Get Ahead: Professional Learning for Pre-K Teachers

Pre-K is where literacy begins, but too often, professional learning starts too late. Most early childhood educators do not receive training in how language develops or how young children build the foundations of reading. That leaves districts with a missed opportunity: to support teachers before students fall behind, when intervention is more difficult, costly, and less effective.

Get Ahead: Professional Learning for Pre-K Teachers explores how district leaders can close that gap by investing in high-quality, research-aligned professional development for early educators. Grounded in the science of reading, this white paper explains why oral language, vocabulary, and play-based instruction are essential building blocks of later literacy, and how educators who understand this progression are better equipped to support all learners, especially multilingual students and those from underserved communities.

The paper also introduces Lexia® LETRS® for Early Childhood Educators, a flexible, evidence-based professional learning solution that empowers teachers with both the theory and practical strategies needed to build language-rich classrooms where  students are supported, seen, and set up for lasting success.

The path to third-grade reading success starts long before children learn to decode. Let’s start where it matters, and give educators the preparation they deserve.