Thirty local education agencies and organizations will share more than $74 million in grants to improve the language and pre-reading skills of young children, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today.

The grants are part of the Early Reading First program, President Bush's initiative to transform existing early education programs into preschool centers of educational excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. It builds upon the president's vast Good Start, Grow Smart initiative to improve early learning.

"President Bush believes that we can give every child the reading skills they need to succeed in school and in later life," Secretary Paige said. "Children who are most at risk benefit the most from high-quality early learning experiences. And yet, these children are the least likely to have access to programs providing these experiences.

Scientific research shows that, in the preschool years, young children need to develop their vocabulary, acquire the ability to hear the sounds that make up words, and learn about how print and books work. These skills should not be taught in isolation, but should be integrated into challenging content that explores the fundamentals of science, mathematics, and social studies in enjoyable and meaningful ways for young children, Paige added.

The Early Reading First Grant Program has five aims:

• Provide professional development for teachers, based on scientific research, to enhance children's language, cognitive and early reading skills.

• Provide preschool-age children with cognitive learning opportunities and high-quality language and literature-rich environments.

• Integrate materials, activities and instruction that are grounded in scientifically based reading research to support the development of young children's vocabulary, their ability to hear sounds that make up words, and their understanding of how print and books work and their alphabetic knowledge.

• Use screenings and assessments to determine the skills children are learning in order to prevent reading failure.

• Improve all aspects of an instructional program, including materials, activities, tools and assessments.

Numerous early reading resources are available for parents and educators. Publications may be downloaded or ordered through: http://www.ed.gov/about/pubs.jsp.

For more information about Early Reading First, go to: http://www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/index.html.

A list of grant recipients follows.

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EARLY READING FIRST 2003 AWARDS

STATE, CITY, APPLICANT NAME, 3-YEAR FUNDING
Arizona, Phoenix, Southwest Human Development
Project Director: Ginger Ward
(602) 266-5976, $1,830,550

Arizona, San Luis, Gadsden Elementary School District
Project Director: Olivia Zepeda
(928) 627-2910, $3,563,888

California, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Unified School District
Project Director: Nancy Herota
(916) 686-7712, $1,878,130

California, Merced, Merced City School District
Project Director: Tina Johns
(209) 385-6619, $2,437,019

California, Nuevo, Nuview Union School District
Project Director: Jan Stockton-Miller
(909) 928-3392, $2,115,330

California, Pittsburg, Pittsburg Preschool & Community Council
Project Director: Dana True
(925) 439-2061, $1,921,531

California, Thermal, Coachella Valley Unified School District
Project Director: Jim Greene
(760) 399-5137, $2,433,985

Florida, Fort Lauderdale , Nova Southeastern University
Project Director: Dr. Marilyn Segal
(954) 262-6925, $1,074,846

Illinois, Chicago, Jane Addams Hull House Association
Project Director: Ms. Naomi Samuels
(312) 922-2183, $2,402,196

Illinois, Elgin, U-46 Schools
Project Director: Patricia Chamberlain
(847) 888-5000, $1,279,644

Illinois, Springfield, Springfield School District 186
Project Director: Nancy Moore
(217) 525-3163, $1,281,305

Iowa, Bettendorf, Mississippi Bend AEA
Project Director: Dr. Jan Yoder
(563) 344-6315, $1,873,490

Massachusetts, Lawrence, Little Spout Child Enrichment Centers
Project Director: Maghon McGinley-Crowe
(978) 682-6135, $1,522,170

Massachusetts, Springfield, Springfield Public Schools
Project Director: Susan Catron
(413) 787-7177, $1,661,715

Michigan, Kalamazoo, School District of the City of Kalamazoo
Project Director: Dr. Sandra Howe
(616) 337-0095, $2,373,345

Minnesota, Saint Paul, Saint Paul Public Schools
Project Director: Mary Dooley Burnes
(651) 793-5423, $2,735,235

Mississippi, McComb, McComb School District
Project Director: Pat Cooper
(601) 684-4661, $3,105,680

North Carolina, Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Project Director: Ellen Edmonds
(704) 343-6249, $4,358,750

North Carolina, Kenansville, Duplin County Schools
Project Director: Linda Smith
(910) 296-6604, $4,099,035

North Carolina, Raleigh, Wake County Public School System
Project Director: Alice K Burrows
(919) 856-7774, $3,250,675

Oklahoma, Moore, University of Oklahoma CCE, Center for Early Childhood Professional Development
Project Director: Ruth Ann Ball
(405) 799-6383, $3,722,080

Pennsylvania, Lancaster, School District of Lancaster
Project Director: Peg Schooling
(717) 291-6202, $2,979,271

Rhode Island, Newport, Newport Public Schools
Project Director: Christine Arouth
(401) 845-8579, $2,356,760

South Carolina, Lake City, Florence School District 03
Project Director: Ms. Lynda Hawkins
(843) 394-8652, $3,194,611

Texas, Fort Worth, Child Care Associates
Project Director: Ms. Gloria Serrano
(817) 838-8422, $2,768,520

Texas, Round Rock, Round Rock Independent School District
Project Director: Dr. Cathy Davis
(512) 464-5054, $1,195,605

Texas, San Antonio , Intercultural Development Research Association
Project Director: Dr. Bradley Scott
(210) 444-1710, $2,572,419

Utah, Bluff, Utah Navajo Development Council
Project Director: Nellie Tohtsonie
(435) 672-2381, $2,256,130

Washington, Burien, Puget Sound Educational Service District
Project Director: Wendy Roedell
(206) 439-6906, $2,673,095

Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools
Project Director: Sandra Ivers
(414) 475-8094, $3,967,064

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