Educational resources to support our youngest learners, from birth to five

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January, 2026

Now We're Talking!

The new year is bursting with potential, including the potential for lively conversations in your learning environment. We're excited to introduce the topic of communicating and speaking as a fun way to help children express their wants, needs, and ideas.

You can nurture children's budding skills in verbal or non-verbal conversation and make your learning environment an even more enjoyable place as you incorporate ideas from this collection of resources.

Have 2 minutes?
Take-Home Strategy

Take a few minutes to review the Take-Home Strategy page about Communicating and Speaking and consider which families could benefit from it.

Have 5 minutes?
Classroom Videos and Activity Cards

See our videos that show different ways of supporting communicating and speaking skills, and try out an Activity Card for a quick way to nurture conversations.

Have 10 minutes?
Strategy Page

Explore our Supporting Conversations strategy that fosters conversational turns and reflect on how you’ll incorporate it.

Have 15 minutes?
Book Collection

Visit our virtual library and get recommendations for books that naturally lead to back-and-forth conversations about the stories.

Forward this email to a friend, colleague, or provider you support.

About Us

In partnership with VDOE Office of Early Childhood, the University of Virginia’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) provides free resources you can use to foster children's development and learning.

The ECE Resource Hub is created by the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia with funding from the Virginia Department of Education.