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California Preschool Learning Foundations - ECEZero2Three ...

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Purpose of the Language<br />

and Literacy <strong>Preschool</strong><br />

<strong>Learning</strong> <strong>Foundations</strong><br />

This section presents preschool<br />

learning foundations for preschool<br />

children in the central domain of<br />

language and literacy learning and<br />

development. Based on research, these<br />

preschool learning foundations identify<br />

key competencies typical of children<br />

who are making progress toward being<br />

ready for kindergarten and becoming<br />

fluent communicators and readers.<br />

The foundations describe age-appropriate<br />

knowledge and skills expected of<br />

older three-year-olds (i.e., at around 48<br />

months of age) and of older four-yearolds<br />

(i.e., at around 60 months of age).<br />

In other words, the focus of these foundations<br />

is on the language and literacy<br />

competencies of young children near<br />

the time when they are three years old<br />

going on four years old and four years<br />

old going on five years old. Although<br />

an in-depth consideration of children’s<br />

language and literacy competencies<br />

during the preschool years is fundamentally<br />

important, attention to this<br />

domain is best understood in the broad<br />

context of early learning and development.<br />

Language and literacy learning<br />

FOUNDATIONS IN<br />

Language<br />

and Literacy<br />

<strong>California</strong> Department of Education • <strong>Preschool</strong> <strong>Learning</strong> <strong>Foundations</strong>, Volume 1<br />

depends on children’s functioning in<br />

the other domains, including socialemotional<br />

development, physical development,<br />

and for English learners,<br />

English-language development. Many<br />

such complementary and mutually<br />

supporting aspects of the child’s<br />

overall learning and development are<br />

addressed in the learning foundations<br />

for the other domains, such as those<br />

for social-emotional development and<br />

mathematics learning.<br />

An assumption underlying the<br />

language and literacy foundations is<br />

that children should experience the<br />

kinds of interactions, relationships,<br />

activities, and play that research has<br />

shown to support successful learning<br />

and development. Like the foundations<br />

for the other domains, the language<br />

and literacy foundations describe<br />

learning and development that would<br />

typically be expected with appropriate<br />

support rather than presenting aspirational<br />

expectations that would be<br />

expected only under the best possible<br />

conditions. The foundations are not<br />

intended to be assessment items. This<br />

publication is meant to be a resource<br />

and a guide to support preschool programs<br />

in their efforts to foster learning<br />

in all young children.<br />

47

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