The January/February/March issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine, is focused on early literacy.

Guest editor Adam Brieske-Ulenski, associate professor of reading education at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, opens the issue with his note to readers laying out his vision for the issue and his emphasis on there being no greater advantage in education than having a solid foundation from the start.

“I cannot think of a single more important concept that needs to be addressed and fully developed in children than literacy,” he wrote. “Literacy development is essential for being able to interact and function in our world, and this starts at birth.”

Read on to learn more about the issue and how Brieske-Ulenski approached its curation.

Tell us about how you developed your vision for this issue. What were your goals? How did you choose your authors and topics? Why do you consider early literacy a crucial concept to be addressed?

As I worked on putting together topics and authors, one thing always kept ringing in my ears: diversity. I wanted to make sure that we were able to discuss a variety of topics related to early literacy including those that have been “hot” over the past several years. Also, it was necessary to make sure that we had voices from across the field, experiences, and perspectives. This includes practitioners, researchers, professors, and many others who contributed to a larger view of early literacy and one that I am happy to say expanded my own thinking around teaching and learning in the earliest of stages.

I felt that early literacy was the issue that I wanted to tackle myself because of the increased attention and discussion around practices, pedagogies, and frameworks. I wanted to make sure we were able to put out an issue where any practitioner or family member could pick it up and find at least one article they thought was relevant to their lives and their children or students. Thus, the whole idea of early literacy to me meant making it meaningful and relevant to our audience.

As a former elementary school teacher, reading specialist, and literacy coach, how have your personal experiences shaped your perspective on the importance of early literacy teaching and learning?

I think, having served in a variety of specialist literacy professional roles, I was privileged to work with some amazing students who experienced difficulties with understanding how to read and write. Spending this quality time with my students allowed me to see first-hand how frustrating it can be to a child and recognize the privilege that I had to support them and, in many ways, support their academic identity. Also, having worked with students across multiple years, I was able to see how a lack of development in early literacy compounded over time and really affected who they were and how they went about viewing learning. This provided me an opportunity to place an emphasis on early literacy teaching and learning and how we have to rethink our approaches.

"Literacy and Disciplinary Learning" delves into creating young scientists and mathematicians. Why was it important to include this interdisciplinary perspective, and how can it impact a child's overall learning experience?

I think including this article helped round out the entire issue for a few reasons. First, it provides the perspective that literacy transcends academic disciplines and reflects ILA’s definition of being literate as being one who can read, write, and think critically. This article by Dr. Nicole J. Glen demonstrates how even our youngest readers and writers can engage in inquiry and apply critical thinking and critical literacy skills when provided with a rich learning environment and opportunity. It is exciting to see how our youngest learners are thinking about the world around them to engage in inquiry while at the same time using literacy skills to engage in that process. Honestly, I think this shows how literacy skills apply to real life.

"Inclusive Foundations" discusses anti-racist and anti-bias spaces in early childhood. Can you elaborate on the significance of addressing these themes in the context of early literacy?

I think creating a space for our colleagues to share the work they are doing to advance our society and the global community toward a more welcoming and inclusive world is necessary. All of us who have the opportunity to amplify these voices need to do so daily and in ways that bring new participants into the conversation. Politics and politicians have had a strong hold over the last few years in voicing their thoughts about what our children and students should learn, the types or topics of texts they should read, and how educators can or cannot discuss real-world topics that are relevant to our students and their learning. I believe our educators are the best ones to make those recommendations and decisions, which is why it is so necessary to continually discuss and include voices of our colleagues who advocate for a more just and worldly understanding of ourselves and one another.

"Academics, Belonging, and Criticality" explores the use of culturally relevant texts in early childhood classrooms, while "Family Diversity in Children’s Books" delves into the representation of diverse family structures. Why is it important for children to encounter these books in school? How does it contribute to belonging, academic engagement, and critical thinking?

Looking back on my own educational experiences, I wish I had educators and curriculum that connected with me and helped me understand others much better. We live in a very diverse and interconnected society that requires all of us to be aware of who we are interacting with, how we interact with them, and how we want others to interact with us. Immersing our children in text, cultures, and experiences that are different from them truly prepares them to be a better world citizen where we are all constantly competing in a global economy and society. Thus, by infusing text into our curriculum that represents a wide variety of families and cultures positions our children to be successful in the future because their understanding of themselves and the world in which they operate is expanded. That should be something we all celebrate and cherish. As they say…the more you know!

What overarching message or impact do you hope these diverse topics will have regarding the importance of early literacy in a child's overall development?

It is my hope that readers leave feeling like they can take on many of the challenges we are facing in society and in particular our school settings with resources and suggestions that were provided in our articles. Although the work is daunting, I am reminded that anything that you want to accomplish is worth working hard. I hope our readers leave the issue feeling a bit inspired with a sense of vigor in wanting to tackle some of these topics at their local level and with ILA at a larger level.

Learn more in the Early Literacy Issue of Literacy Today.