The Hill Early Literacy Program (HELP) is a research-based early literacy curriculum that brings together critical pre-reading research and creates a model for the successful development of reading skills in three-and four-year old preschool children. The development of early literacy skills is important for all children, but especially important for children who do not have the advantage of literacy-rich experiences. Becoming a skilled reader develops over time and requires many opportunities for children to:
- Build spoken language by talking and listening
- Recognize print in books
- Manipulate the sounds of spoken language (phonological awareness)
- Learn about the letters of the alphabet
- Experience books through reading aloud and engaging in conversations about the books
The HELP curriculum consists of 72 scripted weekly lessons for 3-year olds and 72 lessons for 4-year olds that provide consistent, structured opportunities to develop those skills. Each lesson includes five key skill areas:
- Oral Language
- Phonological Awareness
- Print Awareness/Book Knowledge and Handling
- Letter Recognition/Alphabetic Knowledge (Letter/Sound)
- Pre-Writing
Evaluation of an intensive, 2-year HELP implementation in Davie County was conducted by RTI International. Overall findings showed that students and teachers both demonstrated significant growth in skills and knowledge.