Research 

As a result of poor literacy results in South Africa, we have seen the introduction of 'task teams' and 'literacy strategies' at school level. This degree of prioritisation now urgently needs to be extended to the preschool phase. Indeed, until language and literacy development are placed at the heart of early childhood development, later interventions to support reading and writing skills will meet with only limited success among children who missed out on crucial language development in their formative years. The following chapters examine language and literacy development at different stages from birth to six years. Each chapter looks at why language and literacy development is important at this stage and what helps to foster it. The final chapter considers how new approaches can be implemented and makes recommendations for action. Throughout, a range of good practice examples from both South Africa and overseas are used to illustrate the narrative and provide practical ideas and suggestions for educational and early years planners and practitioners. 

Report