| FOR RELEASE: August 31, 2006 |
Contact: Jo Ann Webb or Chad Colby (202) 401-1576 |
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U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced a $3.6 million Early Reading First grant to improve the language and early literacy skills of young children in Providence, R.I. The grant, awarded to Ready to Learn Providence, is one of 32 new grants awarded this year by the U.S. Department of Education totaling $101,687,216. The announcement was made at Ready to Learn Providence at noon.
"We want to make sure children enter elementary school read to learn how to read," Spellings said. "The first years of life are critical for a child's development, and this grant will help children from low-income families start life on the right track."
Later, Spellings met with a roundtable of business leaders at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce to discuss the President's American Competitiveness Initiative and the importance of raising standards in math and science.
"Math and science skills are the common currencies every child needs to compete in the global economy," Spellings said. "As policymakers and business leaders, we have a responsibility to make sure every child has them."
Early Reading First is President Bush's initiative to improve the school readiness of our nation's young children, especially those from low-income families, by transforming early childhood education programs into centers of educational excellence. It builds upon the President's Good Start, Grow Smart initiative to improve early childhood education and strengthen early learning for young children. These grant funds are used to improve the use of instructional materials and teaching strategies through scientifically proven practices.
Early Reading First programs focus on language, cognition and early reading so that young children enter kindergarten with the oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and knowledge of the alphabet necessary to begin to learn how to read.
The American Competitiveness Initiative proposes $380 million in federal support to improve the quality of math, science and technological education in our K-12 schools and engage every child in rigorous courses that teach important analytical, technical and problem-solving skills.
To learn more about Early Reading First and the American Competitiveness Initiative, visit www.ed.gov.
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