Early literacy refers to the acquisition of language and foundational reading skills during the early stages of childhood.  At Greendale Elementary we focus on these early literacy skills and use an evidence-based program by Wilson Reading called Fundations.  Fundations is a multisensory, structured literacy program grounded in the science of reading.  The instruction emphasizes highly explicit and systematic teaching of all of the foundational elements that are critical for reading and writing proficiency. These include phonemic awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension and written expression.