It is now common knowledge that literacy and language development are critical elements of young children’s kindergarten readiness, related to their overall school success. Guess what else predicts school readiness and academic success even better than early reading? Early math skills. In a widely cited study of large longitudinal data sets that compared math, literacy, and social-emotional skills at kindergarten entry, researchers found that “early math concepts, such as knowledge of numbers and ordinality, were the most powerful predictors of later learning.” These findings have since been echoed in other studies 

Despite its predictive power, mathematics has not received much attention in early childhood. There are many reasons why, from  educators’ lack of preparation to teach mathematics in preschool settings to parents’ anxieties around the subject, stemming from their own experiences of learning mathematics in school. Moreover, racial disparities are significant; Black and Latino children typically have fewer opportunities for high quality, culturally responsive early math learning experiences that can set them up for success in kindergarten and beyond. 

Photo by Drew Bird.

To address the challenge of making math more accessible to families and diverse communities, Tandem has been partnering with the Developmental Research in Early Mathematics Education (DREME) Family Math group. Tandem staff members have been collaborating with researchers to develop several early mathematics resources for families. These resources provide families with the tools to include mathematics in their daily lives, thereby increasing the amount of math-centered talk and interaction.  

As DREME enters its dissemination phase, Tandem will play an even more central role as an implementation partner for DREME Family Math. Funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation and unfolding over the next two years, we will collaborate with researchers, partner organizations, and families to 

• Design a math-focused Play and Learn curriculum using DREME Family Math resources; 
• Develop a Train the Trainer model for early childhood educators and family support professionals to build their knowledge, skills, and confidence at facilitating math-focused Play and Learn groups–and to develop their identities as math educators; and 
• Provide technical assistance, coaching, and a peer learning community to partner organizations leading math-focused Play and Learn groups.  

Through these activities, Tandem hopes to promote high quality early math learning experiences among families, especially culturally and linguistically diverse families in low-income communities.