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“The seeds of literacy are planted before children enter school. Important literacy skills do not develop spontaneously, instruction shapes them.”
(Snow, Burns, and Griffen, 1998)

Working with a broad-based coalition of local and statewide early education advocates, the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED)  launched the Early Literacy Training Project. The goal was to prepare preschool educators to help Minnesota children develop early literacy and language skills. As a result of this, children from poor neighborhoods, children with limited proficiency in English, and children with disabilities will have access to early childhood environments that promote language and literacy growth and provide them with a solid foundation for later reading.

This was a creative collaboration between the University of Minnesota; Center for Early Childhood and Development; the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network; the Minneapolis Public Schools; the Minnesota Department of Education, the White Earth Indian Reservation, and the Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association.

Minnesota Early Literacy Training Project (MELT2)

MELT2 was an expansion of the MELT1 project, which offered early literacy skills-based training and coaching to child care providers in Minneapolis and White Earth. Children were assessed using the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (GDIs) and other tools, and the literacy environment was measured with the Early Literacy and Language Classroom Observation. Literacy coaches met with teachers to set goals based on training, observation, and data from the assessment tools.

These ingredients continue to be included in MELT2. During 2004-05, four additional communities will participate, two in the SE district of MN and 2 in the NE district. Through the partnership with the Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Netowrk (MN CCR&R), additional trainers and coaches were recruited and trained. Each of the district CCR&Rs identifed two communities and recruited a group of center-based and family child care providers who committed to SEEDS of Emergent Literacy training, coaching, and ongoing assessment.

In addition, MELT2 included a systems integration component for this professional development model of training/coaching/progress monitoring. Child care stakeholders are currently paying great attention to research-based professional development practices that build quality environments for young children. MELT 2 partnered with advocates, policy makers, and service providers to expand statewide capacity for improving quality of child care and early education programs in Minnesota.

Project Staff

Project Coordinator, MELT 2

Vicki Hawley
Center for Early Education and Development
Education Sciences Building, Suite 40
56 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-8020
Fax: 612-625-2093
hawle050@umn.edu  

Co-Principal Investigators 

Scott McConnell, Ph.D.
Center for Early Education and Development
University of Minnesota
Education Sciences Building, Suite 40
56 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-6365
Email: smcconne@umn.edu 

Michael Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Minnesota
Phone: 612-624-4324
Email: mcrdz@umn.edu

Paul van den Broek, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
Department of Educational Psychology
Phone: 612-626-1302
Fax: 612-624-8241
Email: pvdbroek@umn.edu

Related Resources

Early Literacy Resource Handbook
This is a culmination of work by CEED staff and the many collaborators and contributors to this effort.

Project Brochure (download a brochure in pdf format, print on legal size paper)

 

Related Project: Community-based Research to Develop New Approaches to Intervention

 

November 9-12, 2005: Vicki Hawley, along with co-presenters Beth Menninga and Sandy Heidemann from Words Work!, made a presentation at the 32nd Plains International Reading Association Regional Conference in Minneapolis, MN called "Linking Early Literacy Practice, Assessment, and Reflection."

 

Literacy Organizations

 

Center for Reading Research, University of Minnesota

 

University of Texas Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts: Helpful Materials

Associated Publications

How Can I Help my Young Child to Become a Reader? (Questions About Kids)

• English version
• Hmong version
• Somali version

Early Report Newsletter for Fall 2005 featured story: Minnesota Early Literacy Training Project: Final Report Highlights

Funding

This project was funded by the United States Department of Education, Grant No. S349A010152.