# Extremely early literacy Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746/extremely-early-literacy Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746/extremely-early-literacy.md Podcast: [The Voice of Early Childhood](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746) Published: 2025-09-29T05:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/extremely-early-literacy/ Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/decd6f39-4851-4730-ba8f-070dbd282579/Ep135.mp3?dest-id=3970080 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746/episodes/extremely-early-literacy Duration seconds: 2869 ## Resource How early is too early for literacy? It is never too early! This article and podcast episode explore the significance of early literacy from the prenatal period onwards. Drawing on brain development research and practical strategies, it highlights the power of narration, modelling, and bonding through books—laying strong foundations for language and a lifelong love of reading. Read the article here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/extremely-early-literacy/ This episode is in partnership with Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs. Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs advocate for greater male participation in education and caregiving roles, offering support and guidance to enhance gender inclusion in nurseries and schools. To find out more visit: https://malechildcareandteachingjobs.co.uk/ Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like to hear more at https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/articles/men-in-early-childhood/ Our 2026 conference info & tickets: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2026/ Get in touch and share your voice: Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/ Episode break down: 00:00 – Welcome! 01:30 – New host introduction 04:00 – United for Literacy Initiative 05:00 – Dolly Parton's Imagination Library 08:45 – Prenatal early literacy 13:15 – The 30 million word gap 14:20 – Language immersion through narration 16:00 – You can never spoil a baby 17:10 – Book prescriptions by physicians 18:40 – Instilling a love for books early 20:00 – Books for babies 23:00 – Creating dedicated reading spaces 26:00 – Diversity & representation in books 30:00 – Screens vs physical books 35:45 – Presence & teachable moments 39:45 – Reading doesn't start at age 3+ 41:00… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746/episodes/extremely-early-literacy/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-voice-of-early-childhood-6315746/extremely-early-literacy.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.