Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Little School: An Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Services in Rural Harlan County, KY
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP; 2008) conducted a systematic review of interventions targeted to promote literacy outcomes for children from birth to age three. The results of their analysis reinforce the potential for early education settings to bolster language learning, particularly as demonstrated by high quality programs. The overarching goal of the study is two-fold. First, to better understand how everyday activities of young children within their homes and communities might impact their literacy development, as well as how context might function as a facilitator of reading achievement in one low-income community, this study reports on nine years of research documenting common early experiences with print and language in rural communities in Harlan County, Kentucky across home and community settings. Qualitative methodologies were employed to create a detailed portrait of the print, language, and community experiences of young children through participant observation, formal and informal interviews, and document analysis. Second, this study describes a pilot program designed to meet the needs identified in the first phase of the study. The program, “Little School,” is delivered at Pine Mountain Settlement School, a non-profit operating in Harlan County, serving children and families from birth through elementary school. The program typically serves 12 – 15 children, with a total of 53 unique children attending, with ages ranging from one-week old to ten years old. Implications for program development are considered.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sky Marietta is the Curriculum and Instruction Specialist at Pine Mountain Settlement School—a not-for-profit organization focused on improving opportunities for children in Appalachia—and a Research Fellow at Berea College. Her work examines connections between language, culture, poverty, and reading achievement, with a special emphasis on rural populations.
Little School: An Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Services in Rural Harlan County, KY
The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP; 2008) conducted a systematic review of interventions targeted to promote literacy outcomes for children from birth to age three. The results of their analysis reinforce the potential for early education settings to bolster language learning, particularly as demonstrated by high quality programs. The overarching goal of the study is two-fold. First, to better understand how everyday activities of young children within their homes and communities might impact their literacy development, as well as how context might function as a facilitator of reading achievement in one low-income community, this study reports on nine years of research documenting common early experiences with print and language in rural communities in Harlan County, Kentucky across home and community settings. Qualitative methodologies were employed to create a detailed portrait of the print, language, and community experiences of young children through participant observation, formal and informal interviews, and document analysis. Second, this study describes a pilot program designed to meet the needs identified in the first phase of the study. The program, “Little School,” is delivered at Pine Mountain Settlement School, a non-profit operating in Harlan County, serving children and families from birth through elementary school. The program typically serves 12 – 15 children, with a total of 53 unique children attending, with ages ranging from one-week old to ten years old. Implications for program development are considered.
