Instructors/Instructor
Elise Williams
Early Childhood Educator · Pre-K Specialist
Fourteen years of teaching young children to read — and six years of watching it happen up close.
About Elise
Elise Williams has been teaching Kindergarten and Pre-K for 14 years. Most recently, she has spent six years running a home-based early childhood program, teaching a mixed-age group of children from infancy through pre-K. She holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and has trained extensively in the Riggs method of explicit phonics instruction.
Her approach is deeply research-informed, practically grounded, and shaped by years of daily observation of how young children actually learn to read and write. What makes Elise's perspective distinctive is that she has something most early childhood educators don't: small class sizes, no mandated curriculum, and the freedom to follow each child's developmental readiness rather than a calendar.
She also brings the perspective of a parent who has raised her own children through these same stages simultaneously. Her course shares what that combination of freedom and observation has taught her, and translates it into practical guidance for educators working within more traditional settings.
Areas of expertise
Oral language development
Reading aloud, singing, and intentional conversation as the foundation of all early literacy — and why you cannot do too much of any of them.
Phonological awareness
The entirely oral and auditory work that happens before a child ever sees a written letter — and how to teach it through play.
Explicit phonics instruction
Riggs and Orton-Gillingham approaches, dictation over copying, and how to follow each child's developmental readiness rather than a calendar.
Pre-writing development
Why pre-writing is far broader than mark-making — and how digging, climbing, and play-dough build the physical foundation for writing.
Courses
Professional development for early childhood educators
Building Little Readers
The five foundational components of early literacy in pre-K — what they are, what they look like in practice, and how to make sure all five are happening every day.
Live virtual sessions
Elise is available for live virtual sessions with groups of pre-K through first grade teachers who want to go deeper on any of the five foundations. Sessions can focus on a single component or provide an overview of the full framework.
Get in touchRemote coaching
Elise is open to remote coaching arrangements — reviewing recorded lessons and providing written or video feedback. If you want a thoughtful outside eye on your early literacy practice, reach out.
Get in touch