Teaching Strategies®, the leading provider of early childhood curriculum, assessment, and professional development solutions, has launched a flexible, online certification programme designed to build the literacy foundation, skills, and confidence early childhood educators need to support young learners on their journey to reading and writing fluency.
The Early Literacy Certification, developed in collaboration with literacy and language specialists, equips educators to translate findings from the science of reading into methods suitable for children in pre-K through kindergarten. This programme aligns with the latest research and best practices in early literacy education, providing educators with a solid foundation to support their students’ literacy development.
Nicol Russell, Vice President of Implementation Research at Teaching Strategies, stated:
Research shows third-grade reading proficiency—a milestone currently only achieved by 1 in 3 children—is a critical indicator of success in a child’s educational journey. Effective instruction must begin in early childhood to build a strong literacy foundation. Unfortunately, too few early childhood teachers feel prepared to tackle this challenge. We are working to bridge this gap by providing comprehensive, high-quality, science of reading-aligned professional development certification that will increase teachers’ confidence and knowledge.
According to a recent survey, 39% of early childhood educators are “not familiar at all” with the science of reading, while only 28% believe they are “very prepared” to teach early literacy. They expressed a desire for more assistance and resources, including professional development, with a preference for online, self-paced courses and shorter credential-bearing modules. The need for online courses that educators can complete on time has increased significantly, from 38% in 2022 to 61% in 2024.
The certification programme is designed with educators’ flexibility in mind, allowing them to finish specific sections at their own pace. The programme is divided into six units, with 50+ hours of learning and 30+ hours of classroom applications. Unlike other professional certification programmes, all participants will receive personalized coaching from a language and literacy expert to help educators use their knowledge in the classroom.
The Early Literacy Certification programme also includes all the benefits of Teaching Strategies’ award-winning Professional Development Teacher Membership, including 24/7 access to its 400 hours of courses and an engaged community of over 80,000 educators. The courses are IACET-accredited and CEU-bearing and count toward the hours needed to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA®) credential.
