Our Project
Students attending schools in neighborhoods and districts with disproportionate levels of poverty and segregation have long borne the brunt of larger societal inequities that manifest at the classroom level. COVID-19 has only exacerbated this reality with implications that have yet to be fully comprehended by educators, as well as researchers studying its impact on learning and literacy development in the early years. Due in part to the novelty and unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that practitioners are struggling to implement an early literacy curriculum with fidelity in the remote environment. This field-inspired concern animated the organization of a research team to both gain an understanding of and support the needs of local Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) teachers and parents facilitating literacy learning. MERC has partnered with this team to support the dissemination and study of the literacy resources in the Richmond region and beyond.
To support Pre-K parents’ and teachers’ literacy practices, we have developed the infographic below titled: Interactive Read Aloud. Your feedback as a Pre-K parent or teacher is instrumental to improving this infographic and subsequent infographics that this team will develop. Please engage with the interactive infographic below by clicking the link. After spending some time with the infographic, click the appropriate ‘Survey’ link to give our team feedback on the infographic and to let us know about your needs facilitating literacy learning with your pre-kindergartener/s.
Review the infographic on home based interactive read alouds
Click the “Full Screen” button at the bottom right of the page and then zoom into the infographic to click each element.
After reviewing the infographic above, take the below surveys if you are a parent or a teacher.
Review the interactive infographic on phonemic awareness
Click the “Full Screen” button at the bottom right of the page and then zoom into the infographic to click each element.
Review the interactive infographic on vocabulary development
Click the “Full Screen” button at the bottom right of the page and then zoom into the infographic to click each element.
Review the interactive infographic on supporting literacy through play
Click the “Full Screen” button at the bottom right of the page and then zoom into the infographic to click each element.
Research and Design Team
Kevin Clay, PhD (Project Director), Catina Venning, JD, Christine Spence, PhD,
Lisa Cipolletti, Joan Rhodes, PhD, Serra De Arment, PhD, Preeti Kamat