills in preschool age children. This course provides an overview of the Mathematics Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster counting, operations, measuring, and geometry skills in preschool age children. This course provides an overview of the Science Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster scientific inquiry and application skills in preschool age children. This course provides an overview of the Physical Development, Health & Safety Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to promote healthy physical development, appropriate hygiene practices, and safety measures in the environment and the classroom for preschool age children. This course provides an overview of Program Guideline 5: Family Engagement & Support from the Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Education: Birth through Kindergarten including specific ways to more fully and effectively engage with families involved in your program. This course provides an overview of the Arizona School Readiness Framework and its key components such as research-based curriculum and assessment, high-quality kindergarten transitions, and the importance of family engagement. This course is designed to show the importance of ongoing progress monitoring within the early childhood education system. The four stages of the assessment cycle are outlined to include high-quality practices that support children's outcomes, family engagement, and programmatic decision making.
1-hour Online Courses

1-hour Online Courses
This course takes a closer look at the Language Development & Communication Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including the connection of early brain research to language and communication development and provides effective strategies for supporting listening, speaking, and literacy-rich experiences for infants and toddlers. This course provides a closer look at the Social Emotional Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including the tiers of the Pyramid Model to provide behavior supports, and instructional strategies for fostering positive development in children age 3-5. This course provides a closer look at the Approaches to Learning Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to implement the strands within the Standard as well as strategies to support executive function skills and cognitive flexibility in children age 3-5. This course provides a closer look at the Language & Literacy Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to build language, emergent literacy, and emergent writing skills and how to design a literacy-rich environment for preschool age children. This course takes a closer look at the Mathematics Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster counting, operations, measuring, and geometry skills along effective strategies for implementing math skills in all standards of early learning for preschool age children. This course takes a closer look at the Science Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster scientific inquiry and application skills, as well as strategies for designing a science-rich environment for preschool age children.
2-hour Online Courses

2-hour Online Courses

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Literacy Initiatives Early Childhood Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS® )The Arizona Department of Education is partnering with Lexia Learning to provide free LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training for Early Childhood Preschool Educators and community partners across Arizona.LETRS® for Early Childhood Educators professional learning provides deep knowledge of literacy instruction for the youngest learners.Lexia LETRS for Early Childhood Educators provides deep knowledge and clarity of effective skills necessary to prepare the yo

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LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) is on a mission to transform children's futures through early talk technology and data-driven programs...

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Learn More about LETRS EC

Who loves good cookies and what are your favorite kinds? As you know, cookies are a collection of ingredients put together following a sequence of steps, resulting in tasty outcomes. The best ones are made by using the right kind and quality of ingredients in the appropriate quantities, then correctly combining them by following the recipe instructions. When making cookies, you want good resources for the best recipes.

A recipe for learning to read

When we apply this cookie analogy to learning, the "ingredients" include skills and abilities that grow and develop. Just as the kind and quality of cookie ingredients can affect the final product, the type of instruction and guidance that children receive will impact the skills they learn, when they learn them, and how they learn them. Think about your recipe for teaching literacy. Do you get the outcomes you are hoping for? Do you focus on cultivating the right skills by providing the best instruction?

The body of research defining the science of reading (SoR) has established the "key ingredient" skills and the levels of development needed to learn to read. The key ingredients are eloquently described in the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990) and outlined in the Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001). On top of identifying the skills needed to learn to read, SoR research also describes effective instructional strategies and routines, providing directions that facilitate literacy learning with good outcomes.

In addition to describing the reading process, SoR has established a direct link between early oral language development and written language achievement. Our cookie analogy also applies to language learning, with the structures of oral language-including speech sounds (phonemes), vocabulary (semantics), grammar (morphology and syntax), and use (prosody and pragmatics)-serving as the "ingredients."

A recipe for oral language development

Increasing understanding and use of vocabulary, use of more complex sentence structures, and combining thoughts into discourse and narratives can all augment the quality and quantity of children's oral language, which develops best in socially responsive and interactive settings. In other words, the "talk" that happens in everyday contexts matters. Dickenson (2003) emphasizes the importance of conversational turns in early childhood contexts by using the slogan "strive for five," which sets the goal of engaging in five back-and-forth exchanges on a topic. Recent findings from a 10-year longitudinal study (Gilkerson et al., 2018) determined that the conversational turns children experienced as toddlers correlated to IQ, verbal comprehension, vocabulary, and other language skills in middle school, leading to a broadly recommended focus on conversational turns for all ages. Do you include a focus on conversational turns in your literacy learning recipe?

The social aspect of socially responsive and interactive opportunities is an important element of learning across all the five major developmental domains. Can you list them? Returning to our cookie analogy, these domains often include groupings of the following ingredients: physical/health, cognition, language/literacy, social-emotional, and attitudes toward learning. A teaching focus on the "whole child" includes attention to all the learning domains within developmental sequences and expectations in an interconnected approach. In fact, a recent empirical study has determined a causal link between and conversational turns and social-emotional development in young children (Gomez & Strasser, 2021). Simply put, the study found that talking turns facilitated social and emotional skill development. See how important your conversational turn recipe is?

A recipe for optimal learning

Building upon our previously identified developmental learning ingredients, our instructional recipe should also include the principles of learning that best support development. An important aspect of SoR is intentionally and explicitly teaching children the literacy/language and social-emotional skills they need for academic and life success. What are the principles that support optimal learning opportunities? Dehaene (2020) identified four "pillars of learning": attention, engagement, feedback, and rehearsal with consolidation.

These learning principles support the "I Do, We Do, You Do" teaching approach. The recipe for this approach includes the following steps:

Creating lessons that engage students and encourage attentiveness as a learning skill is intentionally taught (I Do)

Providing the opportunity for students to practice the skill and receive feedback on their performance, with repeated and distributed practice as needed (We Do)

Providing opportunities for more practice to reinforce and consolidate students' learning (You Do)

The adult's role in this instructional sequence is an important component of the learning recipe. During the I Do and We Do steps, children's learning is guided to build a foundation of understanding. At the You Do phase, students continue to construct their learning in a more implicit context.

A recipe for learning through play

How about SoR and play? Think about the important role of play in children's learning. Play schemes, sequences, and activities contain elements that relate to things children have been exposed to and are learning about. In essence, children use play to practice, try out, explore, and combine things they know.

In high-quality early childhood classrooms, children can engage with carefully designed learning centers under adult supervision to incorporate what they have learned and deepen their understanding of the world around them. Seidenburg (2017) refers to this You Do level as "semi-supervised within an implicit experience," and Harris (2012) guides our understanding by reporting that "there is a profound limit to the role that first-hand experience can play in cognitive development. In many domains, children cannot gather the relevant data for themselves. Children have to depend on what other people tell them." Simply put, adult guidance is an important part of this learning recipe.

Supplementing your learning recipes

Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS®) for Early Childhood Educators is designed for teachers of young children in preschool into kindergarten. It includes the ingredients and instructional steps to deepen teachers' understanding of the ingredients of early literacy learning and the instructional strategies they can use to intentionally help young children develop oral language, phonological processing, and print knowledge.

As for young children's social-emotional learning, a brand-new edition of "Good Talking Words: A Social Communication Skills Program for Young Children" presents a curriculum designed to intentionally teach children the expected social communication behaviors they need to interact with peers and adults. The program includes 10 engaging and interactive lessons with distributed and repeated practice in a developmentally appropriate and playful approach.

These two resources may be important additions to your learning recipe resource bank for facilitating early literacy, oral language, and social-emotional learning. Based on the science of reading and the science of learning, these recipes are designed to make an important difference for the children in our care for the rest of their lives.

Dehaene, S. (2020). How we learn: Why brains learn better than any machine . . . for now. New York: Viking.

Dickinson, D. K. (2003). Why we must improve teacher-child conversations in preschools and the promise of professional development. Enhancing caregiver language facilitation in childcare settings, 4-1.

Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Warren, S. F., Oller, D. K., Russo, R., & Vohr, B. (2018). Language experience in the second year of life and language outcomes in late childhood. Pediatrics, 142 (4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-4276

Gómez, E., & Strasser, K. (2021). Language and socioemotional development in early childhood: The role of conversational turns. Developmental Science, e13109.

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10.

Harris, P. L. (2012). Trusting what you're told. Harvard University Press.

Hoover, W. A., & Gough, P. B. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading and Writing, 2(2), 127-160.

Scarborough, H. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (disabilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (eds.), Handbook for Research in Early Literacy (pp. 97-110). New York: Guilford.

Learn More about LETRS EC

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Early Childhood Education and the Science of Reading: Recipes to Last a Lifetime

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Who loves good cookies and what are your favorite kinds? As you know, cookies are a collection of ingredients put together following a sequence of steps, resulting in tasty outcomes.

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Fostering Core Skills Explore what children’s Core Skills look like and how you can support their development with your everyday interactions Our Commitment Our goal is to provide materials and guidance to early childhood professionals, so they may support each and every child’s learning. We are committed to gathering and creating resources that represent educators, […]

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American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

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Designed to help readers develop a critical eye about representations of American Indians in children's and young adult books

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Updated Scarborough's Reading Rope Graphic (002)

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LitHubAZ | Evidence-Based Literacy Strategies Resources Arizona

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LitHubAZ is an Arizona-based orgination that uses evidence-based literacy strategies and resources to support student achievement.

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Talking and responding to your little one with love and attention builds their brain. It's not about the number of words they hear. What matters most is the quality of the conversation. Babies and toddlers learn from having fluid, back-and-forth interactions: you speak, I respond.

Babies can't respond with words, but that doesn't mean they're not part of the conversation. Eye contact, facial expressions, crying, smiles, and touch are all ways your child communicates with you. They're all invitations for you to listen and respond in a way that's relevant and keeps the conversation going.

Even a little bit of conversation throughout the day makes a big difference. It helps your child develop the vocabulary and language skills they'll need to be good readers and successful in school. Research shows that how well a child reads by the end of third grade often predicts whether they will graduate high school.

Make Smart Talk part of your daily routine, and talk in the language you are most comfortable with. Ask questions, introduce new and unusual words, and use a caring, loving tone.

Here's how.

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Smart Talk is having back-and-forth conversations with young children, even before they can use words, to help develop early literacy skills.

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Books that inspire students to turn materials like cardboard, wood, and fabric scraps into feats of engineering and resourcefulness.

A long time ago in a '70s kitchen far away, there was a cabinet, and in that cabinet was a large brown paper bag filled with treasure. Upon closer inspection of that bag, you might say, "Hey, that's not treasure. That's just toilet paper tubes, a shoebox, and some corks."

We both would be correct in our assessments.

The kitchen cabinet was in my childhood home, and our family referred to that treasure trove as "good junk." Good junk could best be defined as items that no longer served their original purpose but were too interesting to throw away. These objects were perfect for investigating, assembling, and transforming into one-of-a-kind toys, facilitating hours of play.

Construction activities are a standard in early childhood classrooms. Each day, children build with blocks, assemble puzzles, and explore manipulatives. Most construction sets, however, are not designed for fully open-ended investigations; as a teacher, I felt that good-junk exploration could potentially create that opportunity. When I began to see students transform craft materials (like pom-poms and foam pieces) and recyclables (like a masking tape ring and cardboard strips) into such creations as "a baby chick with an elevated hot tub and diving board," I knew I was on the right track.

To facilitate open-ended inquiry with unconventional materials, a teacher should set the stage and make sure materials are organized and child accessible. Teachers must also be available for consultation or construction help, like using a glue gun, for instance. As students explore, evaluate, and select materials, they can utilize maker tools-such as glue, tape, scissors, and markers-to assemble and create objects inspired by the materials as well as their imaginations.

When a child constructs a unique object from unconventional materials like cardboard boxes, plastic containers, or wood scraps, they learn engineering fundamentals as well as elements of the creative process. Children who repeatedly and vigilantly work at designing new objects learn persistence and elevate their resilience level. The uniqueness of each piece they create offers students the opportunity to celebrate the process and product.

The 12 picture books below feature tinkerers, inventors, and makers; each book is likely to prompt STEM/STEAM discussions. Characters demonstrate initiative, resourcefulness, and 3D problem-solving strategies as they utilize good junk and other available items to inspire and enhance their inventions.

12 Picture Books to Foster a Maker Mindset

Gus's Garage by Leo Timmers. Gus the pig is a resourceful mechanic who always comes through with the right junk for the right fix. (Preschool-grade 1)

Mr. King's Things by Geneviève Côté. Mr. King loves to shop. But when he brings something new into the house, he throws an older thing into the pond. This is a recipe for disaster, but it's also the beginning of a tale of resourcefulness. (Preschool-grade 2)

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. A little girl intends to make "the most magnificent thing in the world." Fortunately she has a faithful assistant, vast resources, and determination. (Preschool-grade 2)

With My Hands: Poems About Making Things by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson. Twenty-six poems to inspire all young makers-painters, knitters, potters, and even cookie bakers. (Preschool-grade 3)

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. This nonfiction picture book features a "trash to treasure" tale, in which items from a junkyard are transformed into musical instruments for young musicians from Paraguay. (Preschool-grade 3)

by Katey Howes, illustrated by Elizabet Vuković. The call of this book is "today, what will you make?" With each turn of the page, a child proposes and considers a possible maker activity. (Preschool- grade 3)

by Shanda McCloskey. Charlotte is interested in all things technology and is mystified when her mother gives her a doll that seemingly does... not much. (Preschool-grade 3)
Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press
The Color Collector by Nicholas Solis, illustrated by Renia Metallinou. This story features a curious boy, a mysterious girl, and a beautiful found-object mosaic. (Grades K-3)

Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, illustrated by David Catrow. Inspired by her grandmother's sage advice, some "thingamabobs," and her imagination, Molly Lou Melon can make anything. Molly's new neighbor Gertie is "bored, bored, bored." Molly to the rescue! (Grades K-3)

by Pip Jones, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie. Izzy is an engineer in heart and deed. Her greatest challenge yet is to make new wings for her injured pet crow. (Grades K-3)

by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert, illustrated by Dušan Petričić. A lonely boy, a patch of mud, and a stick soon become the beginnings of a town. With the help of some new friends, and assorted pieces of junk, Mattland is a bustling community. (Grades K-3)

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts. Rosie is a collector, a dreamer, and an engineer. She faces disappointment time and time again but is able to rally with the love and support of her family. (Grades K-3)

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12 Picture Books to Motivate Young Makers

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Books that inspire students to turn materials like cardboard, wood, and fabric scraps into feats of engineering and resourcefulness. A long time ago in a '70s kitchen far away, there was a cabinet, and in that cabinet was a large brown paper bag filled with treasure.

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

These eight books for young students promote math and SEL skills, but read with caution: They all feature delicious treats.

Covers courtesy of publishers

Pie! Cookies! Doughnuts! Do I have your undivided attention? Excellent. Now let's move forward to discuss math and social and emotional learning (SEL). This isn't a ruse to lure you into reading this article-the aforementioned treats feature prominently in the eight delicious picture books below. Each title addresses the theme of sharing from two points of view: math and SEL.

Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts

Identifying solutions for personal and social problems

Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one's actions

From a math point of view: Characters must problem-solve using mathematical operations and strategies, such as fractions and division, to obtain an equal share of tasty treats.

From an SEL point of view: Each of these titles addresses issues stemming from obtaining a fair share of the delicacies. Sharing is a social activity. Reflecting the CASEL framework " Responsible Decision-Making," the plots of these books include the following scenarios:

After students read these books as a collection, ask them to list the food mentioned in the stories (e.g., pies, cookies, and doughnuts).

Brainstorm with students about the materials that they might need to create pictures of these foods (e.g., paper plates, scissors, markers, construction paper).

Display the books in a prominent and accessible way for children to reference as they create props and develop their play.

Informally observe and assess the students' mathematical and social and emotional understanding of sharing as they create and use these props in dramatic play.

Ultimately, the math and social and emotional strategizing work in tandem to create a satisfying resolution for each story. Reading these books as a collection allows for early childhood teachers to have foundational math discussions about division and fractions as well as SEL discussions about the challenges and rewards of sharing.

Finally, each of these picture books has an element of celebration, which can inspire play and allow young children to practice sharing in the context of classroom dramatic play.

Scrumptious Math with a Side of SEL

The Last Marshmallow, by Grace Lin. On a winter day, two children warm themselves up with cups of hot chocolate. Uh-oh! There's a problem! There are three large marshmallows and two children: How will the children divide the marshmallows equally? Corresponding math activities are available on the publisher's website and at the end of the book. (Preschool)

Sharing, by Yusuke Yonezu. In this colorful die-cut board book, sad pairs of animals become elated when they figure out how to fairly divide their food in half. Each page turn features a unique mathematical phrase that aligns with dividing food equally in half. (Preschool)

Dozens of Doughnuts, by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Brianne Farley. In anticipation of her upcoming hibernation, Louanne the bear cooks up a dozen doughnuts. What she doesn't anticipate is all of her friends stopping by. She spends the day cooking dozens of different doughnuts but finds that there are never doughnuts left for her. Finally, Louanne loses her cool, and her friends realize the problem they've created, rectifying it by making doughnuts for Louanne. In this video, author Finison reads her book. (Preschool-grade one)

Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum, by Natasha Yim, illustrated by Violet Kim. Luna's family gathers at Round Moon Dim Sum restaurant to celebrate Luna's birthday. The dim sum cart passes by, and the server delivers two baskets of pork buns to the table. Dividing up the buns seems simple until an accident lands one of Luna's buns on the floor. How will the buns be divided equally now? There are related math activities available on the publisher's website and at the end of the book. (Preschool-grade one)

Mary Clare Likes to Share, by Joy N. Hulme, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell. Mary Clare likes to eat and always shares her food with her friends. Regardless of how many hungry friends there are, Mary Clare finds a way to create equal portions. (Preschool-grade one)

All for Pie, Pie for All, by David Martin, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Grandma Cat makes an apple pie that serves her family with a single piece of pie left over. A family of mice help themselves to the slice, which serves all of them with some crumbs left over. A family of ants eat the crumbs. Soon there's no more pie, but Grandma Cat suggests making a blueberry pie, and all of the animals help. (Preschool-grade two)

The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins. Sam and Victoria sit down to enjoy a plate of 12 cookies. Twelve cookies between two children seems like a fair share until the doorbell rings... repeatedly ... and with each new visitor there are fewer cookies for each person. Ten guests later, Grandma rings the doorbell and saves the day; she has brought a tray full of cookies for all to share! (Preschool-grade two)

The Cookie Fiasco, by Dan Santat. Four animals are excited for cookie time. Unfortunately, there are only three cookies. Fortunately, a nervous hippo who breaks up the cookies provides the ultimate solution. A corresponding teacher's guide is available on the publisher's website. (Kindergarten-grade three)

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Picture Books That Combine Math With Social and Emotional Learning

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These eight books for young students promote math and SEL skills, but read with caution: They all feature delicious treats.

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These picture books for young learners encourage them to grow their social-emotional and collaboration skills as they build with blocks.

In graduate school I was fortunate enough to take a block building course. That's right, block building. There was even a textbook. It was one of the most valuable early childhood classes that I've ever had. The lessons from that class and subsequent years of block building in my kindergarten classroom allowed me to formulate a block area methodology and philosophy.

The block area is a community center, and it must be intentionally designed so that students can access, navigate, and assist in maintaining its organization. The block area isn't simply a play destination, but a collaborative and cooperative learning environment; problems that occur (e.g., law of gravity or social and emotional) are critical teachable moments that help children learn more about themselves, the materials, and their peers. Finally, I learned that the structures themselves must be respected; documenting them via photographs, drawings, or words not only assist in evaluating students' civil engineering skills but also help children say goodbye to their structures at cleanup time.

There are numerous picture books about building as it pertains to construction, but there are far fewer about block building itself. The books that follow are love letters to the block area meant to inspire young engineers and architects. They're also meant to prompt practical classroom discussions about the blocks and the block area-for example, "What do you do when someone knocks your building down?" "How tall is too tall?" "If you don't have the kind of block that you need, what do you do?" And last but not least, "What is the best way to clean up the block area?"

Picture Books About Block Building
Courtesy of Astra Publishing House
Moving Blocks, by Yusuke Yonezu. With the refrain "What are you building? What can it be?" a collection of colored blocks form and re-form to create assorted modes of transportation. (Preschool)

Bigger! Bigger! by Leslie Patricelli. A young construction worker with BIG dreams, and assorted blocks, constructs buildings, a road, and a bridge. With the assistance of her faithful coworkers, Dog and Cat, the city grows bigger and bigger until a giant baby comes to town! (Preschool-kindergarten)

Changes, Changes, by Pat Hutchins. A resourceful wooden toy couple build a block house that inexplicably catches fire. They quickly construct a fire engine with a hose to extinguish the fire, but now knee-deep in water, the blocks are reconstructed into a boat. On land the blocks turn into a truck, then a train, to arrive at a new place to build their new block home. (Preschool-first grade)
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
, by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Daniel Kirk. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote this poem in 1913, and Daniel Kirk illustrated it for contemporary times. A boy happily builds a block town on a rainy day. Kirk's illustrations blend the boy's fantasy town and his actual block buildings. (Preschool-first grade)

Crash! Boom!: A Math Tale, by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Chris Chatterton. An industrious young elephant stacks blocks to measure up against. Alas, the blocks topple to the ground. Elephant rebuilds twice with determination in an attempt to make the block tower stronger each time. (Preschool-first grade)

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building, by Christy Hale. Children construct buildings juxtaposed with images of famous architectural structures. While this book includes block building, it also features other assorted construction materials. (Preschool-first grade)

Jack the Builder, by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by Michael Rex. With an assortment of colored blocks and a boundless imagination, Jack builds a robot toy, a hot dog stand, a ferry boat, an airport control tower, and the tallest building in the world! Ultimately, he uses all of his blocks to build a rocket ship. (Preschool-first grade)
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Now What?: A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Chris Chatterton. A puppy scrutinizes individual blocks to problem-solve how to create a bed of blocks for a nice snooze. (Preschool-first grade)

When I Build With Blocks, by Niki Alling. With this book, set in the classroom, students share all of the potential structures they can create in the block area that will enhance their dramatic play, such as a haunted house for a ghost, a castle for a king, and a plane for a pilot. (Preschool-first grade)

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Inspiring Creativity With Blocks in the Early Childhood Classroom

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These picture books for young learners encourage them to grow their social-emotional and collaboration skills as they build with blocks. In graduate school I was fortunate enough to take a block building course. That's right, block building. There was even a textbook. It was one of the most valuable early childhood classes that I've ever had.

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

A collection of picture books to guide dramatic play and foster students' literacy and social and emotional skills.

I have a photograph of myself from when I taught kindergarten. I'm sitting in a chair with a tiara, wearing sunglasses, and holding a cup of coffee, surrounded by my students. No, that was not a typical day. On that day, the students had created a salon and needed a customer. As my nails were being filed and my hair primped, I was surprised (and yet not surprised) how many of the routines and how much of the language connected to this scenario that my students had absorbed and were now applying.

During the school year, the classroom dramatic play area had many incarnations beyond salon; sometimes it was a bakery, or a house, and occasionally even a train. The students' imaginations were the guiding force for this area; I was there to observe, listen, and support.

In the current pursuit to foster social and emotional wellness in young children, there's perhaps no better activity to dedicate time, resources, and space to than dramatic play. Dramatic play, in its most familiar setting, looks like a kitchen or housekeeping center. Other programs have assorted prop boxes and hollow wooden blocks.

Whatever a teacher's resources-whether a temporary area on the meeting rug with milk crates and miscellaneous props or a fully accessorized play housekeeping area-dramatic play is worth the effort. In dramatic play, children must improvise, sustain flexibility, and negotiate wants and needs with their peers in the context of imaginative play. It's the ultimate classroom community builder.

The following picture books are meant to encourage ongoing discussions about dramatic play in the classroom. These books feature characters who dress up, assume different personalities, and create or utilize assorted props for imaginative play purposes. While these books don't take place in a school setting, they do suggest ideas that easily adapt to a school dramatic play setting and seamlessly suggest a home/school literacy opportunity.

Picture Books to Inspire Dramatic Play
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Amazing Me! Dressing Up!, by Carol Thompson. In this board book, a group of young children discover a cardboard box filled with costumes that they try on with glee. (Preschool)

Andy & Sandy's Anything Adventure, by Tomie dePaola and Jim Lewis. Friends Andy and Sandy open a steamer trunk filled with costumes and take turns surprising each other with different outfits. (Preschool-kindergarten)

, by Mo Willems. Piggie is not Piggie today; today Piggie is Frog. Gerald the elephant becomes anxious. Will he turn into a frog as well? Piggie reassures Gerald that it is just pretend. (Preschool-first grade)
Courtesy of Scholastic Inc.
, by Antoinette Portis. Rabbit is here to inform you that what you think is a cardboard box... isn't. In fact, Rabbit is also here to show you that this not-a-box is, among other things, a car, a mountain, and a rocket. (Preschool-first grade)

Bunny's Staycation, by Lori Richmond. Bunny is none too pleased that Mama is going on a business trip. Clever Papa suggests a "staycation." Papa and Bunny pack up a cardboard box car and embark on a week's worth of adventures without leaving the house. (Preschool-first grade)

Best Day Ever, by Michael J. Armstrong, illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans. William prefers structured accomplishments. Anna loves improvised adventure. William has finished his summer to-do list, and he has one item left: "Have the most fun ever." Could Anna hold the key to having the best day ever? You bet! (Kindergarten-second grade)

How to Find Gold, by Viviane Schwarz. Anna and Crocodile spend the day searching for gold. They make a map, sail a boat, and deep-sea dive. They discover gold on the ocean floor and bury it aboveground for safekeeping. A full day's work (and play). (Kindergarten-second grade)
Courtesy of Roaring Book Press
I Am Someone Else: Poems About Pretending, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Chris Hsu. This poetry anthology celebrates imagination and trying someone else on for size; subjects include storybook characters, occupations, and makers. (Kindergarten-second grade)

Is That You, Eleanor Sue?, by Tricia Tusa. Ding-dong! Eleanor Sue's mom is having a very busy morning. So far, a neighbor, a witch, a wizard, a bear, a delivery man, and a cat have come to the door to visit. Why all the visitors? Because Saturday is dress-up day for Eleanor Sue. (Kindergarten-second grade)

Additionally, Literacy Play: Over 300 Dramatic Play Activities That Teach Pre-Reading Skills, by Amy Cox and Sherrie West, is a resource book that suggests how teachers can integrate dramatic play into the classroom with a theme-based approach.

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Encouraging Dramatic Play in the Early Childhood Classroom

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) A collection of picture books to guide dramatic play and foster students' literacy and social and emotional skills. I have a photograph of myself from when I taught kindergarten. I'm sitting in a chair with a tiara, wearing sunglasses, and holding a cup of coffee, surrounded by my students.

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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children around the world. Imagination Library books are specially selected age-appropriate, high-quality titles. These books are delivered to registered children each month from birth to age five. Each one is personalized with the child's name and mailed directly to the child's home. This effort creates a gifting experience making books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. The Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee selects several bilingual English/Spanish titles each year.

The first book a child receives is "The Little Engine That Could™" (customized version). The month a child turns five years old, they will receive "Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!" (customized version).

2023 Book List - USA

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United States Book List - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Blue Ribbon Selections give USA Book List including new titles added this year.

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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Reading Universe: All About Reading and Writing

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Explore ready-to-use teaching strategies, resources, and concrete answers to common questions about teaching reading and writing -- developed by experts.

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What is the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. (The Reading League)

The Science of Reading is built on two fundamental truths:

1. We were never born to read. Our brains are hardwired for speech, not print.

2. The alphabetic principle is the foundation of our alphabetic writing system. It is fundamentally different from pictograph and logograph systems.

What the Science of Reading is not:

an ideology or philosophy

a fad, trend, new idea, or pendulum swing

a political agenda

a one-size-fits-all approach

a program of instruction

a single, specific component of instruction, such as phonics

Click here for The Science of Reading: Defining Guide from The Reading League!
Download the Science of Reading infographic here.
Watch a 3-minute "elevator speech" about the Science of Reading, as explained by Dr. Stephanie Stollar.

Want to learn more?

Take one of our courses to learn more about the science of reading, especially the Evidence-Based Decision Making Course, which directly aligns and supports learning in the science of reading and the shifts to structured literacy.
Literacy Professional Learning
AZ State Literacy Instruction Plans

We are so happy you are here to learn more about the Science of Reading!
We would love to hear your feedback on this page so that we know what you need and how we can support you in your understanding of how the brain learns to read.

Please take a moment to complete a simple survey by clicking the Feedback button.

**The views and opinions expressed in any third-party resource do not necessarily reflect those of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and do not imply an endorsement by ADE.

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What is the Science of Reading? AS_ELA_Science-of-Reading-Logo-2023.png_(20230421) The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages.

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Head Start ECLKC                  Language and Literacy          

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Head Start ECLKC                  Language and Literacy          

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Language development refers to children's emerging abilities to understand and use language. Language skills are receptive-the ability to listen to and understand language-and expressive-the ability to use language to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Children's language ability affects learning and development in all areas, especially emerging literacy.

Emerging literacy refers to the knowledge and skills that lay the foundation for reading and writing. For infants and toddlers, emerging literacy is embedded in the Language and Communication domain. This reflects how closely connected these emerging literacy skills are to very young children's beginning receptive, expressive, and vocabulary skills. For preschoolers, Language and Literacy are distinct domains. They reflect children's growing skills as they begin to grasp differences between spoken and written language, as well as how they are connected.

Language and literacy skills can develop in any language, and for the most part, they develop first in the child's home language. Supporting development of the home language helps prepare young children for learning English. Head Start and Early Head Start programs must promote language and literacy goals for all children that are age, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and responsive. However, children who are dual language learners (DLLs) need intentional support to develop their home language as well as acquire English. For example, this may include creating environments that include their home language and culture; planning and organizing thematic instruction; and supporting them through transitions.

Language and Literacy for DLLs

Review the following resources under the Planned Language Approach:

Research Base

Home Language Support

Planned Language Approach (PLA): Big 5 for ALL

Specific Strategies to Support DLLs When Adults Do Not Speak Their Language also offers a variety of resources for supporting infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are DLLs and their families.

Language and Literacy Domain

To read more about the Language and Literacy domain, visit the interactive Head Start Early Learning Outcome Framework (ELOF). There are two domains under the Language and Literacy domain: Language and Communication, and Literacy.

Language and Communication Sub-Domains

The Language and Communication domain includes the following sub-domains for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers:

The Language and Communication domain also includes the following sub-domain for infants and toddlers:

Literacy Sub-Domains

The Literacy domain includes the following sub-domains for preschoolers:

Effective Teaching Practices

The effective teaching practices that follow are grouped in three categories: Interactions, Environment, and Individualization. Examples of ways to support goals for children are provided by sub-domain. It is likely, however, that these practices will also support goals for children in additional domains and sub-domains. This is the nature of teaching and learning in the early years.

Home Visitors

Teaching practices in home visiting are the ways that home visitors work with families to provide experiences that support their child's development and learning, engage in responsive interactions, and use the home as the learning environment.

Home visitors:

Facilitate parent-child interactions

Engage parents in focusing on their child's development

Directly encourage parents to teach, talk, and interact with their child in responsive and warm ways

Use family activities, routines, and materials in the home for learning

Collaborate with parents to plan activities and experiences

Home visitors may consider using group care teaching practices in the "Know," "Do," and "Improve" sections during home visits and group socializations. They can engage with parents to identify, adapt, and use these practices, or when appropriate, model the practices.

Language and Communication Sub-Domains

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The Language and Literacy domain includes Effective Practice Guides for each sub-domain. Discover teaching practices that support children's development in all early learning settings.

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There is mounting evidence that knowledge sticks better when students use movement while learning new concepts. At Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School (PETES), in Gatineau, Quebec, third- and fourth-grade language arts teacher Fiona Medley incorporates music and movement into her lessons daily. Not only is her classroom more active, engaging, and fun-Medley says her students are better writers because of it.

To learn more about the research behind the practices seen in the video, check out the links below.

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There is mounting evidence that knowledge sticks better when students use movement while learning new concepts. At Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School (PETES), in Gatineau, Quebec, third- and fourth-grade language arts teacher Fiona Medley incorporates music and movement into her lessons daily.

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The Top Part of Tolman's Hourglass Figure: Phonological Awareness

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Founding Partners

For a complete list of collaborative partners click here.

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Read On Arizona is our state's early literacy collective impact initiative, with strategic focus on school readiness and third-grade reading.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Click to enlarge

﻿Phonological Awareness: What is it and how does it relate to phonemic awareness?

Phonological Awareness is the ability to recognize that spoken words are made up of individual sound parts.

Word Level Rhyming

Alliteration

Bold big brown bear

Sentence Segmentation

I / see / the / dog = 4 words

Syllable Level

ba-by = 2 syllables
ex-er-cise = 3 syllables

Phonological Awareness is like an umbrella. Phonemic Awareness and other skills exist under this umbrella.

Onset & Rime Level

Phonemic Awareness Level

/m/ /oo/ /n/ moon = 3 phonemes
Phonemic awareness is the most advanced skill of phonological awareness.

National Center on Improving Literacy (2022). Phonological Awareness: What Is It and How Does It Relate To Phonemic Awareness. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Center on Improving Literacy. Retrieved from http://improvingliteracy.org.

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Phonological Awareness: What is it and how does it relate to phonemic awareness?

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If you prefer, read the text-version of the infographic. Click to enlarge ﻿Phonological Awareness: What is it and how does it relate to phonemic awareness? Phonological Awareness is the ability to recognize that spoken words are made up of individual sound parts.

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Struggling with Phonological Awareness - Try These Preschool Phonological Awareness Activities

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The preschool years are a critical time for brain development and growth. Children’s minds are like sponges, soaking up information and experiences that lay the foundation for future learning. One crucial area is literacy development, and within that realm lies a hidden gem called phonological awareness.Imagine a young boy struggling to read, his frustration mounting with each stumbled word. We, as teachers, might search for solutions in phonics instruction or sight word recognition drills. How

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General Resources Where To Find Diverse Books Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion COVID-19 Resources Diverse-owned Bookstores Cultural Accuracy Editorial Services from Kevin Ande…

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10 Ways Babies Learn When We Sing to Them

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When you sing to your baby she learns listening skills, new words, and so much more. Here are 10 ways babies learn when we sing to them.

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13 Things Babies Learn When We Read with Them

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We all know that it's good to read to our babies. But what exactly are they learning? Here are just some of the things your baby can learn as you read together.

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Learn More About
LETRS for Early Childhood Educators

There may be nothing more intimidating than a blank piece of paper, a writing task, and young students. Supporting young writers can be a monumental task for teachers. Ensuring teachers and caregivers understand the phases of writing development and how to support young writers is critical. See the table below from LETRS® for Early Childhood Educators, for an explanation of the Phases of Literacy Development and Writing Development.

Rather than writing like an adult, children should be encouraged to write at their developmental level. When this happens, children feel more empowered to take risks and experiment with written language.

One strategy that intentionally demonstrates the phases of writing is called Picture Story/Word Story (Paulson, et al. 2001). With this strategy, a teacher begins by collecting a writing sample from students to determine the phases of writing encompassed by the class. Next, the teacher draws a horizontal line in the middle of a piece of paper. The top half of the page will serve as the Picture Story, where the teacher (followed by students) will draw. The bottom half will be the Word Story, where the teacher will model writing related to the picture above. The teacher starts with phonetic phases, including writing the sentence conventionally. Then, the teacher demonstrates each additional stage (phonetic, semiphonetic, random letter strings, letters, and scribbles) to meet students' needs.

Teacher Picture Story/Word Story Example

Students' Picture Story/Word Story Examples

As a 12-year kindergarten teacher, writing always has been a challenge. Helping kindergarten students feel confident enough to put their thoughts on paper is not an easy task. The first time I used the Picture Story/Word Story strategy with my students was eye opening. It was something so simple but so meaningful. I wondered why I had not been using it all these years. When the students were introduced to this strategy, you could see light bulbs go on in their heads. The fact that they had "permission" to use different kinds of writing and still be a writer was so meaningful to them. Suddenly, my struggling students were taking risks and using letters and even symbols or scribbles to make sentences.

My higher-level students were building more complicated sentences. Another exciting development was that we broke the mold of starting all of our sentences the same way. In the past, my students were experts in the "I like ____" sentences. They could write those sentences perfectly. It was very difficult to get them out of that habit. With the Picture Story/Word Story strategy, they now are responding to something meaningful. It can be a book we are reading or a topic we have been discussing in class. I am able to give them a sentence frame that scaffolds their messages and the outcomes are more sophisticated products. We use the strategy daily during our journal time and frequently during our literacy time. Now, my students have a sensitivity to how many sounds are in a word, how to stretch sounds, and how many words are in a sentence. I am thrilled to say that after using the Picture Story/Word Story strategy, at the midyear mark, my class is much farther along in writing skills than ever before.

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The 'Write Stuff' for Young Writers: The Picture Story/Word Story Strategy

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Rather than writing like an adult, children should be encouraged to write at their developmental level. When this happens, children feel more empowered to take risks and experiment with written language.

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More than 100 carefully selected lists of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. When you find a book at this site, please purchase it here. Our titles are linked to Bookshop. A portion of your book purchase helps sustain our work. New Releases Activism and Organizing Africa Afro-Latinx American Indians Arabs […]

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Teacher Resource Guide | Alphabet Knowledge | Phonological Awareness | Language & Vocabulary

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Our mission is to champion BIPOC children's books!

Joy for Books is a 501(c)non-profit organization that curates an annual list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) children's books, purchases them, and then donates them to schools and other educational organizations.

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Joy for Books is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that curates an annual list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) children's books, purchases them, and then donates them to school libraries. Our mission is to champion BIPOC children's books!

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Read On Arizona's Early Literacy Policy Framework

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Read On Arizona's Early Literacy Policy Framework