Talking Is Teaching
“Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” was first brought to Michigan in 2018 through the Great Start Collaborative of Wayne County. While the target area for GSC Wayne was initially the City of Detroit, the campaign began to expand and grow. Rachel Pritchard, Great Start Programs Specialist for the Michigan Department of Education was invited to a meeting with GSC Wayne and representatives from Too Small to Fail in Detroit to learn more about how they were implementing Talking is Teaching within the community. Around the same time, Livingston County, Saginaw Great Start Collaborative and COOR-Iosco Great Start Collaborative were also starting to implement Talking is Teaching in their communities. The success and momentum of the GSC Wayne campaign, the growing interest across the other Great Start Collaboratives and the availability of Preschool Development Birth-5 (PDG B-5) funds focusing on early literacy and family engagement made the timing right to launch in more communities through a statewide campaign.
Talking is Teaching aligns with not only the early childhood outcome that children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade, but also with the Top 10 Strategic Plan goals of expanding early childhood opportunities, improving early literacy achievement. Both are achieved by utilizing trusted messengers, environmental prompts, and tools to create a continuum of awareness, attitude, and behavior change that is incorporated into the lives of families with young children in everyday situations within their community, as well as within early learning and care environments.
Resources
When you talk, read, and sing with your child – even before they can use words – you’re helping them learn. The more words and conversations you share together, the better prepared they will be to learn. The following materials were developed under a grant awarded by the Michigan Department of Education.
DJ’s Busy Day
Talk, read, and sing with DJ during his very busy day in this colorful book by Too Small to Fail and Scholastic. [...]
Diaper Time Literacy Tipsheet
Talk, read, and sing with your children—right from the start. It builds young brains and prepares them for success [...]
Let’s Talk About the Earth!
Teaching children about the environment is an opportunity to help them appreciate the world around them and make a difference [...]
“Let’s Share Kindness” Toolkit
Too Small to Fail and Born This Way Foundation are proud to share this “Let’s Share Kindness” toolkit to help families create [...]
Let’s Talk about Art!
Imagination develops early in life, laying the foundation for a lifetime of creativity. There are many wonderful ways you can [...]
Talking is Teaching Storybook
Join other parents and babies as they fill their day with talking, reading, and singing in our Talking is [...]
Video: Learn Through the Senses
Talk to your baby as you walk together to help your baby build vocabulary. Discuss the colors of flowers, [...]
Let’s Talk About Feelings!
Print and distribute these 8.5 x 11 inch tip sheets for families to hang in their homes, providing simple [...]
Sing To Your Baby: Create Your Own Lullaby
By Emily Eagen, Singer/Songwriter and Teaching Artist, Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project and Elizabeth Snodgrass, Director, Family Programs, Carnegie Hall’s [...]
Building Skills to Last a Lifetime
Keeping focused, staying calm, and making sense of the complicated world can be difficult for young children, but helping [...]
Video: The Importance of Early Math
Research tells us that exposing children to math early improves their success in school. In this video, Liz Simons, [...]
Let’s Turn ‘Wash Time’ Into ‘Talk Time’!
Did you know? Simple actions like talking, reading, and singing with your children—right from the start—can build their brains [...]