PreLit
early literacy preparation program
PreLit is a systematic, skills-based program that lays a sound foundation for children to learn to read. It provides early childhood teachers with the tools necessary to teach pre-literacy skills and concepts in a fun and engaging way, focusing on phonological awareness and oral language development through structured storybook reading.
Who is it for?
- Preschool children in the year before formal schooling begins
- Children in the Foundation year without sufficient pre-literacy skills
Delivery
PreLit can be taught to a whole class, small groups or individually, by preschool teachers and child care centre staff, teachers and parents. It is designed to be delivered three times a week.
Key benefits
- Evidence-based, best practice program which is appropriate for all children regardless of skill level
- Highly cost-effective small group or whole class instruction program, with low ongoing operating costs
- Easy to adopt in an early childhood or school setting
I have been so impressed with how easy the PreLit program is to use! I really appreciate the explicit teaching elements and the repetition of tricky activities. I am amazed at the skill level and sound knowledge I now see in the class. I can’t recommend this program highly enough to any preschool educator who wants to increase children’s knowledge, skills and interest in reading.
Program content
The program is systematic, skills-based and taught in a hierarchical sequence, and designed to complement a play-based learning environment. There are 108 short, clearly prescribed lessons that incorporate different types of phonological awareness activities and oral blending and segmentation activities.
Various activities are presented in a game format and lessons are cumulative with children progressing through the program at their pace and developmental level. Each activity is 15-20 minutes.
What's in the Kit?
The PreLit Kit includes the following components:
- Teacher manual
- Lessons book
- Sound snap presentation book
- Letter cards
- Alphabet picture cards
- Picture cards
- Shared story book reading cards based on 36 well-known children’s storybooks
- Access to online resources in the MultiLit Members’ Area, including lesson monitoring forms, games and replacement story book cards
PreLit Professional Development Workshop
Although the manuals and guides included in the PreLit Program are very comprehensive and explain how to implement the program, training is highly recommended to ensure success in implementing the program and to give children a firm foundation for learning to read. Training is particularly recommended for early childhood teachers who may not be familiar with evidence-based teaching of emergent literacy skills and concepts. However, it is suitable for all early childhood teachers, particularly those working with children from disadvantaged or indigenous backgrounds.
Please note: As the content of the PreLit PD Workshop is heavily focused on implementation of the PreLit program, we highly recommend you purchase a PreLit Kit in order to get the most from this training.
What the workshop covers
- An overview of MultiLit and our philosophy
- Hands-on practical exercises in how to deliver all aspects of the program
Who should attend?
- Early childhood teachers working in preschools and child care centres
- Teachers or teachers’ aides in Foundation classes
- School counsellors
- Parents who are delivering the program to their children
Accreditation
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
Completing PreLit Professional Development Workshop will contribute 5 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum addressing standard descriptors 2.1.2, 3.2.2, 2.5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Teacher Quality Institute, ACT
This program has been accredited by TQI in 2025. Attendance provides 5 PD hours for ACT teachers.
Please note: The use of MultiLit publications and attendance at professional development workshops is for personal education use in schools with State/Territory accreditation (‘Accredited Schools’). Other commercial use, hiring or lending, or other use as part of any commercial, not-for-profit, or fee-paying program of instruction or tuition not carried out within an Accredited School is strictly prohibited.