Strong language and literacy skills are essential for children's success in school and in life. Children who do not learn to read and write by the end of the primary grades are at risk for school failure. Effective instruction in the preschool years can make all the difference, and the children who are most at risk for school failure stand to benefit the most.

The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool introduces you to the components of language and literacy that are identified in the research. It also shows you how to weave them into your daily routines, interest areas, long-term studies, and small- and large-group instruction. These components include

• Literacy as a source of enjoyment
• Vocabulary and oral language
• Phonological awareness
• Knowledge of print
• Letters and words
• Comprehension
• Understanding of books and other texts

Literacy: The Creative Curriculum^® Approach

To provide you with even more support, we expanded the ideas introduced in The Creative Curriculum for Preschool into additional materials designed with you in mind.

Literacy: The Creative Curriculum Approach shows you how to create literacy learning opportunities within the structure of a comprehensive, integrated curriculum. This program presents a review of the latest research about literacy development and describes the seven components of literacy in greater detail.
It provides in-depth guidance about strategies and techniques that teachers intentionally use to promote literacy learning:

• Talking, singing, and playing with language
• Reading aloud
• Storytelling
• Story retelling
• Writing
• Play: Children's work
• Studies: Using literacy to learn 

Literacy: The Creative Curriculum Approach helps you become intentional in your literacy instruction by including

• Guidance for literacy learning in all 11 of The Creative Curriculum^® interest areas and throughout the day
• Dozens of activities for teachers to use
• Up-to-date information on meeting the needs of dual-language learners
• Adaptations for children with disabilities and advanced language and literacy learners
• A literacy Implementation Checklist
• Literacy observation tools in alphabet knowledge, print and book awareness, and phonological awareness

The Creative Curriculum^® Literacy Kits

To save you time in gathering materials, we have organized interesting, age-appropriate materials and books into a series of four kits:

• Kit 1: Guided Learning: Listening and Speaking
• Kit 2: Guided Learning: Reading and Writing
• Kit 3: Independent Explorations: Library
• Kit 4: Independent Explorations: Interest Areas

The materials in the Literacy Kits support the activities and ideas included in Literacy: The Creative Curriculum Approach.