So who are "emerging readers?" 

When we talk about "emerging readers," we're not talking about readers who are a certain age or with a specific list of prerequisite skills that say "Ah, now you are ready to be a reader & writer!"
ANY child, ANY teen, ANY adult can  be an "emergent reader." There are no requirement, no abilities a person must possess before they can enjoy reading! So if you are working with a child, a teen, or an adult who is not yet independently reading, we can assume they are an emergent reader.

When we think about emergent reading, we focus on these key concepts:

1. emergent readers don't have to have a prerequisite set of literacy skills to have access to reading materials.

2. to engage in literacy-rich environments, emergent readers must have consistent access to all forms of literacy (in other words, people with significant disabilities should have access to explore and use reading & writing materials that match their accessibility needs

3. emergent readers and writers need active and interactive engagement with the world and reading and writing materials

4. emergent readers and writers must have frequent, accessible, flexible, and varied opportunities to access print that is motivating to their interests (Erickson & Kopperhaver, 2020).

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