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«Back to all edWebinarsAligning Literacy Efforts from Pre-K to Kindergarten: Engaging Early Educators in the Conversation
Thursday, April 10, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Emily Grunt, Director of Field Support, Collaborative Classroom; and Alicia Simba, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher, Prescott Elementary School, Oakland Unified School District (CA)
Sponsored by Collaborative Classroom
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Building foundational literacy and social skills in the earliest years of a child’s life is the best way to prepare them for kindergarten and a lifetime of reading success. Equally important is instilling a love of learning. How can we better integrate early literacy instruction into Pre-K classrooms to set students up for success? What strategies exist to engage young learners through play, movement, and creativity? And how can we ensure early educators have the resources and training they need to align their efforts with K-12 literacy goals? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Please join Emily Grunt, Collaborative Classroom’s Director of Field Support, and Alicia Simba, Oakland Unified School District’s Transitional Kindergarten Teacher, as they lead a discussion on ways to develop foundational skills while providing our youngest learners a seamless transition from Pre-K to kindergarten.
This edWebinar will be of interest to Pre-K and TK school leaders and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
About the Presenters
Emily Grunt is the Director of Field Support for Collaborative Classroom. She has over 18 years of experience in education, including teaching in TK and kindergarten classrooms, coaching and training for SEEDS of Learning™, and serving as Program Director for FluentSeeds, which became part of the Collaborative Classroom family of resources in 2024. Emily participated in the 2022 Promising Ventures Fellowship and is currently a 2022-2024 DIAL EE Fellow, with a focus on continuous improvement and program quality in the TK early childhood environment. She has been a SIPPS-certified trainer since 2018 and holds an administrative credential from Reach Institute for School Leadership and a K-8 BCLAD credential from California State University, Long Beach. Emily resides in the Bay Area with her husband, two children, and rescue pup, Meggie.
Alicia Simba is a transitional kindergarten teacher, working and living in Oakland, California. Her writing has been published in Teen Vogue, Slate, Education Week, and more, and she runs a weekly Substack titled an education. She is a 2024-25 Teach Plus Senior Writing Fellow. Alicia is a graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University. Find her and more of her work on Instagram, @mcizmane.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Engaging Early Learners community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. Our evidence-based programs help children develop as proficient readers and writers, appreciate the ideas and opinions of others, learn to agree and disagree respectfully, think critically about big ideas, and become responsible citizens of the world. Our commitment to continuous, embedded professional learning empowers educators to grow their teaching practices, build school community, and create the conditions for authentic, student-centered learning.
