Now that living in a virtual world seems to be a part of this so called new normal–media literacy is even more important to even our youngest.
Executive Summary
The TEC (Technology in Early Childhood) Center at Erikson Institute in partnership with the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) was awarded a grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) in 2018 to host two national forum meetings to discuss media literacy in early childhood with experts and practitioners with the objective of developing materials to support the understanding and teaching of media literacy in early childhood.
This report recognizes and builds upon the extensive media literacy educational materials, books, research, and policies that have been developed to date. The framework builds upon many existing media literacy-focused frameworks including Teaching Tolerance’s Digital Literacy Framework (2017) and Project Look Sharp’s Process of Media Literacy (2018). The child development and children’s media use findings bring together decades of research from various fields in order to understand media literacy in early childhood. The cultural considerations, activities, and tips highlight existing educational materials and concerns raised by practitioners who serve children in a variety of settings. The barriers and solutions to sustaining this work shed light on the challenges practitioners and caregivers face daily. The intention of this Media Literacy in Early Childhood Report is to utilize media literacy, child development, and early education knowledge to develop educational materials and advocate for support for media literacy education in early childhood.
This report provides:
1. an updated definition of media literacy in early childhood;
2. an explanation of developmentally appropriate media literacy education for children under age 8;
3. background on the developmental abilities and expectations of young children with regards to media use and media literacy; and
4. guidelines to support media literacy in early childhood.