Current Understandings of What Works to Support the Development of Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Classrooms

Despite growing attention to early literacy experiences and emergent literacy perspectives, many children start kindergarten with less than optimal emergent literacy skills. In this article, I review research on efforts to identify what works to support young children's development of emergent literacy in early childhood classrooms prior to starting kindergarten. These efforts include curricula, best practices, and professional development. Such efforts show promise in improving children's emergent literacy skills, but many gaps remain and require further study. In particular, research is necessary to identify ways to improve meaning-focused skills, understand the generalizability and sustainability of effects, and translate findings into practice.