ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Betty Bardige, Ed.D., is a developmental psychologist, educator, and child advocate. As Vice-President of the A. L. Mailman Family Foundation and board member or advisor to many educational and philanthropic organizations, she works to shape early childhood policy at local, state, and national levels. She is also the co-author, with her mother, Dr. Marilyn Segal, of Building Literacy with Love. Dr. Bardige can be reached at betty@mailman.org.

REVIEWS

"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!"—T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., from the Foreword

"This book is essential reading for scholars, parents, and child caregivers. The author splendidly integrates decades of research to make the convincing case that our society's nurturance of the young is inadequate. To improve the rearing of our children, the first step is arming ourselves with both the knowledge and recommendations presented in this book."—Edward Zigler, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Yale University

"At a Loss for Words provides an urgent argument for infants and toddlers to experience language in an interactive, relational way to establish crucial language skills. Bardige offers guidance on what works—at home and in society. This is must reading for everyone concerned about our children's future."—Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Judge Baker Children's Center, Boston

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword – T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I. Every Child's Birthright1. Jack and Jill2. Prime Time for Language Learning3. Why Early Language Matters4. Supporting Early Language at Home5. Supporting Early Language in Group Care6. You Don't Speak My LanguagePart II. The Quiet Crisis7. The State of Early Care and Education in the United States8. A Perfect Storm9. Truth, Justice, and the American WayPart III: Changing Course10. A Parent's Guide to Early Childhood Programs and Policy11. Supporting Parents12. Improving Programs for Children13. Building Systems that Sustain Quality14. We CAN Get There from HereAppendix: Resources and Connections for Parents, Policy Makers, and AdvocatesNotesIndex

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