Media Literacy for Early Childhood Professionals

The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.”

Media has helped shape the minds and hearts of every generation, and today’s earliest learners are no exception. That’s why it’s important to begin the conversation around media literacy from the start.

For early childhood educators working in a child care center, home, or school environment, media literacy means understanding and building healthy media habits to prepare children to navigate media as they learn and grow. School-age students use media literacy skills to look beyond the technology to explore, interpret, evaluate, and analyze information from many sources.

Media Literacy for Early Childhood Professionals can help you take charge of choosing and using media to support academic development and build healthy media habits for young learners. Take these simple actions to build your own media literacy skills, and to prepare you to nurture the development of these skills with young children and their families. Select a topic below to get started!

Maryland Public Television is committed to helping early educators, parents and caregivers support children’s learning, development and well-being by introducing media literacy in the early years.