At a Loss for Words: How America Is Failing Our Children and What We Can Do about It

by Betty Bardige

Overview

Drawing on the latest research on development among toddlers and preschoolers, At a Loss for Words lays out the importance of getting parents, policy makers, and child care providers to recognize the role of early literacy skills in reducing the achievement gap that begins before three years of age. Readers are guided through home and classroom settings that promote language, contrasting them with the merely mediocre child care settings in which more and more young children spend increasing amounts of time. Too many of our young children are not receiving the level of input and practice that will enable them to acquire language skills-the key to success in school and life. Bardige explains how to build better community support systems for children, and better public education, in order to ensure that toddlers learn the power of language from their families and teachers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592133925
Publisher:	Temple University Press
Publication date:	05/09/2005
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Betty Bardige Ed.D. is a developmental psychologist, educator, and child advocate. She is the co-author of six books and the former Chair of the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation.

Table of Contents

Foreword—T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Every Child's Birthright
1. Jack and Jill
2. Prime Time for Language Learning
3. Why Early Language Matters
4. Supporting Early Language at Home
5. Supporting Early Language in Group Care
6. You Don't Speak My Language
Part II. The Quiet Crisis
7. The State of Early Care and Education in the US
8. A Perfect Storm
9. Truth, Justice, and the American Way
Part III. Changing Course
10. A Parent's Guide to Early Childhood Programs and Policy
11. Supporting Parents
12. Improving Programs for Children
13. Building Systems that Sustain Quality
14. We CAN Get There from Here
Appendix: Resources and Connections for Parents, Policy Makers, and Advocates
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

T. Berry Brazelton

This wonderful volume not only points out the importance to each child of a strong language base, but of the emotional background which it represents.... [It] emphasizes the importance of the quality of a child's life outside the home [and] demands that we provide them with the ratio of 3:1 adults in infancy, adults who are paid, trained, and respected. We are investing in our children's future!

Editorial Reviews

In a cautious but hopeful tone, developmental psychologist Bardige (All About Child Care and Early Education) has written an effective blend of introductory text and instructional manual for parents, educators, advocates, and anyone else who might care about the crucial role of language in early child development. The book opens with a foreword by "the nation's pediatrician," T. Berry Brazelton, who shares the author's belief that the acquisition and use of a rich vocabulary by age four are absolutely necessary to a child's intellectual and social development. Drawing on statistics, surveys, case studies, personal stories, and examples of successful programs, Bardige argues throughout that with so many young American children spending a major portion of their days with nonparental adults, it is vital that these adults actively support early language development. In order to do so, she insists, they must be properly trained and compensated, which today is the exception rather than the rule. Leavening this somewhat gloomy assessment with countless practical suggestions for parents and other caregivers, she concludes with an annotated list of helpful organizations and resources. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries as well as all childcare settings.-M.C. Duhig, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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