Course 1: Early Language and Literacy Development in Monolinguals

This is the first course in a five-part series intended to inform and support early learning providers and educators in their understanding of language development in 0-5 year olds with the end goal of facilitating high quality education and academic success. In this course, early learning providers and educators will learn the link between early oral language skills to later literacy performance. Here we offer information regarding potential red flags so that early learning providers and educators can refer children who may be at risk for language and learning disorders for screening and assessment. This course is a pre-requisite for the remaining courses in this series.

Course Developers: Alisa Baron, PhD, CCC-SLP, Vanessa Harwood, PhD, CCC-SLP
Empty heading
Empty heading


Intended Audiences

Early Learning Providers and Educators (daycare teachers, classroom aides, paraprofessionals, preschool teachers, early intervention providers, etc.)


Course Type

Self-paced

Recommended # of PLUs

1.5 PLUs


Course 2: Early Language & Literacy Development in Multilingual Learners

This is the second course in a five-part series intended to inform and support early learning providers and educators in their understanding of language development and literacy readiness in 0-5 year olds with the end goal of facilitating high quality education and academic success. In this course, we will focus on multilingual learners. Early learning providers and educators will continue learning about the link between early oral language skills to later literacy performance. We will discuss caregiver approaches to language in multilingual households. You will meet a local Rhode Island family and hear about their experience of raising two bilingual children. Information regarding potential red flags will be presented so that early learning providers and educators can refer multilingual children who may be at risk for language and learning disorders for screening and assessment.

*Please note: You must have taken Course 1: Early Language and Literacy Development in Monolinguals to access this course. Once you have completed Course 1, you will be automatically enrolled in this course.

Course Developers: Alisa Baron, PhD, CCC-SLP, Vanessa Harwood, PhD, CCC-SLP
Empty heading
Empty heading


Intended Audiences

Early Learning Providers and Educators (daycare teachers, classroom aides, paraprofessionals, preschool teachers, early intervention providers, etc.)

Course Type

Self-paced

Recommended # of PLUs

2 PLUs


Course 3: Early Language and Literacy Development during the Preschool Years: Applications for Early Childhood Educators

This is the third course in a five-part series intended to inform and support early learning providers and educators in their understanding of language development and literacy readiness in preschool-aged children. Through your participation, you will learn to effectively facilitate high-quality learning experiences to promote future academic success.  As highlights, there will be a focus on the connection between oral language and pre-literacy and several video demonstrations to clearly illustrate practical application of research-based strategies that will create a language-rich environment for monolingual and multilingual learners. 

Course Developers: Alisa Baron, PhD, CCC-SLP, Vanessa Harwood, PhD, CCC-SLP

Intended Audiences

Early Learning Providers and Educators (daycare teachers, classroom aides, paraprofessionals, preschool teachers, early intervention providers, etc.)

Course Type

Self-Paced

Recommended # of PLUs

2 PLUs


BRIDGE-RI Support: Jennifer Graham

Course 4: Screening and Assessment Practices During the Preschool Years: Identifying Reading Readiness

This is the fourth course in a five-part series intended to inform and support early childhood educators in their understanding of assessment and screening practices of preschool-aged children. Through your participation in this course, you will have the knowledge to effectively identify, administer, and interpret several high-quality screening tools used to measure language and literacy performance in young children. 
Upon completion of this course, you will:
  • Define and describe key components of assessment, their purposes, and considerations for use
  • Identify key components of the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators Screener (PELI) and describe how it can be used in the preschool classroom 
  • Identify key components of the EarlyBird Screener and describe how it can be used in the preschool classroom 
  • Identify key components of Authentic Assessment and describe ways in which it can be incorporated into the classroom to monitor progress throughout the school year 
  • Explain special considerations in assessment practices for multilingual learners 


Intended Audiences

Early Learning Providers and Educators, Paraprofessionals, Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

Course Type

Self-Paced

Recommended # of PLUs

2.5 PLUs


BRIDGE-RI Support: Jennifer Graham