Income-based childcare programs provide children access to developmentally appropriate and vocabulary-rich literacy experiences. For this study, participating U.S. Head Start Centers requested families complete a weekly home literacy log to encourage vocabulary-rich shared book reading activities in the home. Using participant characteristics,…

Children from backgrounds of poverty often lag behind more advantaged peers in early language skills, including breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. We report the results of a pilot study of an explicit and elaborated vocabulary intervention in preschool classrooms serving children from lower-income backgrounds. The intervention used…

There are several benefits for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) when their home language is integrated into classroom instruction. For example, instruction in students' home language facilitates the learning of the new language more rapidly and supports bilingualism. One way to enhance young children's language learning is to engage families in home…

This article explores the critical role of phonological awareness (PA) in early reading development, with a focus on young multilingual children. PA, the ability to detect and manipulate sounds in spoken words, is essential for literacy acquisition and is highly responsive to instruction. The article delves into the complexity of PA, its…

Child-directed speech (CDS), which can help children learn new words, has been rigorously studied among infants and parents in home settings. Yet, far less is known about the CDS that teachers use in classrooms with toddlers and children's responses, an important question because many toddlers, particularly in high-need communities, attend…

Children who know fewer words in preschool typically continue to have lower levels of vocabulary knowledge in higher grades than their peers who know more words. In fact, this difference continues to be pronounced and even widens as these children reach higher grade levels. Interventions that support vocabulary development and reading…

Children who know fewer words in preschool typically continue to have lower levels of vocabulary knowledge in higher grades than their peers who know more words. In fact, this difference continues to be pronounced and even widens as these children reach higher grade levels. Interventions that support vocabulary development and reading…

Usage-based theories of language development underscore the importance of children using language to learn language. Few investigations have applied usage-based theories to dual language learners (DLLs), who comprise a growing share of children attending early education programs in the U.S. Three studies were carried out to investigate the role of…

Preschoolers can learn vocabulary from educational videos, but children from low-income backgrounds often do not learn as effectively as their higher income peers. We investigated whether adding attention-directing cues to media (Study 1) and slowing the pacing of media (Study 2) supported vocabulary learning for preschoolers from low-income…

Drawing provides opportunities for children to communicate their thoughts even when they do not have the vocabulary or the English proficiency to fully explain their ideas. This practical guide presents foundational information on the role of drawing in vocabulary development. The authors describe a research-based intervention designed to support…

This study examines the influence of a parent workshop intervention on vocabulary acquisition of at-risk preschool children during parent-child shared storybook reading. Sixty-nine parents were randomly assigned to either treatment or control group. In the treatment condition, parents were taught to implement elaborated vocabulary instruction…

Dialogic reading during shared book reading between adults and children is an effective way to promote vocabulary acquisition. However, there is limited research on what strategies parents are spontaneously using during book reading sessions, which are important to understand for optimizing parent training in dialogic reading. The current study…

Using a nationally representative sample of 3- and 4-year-old Spanish-speaking dual language learners (DLLs) attending Head Start (N = 654), this study examined whether mean levels of and variability in peers' English receptive vocabulary skills were associated with DLLs' English and Spanish receptive vocabulary skills in the spring. In addition,…

The idea that language skills support school readiness, predicting later self-regulation and academic success, is widely accepted. Although vocabulary is often emphasized in the developmental literature, the ability to use language appropriately in the classroom, or "social communication skills," may also be critical. This paper examined…

The National Reading Panel (2000) identified vocabulary as one of the five skills with the most robust influence on reading ability. Early differences in vocabulary drive enduring individual differences in reading performance. High quality early childhood educational experience can have lasting positive effects on vocabulary development. This…