The focus of this course is on the literacy development of children in pre-K to grade 3. The course covers the developmental process of literacy acquisition and the use of appropriate methods, models, and strategies for encouraging literacy growth. Early literacy concepts of phonological awareness, oral language development, phonemic awareness, word identification, phonics, and fluency are examined. The role of parents, community, and assessment tools are explored. This course is restricted to students in the professional degree completion program.