Doe Releases $72 Million In Reading First Grants

The first-ever Early Reading First grants — 30 grants totaling more than $72 million — to support local efforts to improve the language and pre-reading skills of young children have been announced by the Department of Education (DOE).

School districts, other public, nonprofit and private organizations — including faith-based organizations — and collaborations of the same entities competed for the grants.

The grants announced today are going to organizations in 22 states. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for up to three years, the projects incorporate strategies, curricula, materials and professional development for teachers to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive and early reading skills that can avert reading difficulties and ensure continued school success.

To achieve the program’s goals, the Early Reading First Grant Program has five aims:

— Professional development for teachers, based on scientific research, to enhance children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills;

— High-quality language and literature-rich reading activities drawn from scientifically based reading research, to help children obtain the fundamental knowledge and skills they must have;

— Age-appropriate cognitive learning for preschoolers that covers oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabetic knowledge;

— Screenings and assessments to determine the skills children are learning in order to prevent reading failure; and,

— Improving and integrating all aspects of an instructional program — including materials, activities, tools and assessments.