Early Start is a center-based program for 4-year-old prekindergarten children at risk of academic failure because of their home or community environment This state-funded program successfully incorporated literacy activities into a supportive environment which informally encouraged practice with early reading and writing. The article describes the development of the program, the project's dally activities from the perspective of emergent literacy, and evaluative findings regarding literacy development. Researchers conducted direct child assessment and classroom observations to document the children's capabilities and participation in literacy activities during the course of the school year.
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