Enriching a Child's Literacy Environment (ECLE)

PROJECT

ECLE is a program that was disseminated throughout the nation by the National Diffusion Network, U.S. Department of Education.  It is a program of classroom and home instruction for teaching parents, teachers, and other care providers to develop oral language, thinking abilities, and motor skills in young children.

Educators who will instruct young children (ages 6 months to 3 years or older) and their parents from varying socioeconomic levels and different cultural groups.

ECLE is an educational program that instructs parents, teachers, and other care providers how to model various activities with young children six months to three years of age in order to promote psychomotor and cognitive development.  Modeling techniques are practiced by parents and care providers under the guidance of ECLE teachers.  One ECLE session averages 15 classes usually over a three-month time period.  Classes are attended twice a week for 75 minutes.  In at least four sessions babysitting is provided so that parents or care providers can participate in special classes without the children.  ECLE classes can be attended for as many as four sessions during a 12-month period and can be continued from one year to the next during the child's first three years.  Care providers or parents are taught to develop large and small muscle coordination, oral language through sensory stimulation, print and number awareness, appreciation of literature, sensitivity to music and rhythm, and basic concepts.

Claims of effectiveness were evaluated by using pre and post treatment group measures contrasted with those from equivalent comparison groups and with normative data provided by the test developer.  The sample used included five separate groups of students enrolled in the ECLE program from 1988 to 1993.  The subscales of the Mental Development Index (MDI) and the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were the tools used to measure projected growth.  Results showed statistically significant gains made on both the MDI and PDI indices between the ECLE and comparison groups.  On average, for every one month in the program ECLE children showed more than two months of growth relative to the normative group.

Education providers who adopt ECLE are required to have their staff trained and to purchase implementation materials.  Some equipment may need to be purchased or located, such as a balance beam, chinning bar, ramps and common household items such as salt shakers, tongs, and cotton balls.

All costs are in the start-up period:  a two-day training session ($1,500), one follow-up visit ($750), $65* for the ECLE manual for each educator who teaches parents/care providers, five videotapes ($225), plus travel expenses for the ECLE consultant.

SERVICES

A two-day ECLE seminar covers the aspects of the program, materials to be used, observation of videotapes, evaluation, and opportunities to work with children, if desired.  After program implementation, follow-up visits by an experienced ECLE consultant provide opportunities for new teachers to observe demonstrations with parents and children in their classrooms.

CONTACT

Gardner Reid, Reid Foundation, 2965 East Evergreen Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah  84109, (801) 486-5083, FAX (801) 485-0561.

Samples of the activities can be viewed by clicking here and selecting those you wish to preview.

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* This price is typed seperated from our catalog and as such is often neglected.   The price may be out of date.  To check on current pricing please see out catalog at http://www.ecri.cc/catalog/index.html.