We believe that in order for children to be ready for school and, more generally, for a lifetime full of reading and learning, the adults in their lives should be responsive to their intellectual, emotional and other developmental needs. We therefore take a "whole child" approach in our early literacy practices, meaning that we see children as whole beings whose intellectual, social, emotional and physical development are all inter-related and impact each other. 

Libraries have an important role to play in creating a welcoming space where adults respond to a child's developmental needs and interact with them in ways that most effectively build all of the pre-literacy and other skills to prepare them for success in school and beyond. Librarians are therefore critical components in both teaching children directly and modeling for parents how to build learning environments at home and wherever they spend time with their children. 

We picture the inputs and skill sets developed through early literacy programming as a tree:

The roots of the tree represent the foundational components forming the basis of a child's early learning: the physical environment, the core relationships in their lives, and the specific interactions they have with other people.

The branches of the tree represent key learning mindsets necessary for further development: initiative, curiosity, persistence and attention. All early literacy activities should aim to build these mindsets.

The leaves of the tree represent the key cognitive pre-literacy skills that enable a child to become a confident reader and learner: appreciation and enjoyment of books/print motivation; narrative skills; expressive language, including vocabulary; phonological awareness; print awareness, including letter knowledge; and listening comprehension.

Read, Sing, Talk, Write, Play, the tenants of the American Library Association's Every Child Ready to Read 2 are the five practices that librarians model for adults so that they can build the pre-literacy skills and mindsets illustrated in the tree. 

This training therefore teaches librarians, throughout their early literacy programming and outreach, how to:

1. Support children's intellectual and emotional development by building strong and lasting relationships with children's families
2. Model and foster interactions that are responsive to children's developmental needs
3. Create welcoming and engaging environments for children and their families to learn and play together.