Eyes on Reading: How to Give Your Child a Smart Start with Maya Smart

Wednesday, May 17, 2023 | 6:30 p.m.

Study after study shows that the brain architecture for reading develops rapidly during infancy, and early language experiences are critical to building it. Yet parents and caregivers, who are children’s primary teachers in the pivotal first years of life, often do not know what to do, when, or how. In this virtual workshop, Maya Smart describes how reading unfolds from birth through the early elementary years and outlines what caregivers can do to nurture it at each stage.

Maya Smart is an advocate focusing on research-based strategies for fostering literacy and author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six. Maya will be in conversation with Planet Word board member Stefanie Sanford.

This program is part of an in-depth exploration by Planet Word of beginning reading instruction in America. We explore the renewed focus on “the science of reading” and shed light on the literacy crisis and possible solutions. You may also be interested in Eyes on Reading: Film Screening of The Right to Read and Eyes on Reading: A Conversation with Emily Hanford, Creator of Sold a Story.

Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six is available for purchase through Planet Word’s Bookshop.org storefront. Planet Word is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.