Early Reading First Provides Funds to Preschool Programs
Early Reading First is an early childhood literacy component of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Early Reading First offers competitive grants to existing preschool programs, such as Head Start centers, and school districts offering early childhood programs.
The grants fund development of model
programs to support the school readiness of preschool-aged children, particularly those from low-income families. Program activities prepare teachers to provide high-quality language, literacy, and pre-reading activities, using scientifically based research to support children’s understanding of letters, letter sounds, and the blending of sounds and words.
In Michigan, two Early Reading First programs, at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) and Kalamazoo Public Schools, will receive more than two million dollars each over three years. Both programs will use literacy coaches to provide professional development and support to preschool teachers in a variety of early childhood programs.
“Our teachers are looking forward to receiving support for literacy instruction,” says Lynn Munson, Kalamazoo’s Early Reading First coordinator. “Our teachers have always known what they want to accomplish. They just need help with how to get there.”
Read more about the federal Early Reading First program at www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/index.html.
For more information, contact: Cheryl Endres, GRCC Project Coordinator, 43 Bostwick, N.E.,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503, (616) 234-3549,
cendres@grcc.edu or Lynn Munson, Kalamazoo Project Director, Kalamazoo Public Schools,
1220 Howard St., Kalamazoo, MI 49008, (269) 337-0095, munsonlm@kalamazoo.k12.mi.us.
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