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ABOUT

 

The ELLI Main Goal:

The Early Literacy Leaders Initiative's main goal is to build a team of Early Literacy Leaders (ELLs) in Simcoe County’s licensed child care system that will champion universal emergent literacy strategies within the context of Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years:

1)  Early Learning Framework (E.L.E.C.T.) (2007)

2) Ontario’s Early Years Policy Framework (2013)

3) Think, Feel, Act (2013)

4) How Does Learning Happen? (2014)

 

Educators committed in the ELLI initiative have the unique opportunity to engage in a long term coaching relationship with the Simcoe County Ontario Early Years Early Literacy Specilaist, with backfill funding provided through Capacity Building Funding by the County of Simcoe to reimburse staff coverage for the hours the educator is engaged in the ELLI.

 

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ELLI Outcomes:

  • To increase early childhood educator knowledge about emergent literacy skills and red flags;

  • To increase the capacity of ECEs to skillfully engage children in communication and expressing themselves through songs, stories, & pretend play provocations;

  • To foster pedagogical leadership through a professional learning community incorporating parallel practice, peer modeling, mentoring, and collaborative inquiry;

  • To increase warm & engaging adult-child relationships through self-awareness, careful observation, being face-to-face, using pleasant and calm voices, providing warm and engaging body language/facial expressions/eye contact, following a child’s lead, providing simple/clear explanations, and taking the time to encourage children to listen to, & solve problems with others.

 

How Does the ELLI work?

  1. The goal of the ELLI is to engage early learning educators in licenced child care within each region of Simcoe County.         

  2. Educators attend one half-day orientation with the team lead, Simcoe County's Ontario Early Years Early Literacy Specialist, and this time will be   

  3. Educators then attend four (4) full days of professional learning throughout the year. Half of the day is spent observing the team lead role modeling language and literacy activities in a local child care program (host centre). The other half of the day is spent in collaborative inquiry to reflect and plan for personal practice.

  4. Educators then write personal reflections after each "day out", and continue to reflect on their own language and literacy practices throughout the year, which may include developing resources and sharing what they learn with their peers at their home child care centre.

  5. At the end of the year, ELLI leaders gather for a half day celebration event.

Belonging
Well-Being
Engagement

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These four foundations are the conditions that are important for children to grow and flourish...they are the conditions that children naturally seek for themselves.

 

 

(2014, How Does Learning Happen?, p. 1)

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Expression
Expression

To be heard (and to listen) through their bodies, words, and use of materials. Language-rich environments support growing communication skills, which are foundational for literacy.

(2014 How Does Learning Happen?, p.8)

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