Early Literacy

Families and communities can play an important role in introducing literacy before children reach the classroom. RCOE's Early Education Services team has developed the following videos and provided the following tips for reading to children to promote early literacy.

Online Tips:

Tips for Parents of Young Children

Consejos para padres de niños pequeños

Literacy Resources for Parents and Families

Family Literacy Tips
Printable tips for supporting reading, writing, and home language development in 16 languages.

Reading Tip Sheets for Parents
Reading tips organized by age, available in 13 languages.

Being Bilingual Is a Superpower!
Videos in eight languages about supporting bilingualism and literacy at home.

Unite for Literacy
Free digital books with audio narration in more than 50 languages.

Multilingual Learning Toolkit
Resources for educators to partner with families and support home language development in PreK–grade 3.

ELPAC Parent Resources
Multilingual parent guides and practice tests to help families understand the English language proficiency assessments.

ELPAC Starting Smarter
Resources in English and Spanish for understanding ELPAC results and supporting learning at home.

CAASPP Parent Resources
Parent guides, practice tests, and information about California’s statewide assessments.

CAASPP Starting Smarter
Resources in English and Spanish to help families understand score reports and explore sample questions.

November is National Family Literacy Month

National Family Literacy Month is celebrated during the month of November. It is an opportunity for families to learn and read together. As part of Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez’s Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, the Riverside County Office of Education provides resources and support for parents and educators throughout Riverside County and beyond. The resources below were gathered to encourage participation in promoting literacy for this important month and at any time of the year.

Literacy Education

In Riverside County, we are deeply committed to ensuring every child can read well because learning to read is an essential skills in school and life. In order to achieve this goal, a strong partnership between families and schools and the community is essential. 

Learning to read is not a natural process and it has to be explicitly taught. In order to develop strong readers, it is important to use evidence-based methods, or the” Science of Reading,” to ensure all students succeed and thrive in this area. 

In order to be a successful reader, students will need strong skills in:

• Phonological and phonemic awareness - the ability to hear and manipulate sounds of language
• Decoding and word recognition - the ability to read words
• Fluency - being able to read a passage accurately, quickly and with proper expression
• Vocabulary - knowledge of the meaning of words
• Comprehension - making meaning of written words is necessary for understanding what we read

For more information on how to support your child in these important areas, please see the resources below.

RCOE Staff Book Reading Video Series

Reading aloud to children daily is an effective way to help them become successful readers. In support of the Literacy By 5th Grade Initiative, leaders from across the Riverside County Office of Education read books for children in English and Spanish to help build a video series for adults and children to enjoy.