Welcome to Early Literacy Matters

Partnership with Children’s

Board of Hillsborough County and

Hillsborough community College.

Welcome to Early Literacy Matters

Early Literacy Matters (ELM) is a coaching model that integrates modeling, observation, and feedback between a literacy coach and a classroom teacher. We offer on-site literacy support to classroom teachers in childcare centers and homes who work with children ages birth to 5 years. A full range of professional development scholarship opportunities are also available to ELM classroom teachers and center directors: in-service training, ECPC (Early Childhood Professional Credential), and the AAS degree in early childhood management at Hillsborough Community College. Complete career and academic guidance is provided for these students, including assistance with pursuing a BS or BA in early childhood education.

Mission:

To promote success in school and life for pre-school-age children of Hillsborough County.

Goal:

To develop and enhance emergent literacy teaching skills through on-site direct coaching in early childhood classrooms, and providing early childhood teachers and directors with ongoing professional development opportunities.

On-site Services:

Assistance with establishing a literacy-rich classroom environment.

Modeling of specific emergent literacy teaching skills.

Provision of literacy-based materials, as appropriate.

Team meetings with center director, teacher, and literacy coach.

Ongoing assessment of teacher progress.

Guidance with incorporating ELM strategies into existing curriculum.

Workshops/training that respond to teacher requests and classroom needs.

Coaching:

Early Literacy Matters (ELM) was funded by the Children's Board of Hillsborough County in September, 2002 and has been at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) since February 1, 2004. Serving more than 500 preschool teachers and 5,000 children since its inception, ELM employs research based, multi-year coaching strategies with preschool teachers to improve their existing abilities, help them develop new skills, and encourage them to build children’s emergent literacy through greater understanding of evidence-based practices. ELM combines developmentally appropriate coaching practices with the scientifically-based High Scope Growing Readers Curriculum and Early Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA). High Scope Growing Readers Curriculum is built around four content areas: comprehension, phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, and concepts about print. Meaningful experiences in these four critical areas predict later reading achievement in young children. Teachers demonstrate developmentally appropriate emergent literacy-based teaching strategies as measured by the Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) and Child/Home Early Language & Literacy Observation (CHELLO).

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