***A Synopsis of the 2007 Early Reading First Project Grantees***

**CFDA# 84.359B**

## Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs

**Office of Elementary and Secondary Education**

**U.S. Department of Education**

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.2777777777777777in" height="1.375in"}

U.S. Department of Education

Early Reading First

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Room 3C136

Washington, DC 20202-6132

\(202\) 260-3710

July 2007

***Summary of the 2007 Early Reading First Program***

The ultimate goal of the Early Reading First Program, authorized by *No
Child Left Behind, Title I, Part B, Subpart 2*, is to improve the school
readiness of our nation's young children, particularly those from
low-income families, by providing support for early childhood education
programs serving preschool-age children so they may become centers of
educational excellence. This goal supports *Good Start, Grow Smart*, the
President's Early Childhood Initiative to improve early childhood
education and strengthen early learning for young children.

The Early Reading First Program brings a unique and bold approach to
improving preschool programs for our nation's at-risk children,
including children with disabilities and limited English proficiency.
Early Reading First provides funding and support to turn preschool
programs into centers of excellence by improving instruction and
classroom environments through scientific research-based practices in
language, cognition and early reading skills.

Many of America's children face daunting challenges as they enter
kindergarten lacking the necessary skills to learn how to read. Early
Reading First offers an exciting opportunity to meet this challenge by
helping to ensure that children are provided with a high-quality
preschool education.

Eligible applicants for Early Reading First include local educational
agencies (LEAs) and public and private organizations that meet the
following criteria:

1.  One or more local educational agencies (LEAs) that are eligible to
    receive a subgrant under the Reading First program (*Title I, Part
    B, Subpart 1, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act*, as
    amended (*ESEA*)).

2.  One or more public or private organizations or agencies (including
    faith based organizations) located in a community served by an
    eligible LEA. Unless the public or private organization is a
    preschool program applying on its own behalf, it must apply on
    behalf of one or more programs that serve preschool-age children
    (such as a Head Start program, a child care program, a family
    literacy program such as Even Start, or a lab school at a
    university).

3.  One or more of the eligible LEAs, applying in collaboration with one
    or more of the eligible organizations or agencies.

Specifically, Early Reading First grants will provide funds to:

-   Support local efforts to enhance the early language, cognitive, and
    early reading development of preschool-age children, particularly
    those from low-income families, through strategies and professional
    development that are based on scientifically based reading research;

-   Provide preschool-age children with cognitive learning opportunities
    in high-quality language and print-rich environments so that they
    can attain the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for
    optimal reading development in kindergarten and beyond;

-   Use language and literacy activities based on scientifically based
    reading research to support the age-appropriate development of oral
    language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet
    knowledge;

-   Use screening assessments or other appropriate measures to identify
    preschool-age children who may be at risk for reading failure, and
    to determine whether those children are developing the language,
    cognitive, and early reading skills they need for later reading
    success; and

-   Integrate instructional materials and programs based on
    scientifically based reading research into existing preschool
    programs.

Through multi-year awards to eligible LEAs with at-risk children, and
public and private organizations located in communities served by those
eligible LEAs, the Early Reading First Program is intended to ensure
that preschool-age children have the instruction, experiences, and
environment that they need to ensure that they enter kindergarten
prepared for continued learning. These grants complement the Reading
First State Grants Program, which provides support for high-quality,
scientifically based classroom-focused reading instruction for
kindergarten through grade three.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Alabama                               |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| **Project Name:** Project BEYOND        | **Grantee:** University of |
|                                         | Alabama -- Department of   |
| **Project Director:** Rochelle Dail     | Education, Curriculum and  |
| (.375 FTE)                              | Instruction                |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,512,166                | Box 870232                 |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         | Tuscaloosa, AL 35487       |
| served:** 16                            |                            |
|                                         | Tel. #: (205) 348-7402     |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       | Fax. #: (205) 348-6780     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 148      | rdail@bamaed.ua.edu        |
| (year 1)/222 (years 2 and 3)            |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
|                                         |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

*Project BEYOND* is a unique partnership between The University of
Alabama and private, public, and parochial early childhood centers in
Southern Mississippi. In year one, Project BEYOND will transform eight
classrooms at Adams Jefferson Frankly Community Action Agency, Inc. Head
Start, Holy Family Catholic School, and Prince Street Day Care and
Learning Center into language-, literature- and print-rich environments
with high-quality programs. Four classrooms will be added after year
one. Annually, Project BEYOND will serve up to 222 African American
children from low-income families. Children identified as most at-risk
will receive additional services from intervention teachers. A
seven-week transition summer program will extend the number of weeks
some children are served from 36 to 43. One classroom targeted for
Project BEYOND is a half-day afternoon/evening class at Prince Street
Day Care and Learning Center. Targeting this class will insure that
children who attend evening daycare only receive a high quality language
and literacy rich instruction.

Project BEYOND will integrate multiple strategies, activities, and
materials to increase both quality and intensity of instruction. Daily,
teachers will provide language and literacy whole and small group
instruction through the implementation of *Opening the World of Learning
(OWL*), a program shown to improve literacy skills of diverse preschool
children. Additional support for children's oral language and
comprehension development will be provided through the inclusion of
Classroom Book Club in all project classrooms that will be staffed by
parent and community volunteers who receive specialized training in
conducting read alouds. Formative and summative evaluations will be
completed. Measures will include PPVT, PALS Pre K, Get Ready to Read
Screener (GRTR), Developing Skills Checklist (DSC) -- Auditory Skills
Subtest, and EOWPVT. Professional development will be ongoing,
systematic, intensive, and classroom-focused and include job-embedded
demonstrations, in-class coaching, mentoring, and analysis of monitoring
data.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Arizona                               | **Grantee:** Southwest     |
|                                         | Institute for Children and |
| **Project Name:** Mohave Desert Early   | Families                   |
| Literacy Coalition                      |                            |
|                                         | 1004 Hancock Road          |
| **Project Director:** Alisa Burroughs   |                            |
| (1.0 FTE)                               | Bullhead City, AZ 86429    |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$4,428,916                | Tel. \# (928) 758-3961     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 28                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 2                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 280      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The *Mohave Desert Early Literacy Coalition* will improve the school
readiness of 280 culturally-diverse children in 14 classrooms located at
two Head Start and two Reading First public school district sites. The
Coalition is located in a remote and rural area of the Mohave Desert.
This area includes the cities of Bullhead City and Mohave Valley,
Arizona, as well as the Ft. Mohave Indian Nation. This area is a
federally-designated rural empowerment zone/enterprise community, which
exhibits pervasive poverty, unemployment and well documented educational
challenges. Approximately 90% of children are eligible for free/reduced
lunch and 50% are English language learners.

The Coalition will use a multifaceted, science-based approach to help
children learn these skills. This approach is driven on best practices,
founded on scientific reading research and driven by ongoing assessment
and progress monitoring. The approach will feature seven strategies: a)
increased time-for-learning opportunities, b) scientifically-based
literacy curriculum (*Houghton-Mifflin: PreK: Where Bright Futures
Begin*); c) print- and language-rich classrooms; d) scaffolded,
multi-tiered learning support; e) continuous progress monitoring; f)
intensive professional development programs using an instructional
effectiveness (IE) model with literacy coaches; and g) home-school
linkages to the curriculum. Coalition professional development,
communication, assessment, and curriculum planning will be organized
electronically using desktop videoconferencing. A thorough formative and
summative evaluation will determine program efficacy, cost
effectiveness, and changes to teaching practice. Measures will include
ELLCO, PPVT, IPT, Get Ready to Read, PALS Pre-K, CBDM, and OWEPVT.
DIBELS scores of participating children will be analyzed for up to two
years after preschool exit to determine project impact on early reading.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Arkansas                              | **Grantee:** Little Rock   |
|                                         | School District            |
| **Project Name:** Little Rock Centers   |                            |
| of Early Literacy Excellence            | 3001 South Pulaski         |
|                                         |                            |
| **Project Director:** Glenda Nugent (no | Little Rock, AR 72206      |
| ERF funds)                              |                            |
|                                         | Tel. #: (501) 447-3326     |
| **Funding:** \$2,978,707                |                            |
|                                         | glenda.nugent@lrsd.org     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 33                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 440      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The Little Rock School District (LRSD) is the largest public school
district in Arkansas with a K-12 enrollment of 25,312 students and a
pre-k enrollment of 1,379 students as of October 2006. LRSD includes 81%
students of color (68% African American, 3% Hispanic and the remainder
Asian and other minority backgrounds) and 29% white. Through the Early
Reading First project, LRSD will transform two Head Start and one
school-based early childhood centers into early literacy model sites
which will serve a total of 440 three and four-year-old children each
year. These *Little Rock Centers of Early Literacy Excellence (LRCELE)*
are in a rural area on the southwestern edge of the LRSD boundaries.
Currently in these early childhood programs, at least 96% of the
children are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program; the
limited English proficiency (LEP) population ranges from 8-21%; and the
three programs have large numbers of students with special needs. An
extensive English language acquisition plan will be implemented to
respond to the growing Hispanic population in the LRCELE area.

The LRCELE program goals include: 1) participating children will improve
their oral language skills; demonstrate progress in developing
phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge; and
demonstrate growth in background knowledge and cognitive skills that
support listening comprehension and expressive language; 2)
participating children will be immersed in print-and language-rich
classroom environment; 3) LRCELE staff will develop expertise in the
following areas: content and pedagogy of teaching preschool children
foundational skills; administering early literacy assessments and using
data to inform instructional decisions; implementing the scientifically
research-based curriculum; creating a print rich classroom environment;
and meeting the needs of a diverse student population; and 4)
participating parents will increase their understanding of the oral
language and literacy skills needed to be successful in school and to
understand the importance of and how to be engaged in their child's
education.

To carry out its program goals, LRCELE selected *Houghton Mifflin Pre-K:
Where Bright Futures Begin*, a comprehensive, integrated pre-k program
was selected because of its extensive research base and its alignment
with goals of Early Reading First, Arkansas Early Childhood Education
Frameworks, and Head Start, International Reading Association (IRA), and
National Association Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. Data
will be collected to measure each program goal and associated set of
achievement indicators and performance targets. Measurements will
include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, EGIBA, QELI, and ITBS.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # California                             | **Grantee:** Merced       |
|                                          | School District           |
| **Project Name:** Merced Early Reading   |                           |
| First                                    | 444 W. 23^rd^             |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Lori Slaven (1.0   | Merced, CA 95340          |
| FTE)                                     |                           |
|                                          | Tel. \# (209) 385-6787    |
| **Funding:** \$3,127,301                 |                           |
|                                          | lslaven@mcsd.k12.ca.us    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 18                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 210       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Merced Early Reading First (MERF)* is a model Early Reading First
project that targets children and families who live below the federal
poverty line in Merced, California. MERF is a scientifically-based
instructional program that intentionally addresses the development of a)
oral language and vocabulary skills, b) alphabet knowledge, c)
phonological processing, d) print awareness, and e) emergent writing
skills. Additionally, MERF provides high quality, intensive professional
development to teachers, as well as parenting programs that promote
parental involvement in the early reading and language development of
their children.

How effective is MERF? MERF instituted a randomized experimental design
to determine the impact of its research-based strategies. Results
demonstrated that children in MERF's \"Centers of Excellence"
outperformed (p\<.05) children in regular state preschool classrooms,
after controlling for initial language and literacy levels, on measures
of oral language, phonemic awareness, concepts of print, and letter
knowledge. Similarly, parents of children in MERF classrooms showed
higher levels of involvement in home literacy activities in addition to
higher levels of satisfaction with their child's preschool experience.
MERF's peer-reviewed study was presented at the 2006 American
Educational Research Association's Annual Conference.

MERF is building upon its existing validated program by proposing four
new research based components at five additional sites. They include: a)
afternoon enrichment sessions that provide small group and one-to-one
intentional instruction; b) Online Assessment Reporting System (OARS)
connected to the district's Reading First program; c) Integrated Child
Assessment System; and d) accredited professional development program.
The new enhanced MERF with its additional components promises to further
increase literacy and language gains of children, make a measurable
impact in the instructional skills of teachers, and engage parents even
more in the education of their children.

MERF uses the *Houghton Mifflin's Where Bright Futures Begin (HM PRE-K)
--* a comprehensive integrated Pre-K program that is based on scientific
research and aligned with key critical Pre-K learning goals, including
those defined by Early Reading First, Head Start, NAEYC and California's
Preschool Foundations. The project utilizes multiple forms of evidence
for screening each of the early reading skill areas. Measurements will
include ELLCO, PPVT/TVIP, PALS Pre-K, and DRDP-R.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # California                             | **Grantee:** Newport-Mesa |
|                                          | Unified School District   |
| **Project Name:** Early Success for      |                           |
| Children's Achievement of Language and   | 220 23^rd^ Street         |
| Early Reading Acquisition                |                           |
|                                          | Cost Mesa, CA 92627       |
| **Project Director:** Lorrie Hoggard     |                           |
| (.375 FTE - no ERF funds)                | Tel. \# (949) 515-6622    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,499,494                 | Fax \# (949) 515-2475     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | lhoggard@nmusd.us         |
| served:** 12                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 184       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The *Early Success for Children's Achievement of Language and Early
Reading Acquisition (ESCALERA) Program* will provide preschool-age
children with the early literacy skills needed for kindergarten
preparedness. The program will serve 184 impoverished, at-risk children
who reside in Costa Mesa, California, and attend the Newport-Mesa
Unified School District (NMUSD) Pomona Preschool and Whittier Preschool.
The program will provide: fully aligned and integrated, research-based
curricula with instructional support; supplemental strategies and
materials to ensure that the needs of English Learners - - 96.1% of the
participating children - - and students with special needs are
appropriately and adequately met; strategies designed to provide
specialized support to students who are at-risk of developing reading
difficulties; high quality, ongoing, and intensive professional
development; print rich classroom environments; and a progress
monitoring and assessment system that will inform instruction and
identify individual student needs. Measurements will include ELLCO,
PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and DRDP-R.

Specific program strategies and materials are based on a wealth of

Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR) and recognized best
practices. The program utilizes a combination of two (2) curricula that
meet the unique needs of the participating children. *Houghton
Mifflin's* *Pre-K* curriculum is the foundation for early literacy
skills development. *Hampton Brown's* *Avenues* curriculum provides
additional oral language development support for English language
learners. Specific intervention strategies will provide additional
support to students who are at-risk of developing reading difficulties.
Program goals are comprehensive, intensive, and focus on:
age-appropriate improvement in oral language, phonological awareness,
print awareness, and alphabet knowledge among students served; creating
print rich classroom environments; and improving instructional practices
through effective professional development. The program will coordinate
with the NMUSD Reading First Program to ensure that students are
prepared for a successful transition into kindergarten.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # California                             | **Grantee:** San Juan     |
|                                          | Unified School District   |
| **Project Name:** Project LLEAPS         |                           |
| (Language, Literacy, Early Intervention  | 5309 Kenneth Avenue       |
| and Parent Support)                      |                           |
|                                          | Carmichael, CA 95608      |
| **Project Director:** Deb Merchant (.40  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Tel. #: (916) 971-5911    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,000,000                 | Fax #: (916) 482-8389     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | deb.merchant@sanjuan.edu  |
| served:** 43                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 334       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Project LLEAPS (Language, Literacy, Early Intervention And Parent
Support)* is a comprehensive Early Reading First program model that is
multidisciplinary, well integrated, and provides high-quality services
to all children. It will be implemented in five centers of excellence in
the San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) representing full and part
day preschool services for low income children, including English
Language Learners and children with disabilities and other special
needs.

Project LLEAPS' goals are: (1) to provide early and effective
developmental and health screenings and referrals; (2) to create high
quality language and literacy rich environments; (3) to improve all
children's language and literacy skills; (4) to increase the capacity of
well trained early childhood team members through professional

development; (5) to integrate all project elements, involving children,
parents, staff, and the classroom environment for improved
language/literacy outcomes; (6) to increase parents' skills in
facilitating language and literacy development.

Highlights of the project include tools and strategies reflected in
current research and effective practice to fill in the gaps of most
early childhood programs. These include the *Houghton Mifflin Pre-K*
English Language Arts curriculum; the Hanen Program for early childhood
educators (*Learning Language and Loving It*) and for educating parents
(*You Make the Difference)*; a comprehensive system to regularly review
and improve the learning environment, including ECERS and ELLCO; a
professional development system with multiple, connected layers that
mirrors the Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP); and
assessment measures, including PPVT, PALS Pre-K, Pre-LAS, DRDP-R, and
EGIBA.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Delaware                              | **Grantee:** University of |
|                                         | Delaware -- Delaware       |
| **Project Name:** Opening Doors to      | Center for Teacher         |
| Literacy                                | Education                  |
|                                         |                            |
| **Project Director:** Carol Vukelich    | 200 Academy Street, Room   |
| (.25 FTE)                               | 211                        |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,621,606                | Newark, DE 19716           |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         | Tel. #: (302) 831-1657     |
| served:** 36                            |                            |
|                                         | Fax #: (302) 831-2708      |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 2                                       | vukelich@udel.edu          |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 210      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The *Opening Doors to Literacy* project will serve 210 children in three
New

Castle County Head Start centers (11 classrooms, 36 staff) in northern
Delaware. The

area to be served borders the city of Wilmington, an enterprise
community. The

partnership will be led by the Delaware Center for Teacher Education at
the University of

Delaware in cooperation with colleagues from the University's Department
of Individual

and Family Studies and New Castle County Head Start, Inc. All but three
of the children

to be served who attend these centers come from families living below
the poverty line.

The project's approach, grounded in SBRR, involves the implementation of
a comprehensive system including the use of (a) an assessment system
(ELLCO, PPVT, PALS Pre-K, CLASS, and Fluharty 2, IGDIs and PWPA)
applying the scientific method, an Assess-Plan-Teach model, to monitor
children's progress and adjust instruction, within the classroom and in
Tier 2 small group and Tier 3 one-on-one support provided to the
children identified as not evidencing appropriate progress; (b) a
research based and standards-based early literacy program, *Doors to
Discovery*, with modifications made by the project leadership to ensure
explicit instruction in the essential elements of language and early
reading; (c) extended learning opportunities, through Tier 2 and 3
instructional support, extended summer programming, and a parent
program, in the essential language and early reading areas; (d) a
powerful professional development program where teachers and
paraprofessionals will participate in group sessions to build their
knowledge base and classroom-based coaching to support their use of
their newly-acquired knowledge in their classrooms, linking 'theory to
practice'; and (e) a strong transition plan to link NCCHS with the
Reading First districts in which the project centers are located to
ensure the bridge between preschool and public school.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Florida                                | **Grantee:** Putnam       |
|                                          | County School District -- |
| **Project Name:** REACH II (Raising      | Northeast Florida         |
| Expectations for All Children)           | Educational Consortium    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Marsha Hill        | 3841 Reid Street          |
| (interim)/ Jo Hudson (proposed) (.50     |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Palatka, FL 32177         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$4,081,677                 | Tel. #: (386) 329-3800    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (386) 329-2571     |
| served:** 34                             |                           |
|                                          | hillm@nefec.org           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 4 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 220       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC, a support
organization serving 15 small, rural school districts) received their
first ERF Grant in 2004---REACH: *Raising Expectations for All
Children*. REACH preschool teachers quickly learned that young children,
including children with disabilities and from rural, impoverished homes,
were capable of entering kindergarten better prepared to learn to read.
REACH II will continue the work that has begun in rural north Florida to
increase preschool teacher knowledge and skills so that they may send
students to kindergarten better prepared to learn to read. REACH II will
serve 16 new preschool classrooms in four Reading First eligible school
districts. The REACH II classrooms are housed in public schools and will
serve 220 students per year including, 78% free/ reduced lunch, 30%
students with disabilities, 55% African-American, and 5% non-English
speaking.

REACH II professional development will assist preschool teachers as they
develop an intense, high-quality preschool program designed to
facilitate children's acquisition of essential emergent literacy
skills---phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, print awareness,
and oral language. REACH II preschool teachers will work with early
childhood/special education researchers from the University of Florida
and Early Literacy Coaches to enhance the language and literacy
environment of their classrooms. Early Literacy Coaches will provide
on-site, intensive, individualized assistance and coaching to facilitate
teacher implementation of selected published curriculums (*Open Court
PreK, ScienceStart!, Everyday Mathematics PreK*) and targeted
research-based emergent literacy instructional strategies. Screening
assessments and progress monitoring measures will be administered
regularly. Measurements will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, Get Ready to
Read, and IGDIs.

The goal of REACH II is to create five Early Reading First centers of
educational

excellence that will serve as model/demonstration sites for other
preschool programs in the NEFEC region. It is expected that REACH II
children will enter Reading First kindergartens better prepared to learn
to read and more likely to perform on grade level on rigorous statewide
reading testing administered in third grade.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Florida                                | **Grantee:** The          |
|                                          | Committee for Academic    |
| **Project Name:** Linking Academic       | Excellence                |
| Success with Early Reading (LASER)       |                           |
|                                          | 10544 Lake Saint Charles  |
| **Project Director:** Timothy Kilpatrick | Blvd.                     |
| (.50 FTE)                                |                           |
|                                          | Riverview, FL 33569       |
| **Funding:** \$2,995,978                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (813) 672-9041    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 17                             | Fax #: (866) 511-7193     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | tkilpatr@tampabay.rr.com  |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 140       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The *Linking Academic Success with Early Reading (LASER)* project
endeavors to develop five early childhood education centers of
excellence in Hillsborough County, Florida. LASER will serve 140 three
and four-year-olds each year (420 total) for at least two consecutive
years prior to kindergarten. More than a third of the students speak
English as a second language and 83% of students qualify to receive free
or reduced lunches. Annually LASER will serve students year round, for
at least 7 hours per day, 5 days per week.

Using scientifically-based reading research (SBRR) LASER will improve
the programs by (1) creating and designing literacy, language and
print-rich classroom environments, (2) implementing structured,
continuous and on-going professional development programs that will be
sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused and will include strategies
such as using certified Bilingual, Cross-cultural, Language and Academic
Development (BCLAD) instructors, mentors and coaches and progressive
pedagogy in special education, biliteracy, comprehension, speaking,
reading, and writing in the emphasis language, (3) fostering
collaboration between home and school to advance students' cognition and
early reading skill growth and development using State-aligned, SBRR
curricula (*Scholastic's Early Childhood Program (SECP))* and
age/developmentally appropriate instruction that embeds literacy and
language across academic experiences (4) using screening assessments and
progress monitoring, including PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and curriculum-based
measures to identify and work with children who may be at risk for
delayed development or reading failure and design goals and objectives
to meet their needs, (5) building on current preschool and elementary
school transition practices by supporting and promoting continuity of
instruction between these preschools and the LEA elementary schools. Two
of the centers served by LASER have a direct feed into the LEA through a
public elementary K-4 charter school and the two others are served by
Reading First elementary schools within the District.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Georgia                                | **Grantee:** Clarke       |
|                                          | County School District    |
| **Project Name:** Clarke County School   |                           |
| District Ready Readers                   | H.T. Edwards Building     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Jan Stephens (.40  | 440 Dearing Extension     |
| FTE)                                     |                           |
|                                          | Athens, GA 30606          |
| **Funding:** \$6,473,760                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (706) 357-5239    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 40                             | Fax #: (706) 357-5293     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | stephenj@clarke.k12.ga.us |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 460       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The Clarke County School District (CCSD) is a medium-sized urban school
system with approximately 72% poverty rate overall. But among our
preschool population (3s and 4s) this year, 88% live in poverty; 49% are
African-American, 31% are Hispanic, 13% are Caucasian, and 6% are
identified as "other." This year at our Reading First school, Whitehead
Road Elementary, DIBELS scores reveal that 25-35% of kindergarteners are
at-risk. The proposed research-based, community-focused *Ready Readers
Program* will serve approximately 460 children -- 320 from CCSD and 140
from Little Ones Academy, a private, contractual preschool. The Ready
Readers Program will provide these at-risk children with a high-quality,
literacy intense preschool experience, intentionally and explicitly
taught by well-prepared and knowledgeable staff of sufficient duration
and intensity to develop the predictive skills needed to become fluent,
motivated readers.

The goals of the program are: (1) language/literacy activities based on
SBRR; (2) cognitive learning in language/literacy-rich environments; (3)
systemic, ongoing professional learning based on SBRR; (4)
valid/reliable screenings, diagnostic, progress monitoring; and (5)
coordinate with similar efforts. Services will be offered 9 hours a day,
5 days a week, for 46 weeks a year. The Ready Readers program will
provide differentiated instruction to English language learners and
children with disabilities, as appropriate.

As part of the program, CCSD will (1) provide over 200 hrs of intensive,
ongoing, sustainable, SBRR-based professional learning (PL) for staff
and parents; (2) implement an SBRR curriculum for three-year-olds: *DLM
Early Childhood Express* and for four-year-olds: *Opening the World of
Literacy* and *Breakthrough to Literacy* with fidelity; (3) provide
targeted literacy home visits using *Read Together, Talk Together* (in
English & Spanish); and (4) provide high-quality, intentional, and
explicit instruction using valid and reliable assessments and screenings
to ensure student needs are met and to guide instruction. Measures will
include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDIs, and Pre-LAS.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Georgia                                | **Grantee:** Early County |
|                                          | School System             |
| **Project Name:** Early County Early     |                           |
| Reading First                            | 283 Martin Luther King    |
|                                          | Blvd.                     |
| **Project Director:** Sonja Rowland (1.0 |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Blakely, GA 39823         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$4,291,880                 | Tel. #: (229) 724-5378    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (229) 724-5372     |
| served:** 26                             |                           |
|                                          | srowland@early.k12.ga.us  |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 240       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Early County Schools (ECS), located in southwest Georgia is a one
elementary system (Pre-k-5) of 1194 students (74% free/reduced price
lunch). Over 37% of the children in Early County live in poverty
compared to 17% in GA. Approximately 61% of children live with their
mother whose mean income is \$11,292 compared to \$20,011 in the state
of GA. The elementary school (ECES) is a Reading First school under NCLB
and has made AYP for the last four years. Administrators, supervisors,
and staff focus on student data to drive instruction. ECS has undergone
a paradigm shift and increased its focus on academic skills while
continuing to support social/emotional skills.

*Early County Early Reading First (ECERF)* will join ECES Pre-k and Head
Start in serving over 200 children. The goal of ECERF is to prepare
children to enter kindergarten with the strong language and early
literacy skills necessary for them to become successful readers. This
will be accomplished by: 1) providing high-quality preschool instruction
in research based early literacy curricula (*DLM: Early Childhood
Express* for three-year-olds and *Open Court Reading Pre-K* for
four-year-olds); 2) using valid and reliable assessments and
interventions (PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDIs, and Pre-LAS) to improve school
readiness; 3) training early childhood staff in research-based teaching
practices that target language and early literacy skills, as well as,
cognitive, social, and emotional development; and 4) creating a family
and community network that supports the school learning environment.
Program outcomes for children will be aligned with GA's pre-k and k-12
Performance Standards. The ECERF project features a literacy team led by
a coordinator, two literacy coaches and family literacy coordinator. The
team will implement a research-based program of intentional instruction
and professional development in which staff learn and work together and
with families to engage parents in structured interactive literacy
activities with their children. By unifying classroom instruction,
professional development, parent involvement, and coordination with the
existing k-3 program, ECERF will serve as a national model for the
development of cognition, language, and literacy in children.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Georgia                                | **Grantee:** Twiggs       |
|                                          | County Public Schools     |
| **Project Name:** Twiggs County Early    |                           |
| Reading First                            | 952 Main Street           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Carol Brown (.25   | Jeffersonville, GA 31044  |
| FTE)                                     |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (478) 945-3127    |
| **Funding:** \$3,154,865                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (478) 945-3078     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 17                             | cbrown@twiggs.k12.ga.us   |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 136       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Twiggs County is one of the poorest counties in Georgia. Twiggs County
Schools consists of 1 school-wide Title I school (100% free and reduced
price lunch): 1 elementary (Jeffersonville {JE}) and 1 middle/high
school, for grades pre-k-12 with an enrollment of approximately 1223
students. 318 of these students are in grades k-3. 95% of the school
population is African-American, 4% Caucasian, and 1% multi-racial. 17%
of our students have been identified as students with disabilities as
defined under IDEA, which is a concern. Prior to consolidation in
2005/06, two schools met AYP. In 2000, an Even Start grant was awarded
which provided much needed parent education, adult education, and
P.A.C.T. (1 in 3 do not have an HS diploma) to help curb the downward
spiral creating a cycle of poverty.

The significance of *Twiggs County Early Reading First (TCERF)* is that
it will provide the foundation so desperately needed for children to
succeed by giving them a solid foundation in SBRR literacy development
and a blueprint for parents in the ways that they can become their
child's first teacher. The goals of TCERF will be accomplished by 1)
providing high-quality preschool instruction (*DLM: Early Childhood
Express and Language for Learning* for three-year-olds and *Open Court
Reading Pre-K* for four-year-olds); 2) training early childhood staff in
SBRR practices; and 3) creating a family/community network that supports
the school learning environment. TCERF's project features a literacy
team at 3 sites (pre-k, Even Start, HS) lead by an expert literacy coach
and family literacy coordinator that will serve approximately 136
children (9 hours/day, 5 days/week, 46 weeks/year).

TCERF will implement a program of intentional instruction and a
research-based design for professional development in which preschool
staff learn and work together with families. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring will be administered on a regular basis.
Measurements will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDIs, and Pre-LAS. The
chosen curricula will provide a continuous foundation for preschool to
elementary school. By unifying classroom instruction, professional
development, parent involvement, and coordination with the existing
kindergarten program, TCERF will serve as a national model for the
development of cognition, language, and literacy in children.

Georgia

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Project Name:** LIGHT (Literacy        | **Grantee:** United Way   |
| Generates Hope for Tomorrow)             | of Atlanta                |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Sharen Hausmann    | Smart Start Georgia       |
| (.25 FTE)                                |                           |
|                                          | 100 Edgewood Ave., Second |
| **Funding:** \$4,480,001                 | Floor                     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Atlanta, GA 30303         |
| served:** 46                             |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (404) 527-7288    |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (404) 527-3560     |
| **Number of children served:** 274       |                           |
|                                          | shaus                     |
|                                          | mann@unitedwayatlanta.org |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Under the leadership of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (UWMA), Smart
Start Georgia formed a coalition of four Marietta, Georgia, preschools
to create an innovative Early Reading First project, *LIGHT: Literacy
Generates Hope for Tomorrow.* Our program will focus on 274 low-income,
preschool children with limited English proficiency, special needs, and
risks for reading difficulties. Over 80% of children in the targeted
school attendance areas of our preschool programs qualify for free or
reduced lunch. *LIGHT* will transform our existing good programs into
centers that exemplify best practices and produce measurable gains in
literacy for young children.

The program will incorporate the use of a literacy-focused,
research-based

curriculum, *Opening the World of Learning (OWL).* To provide the
foundation for future reading and school success, the program goals are
to: (1) improve children's oral language skills (expressive and
receptive language and vocabulary development); (2) build children's
alphabet knowledge (letter recognition); (3) develop children's
phonological awareness (rhyming, blending segmenting); (4) increase
children's print awareness; (5) implement and maintain an SBRR,
language- and print-rich preschool environment to provide abundant
opportunities for children to use print and practice literacy skills;
and (6) increase preschool teacher knowledge and use of SBRR to
systematically address early literacy skills essential to future reading
success.

Professional development methods include intensive in-class coaching,
study groups, training institutes and seminars, and model classroom
observation. Under the leadership of our Early Literacy Coaches,
teachers will become skilled in gathering high-quality data from
progress monitoring tools and using that data to inform instruction. Key
assessment tools include the PPVT, PALS Pre-K, Work Sampling System, and
Get Ready to Read. *LIGHT* will empower teachers to implement
high-quality classroom instruction so children at risk for reading
difficulties excel in early literacy development and smoothly transition
into elementary school. We will *"LIGHT"* the path to brighter futures!

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Illinois                                | **Grantee:** Board of    |
|                                           | Trustees of the          |
| **Project Name:** Early Language and      | University of Illinois   |
| Literacy for Danville (ELL-D)             | -- Special Education     |
|                                           | College of Education     |
| **Project Director:** Jeanette McCollum   |                          |
| (.30 FTE)                                 | 288 Education Building   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$4,060,877                  | 1310 South Sixth St.     |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Champaign, IL 61820      |
| 9                                         |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (217) 244-6178   |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           | Fax #: (217) 333-6555    |
| **Number of children served:** 240        |                          |
|                                           | jmccollu@uiuc.edu        |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*ELL-D (Early Language and Literacy Danville)* represents a
collaboration among

Danville District 118, Danville Area Community College, the Early
Childhood and Parenting

Collaborative (ECAP) at the University of Illinois, and four early
childhood centers (school district preK, Head Start, community agency
child, community college child care). Twelve classrooms will implement
the *TROPHIES PreK* curriculum to develop skills in oral language,
phonological awareness, concepts about print, alphabetic knowledge, and
prewriting skills, organized and sequenced within 5 units (25 themes)
that teach important core content. Trained literacy coaches will assist
teachers to integrate TROPHIES into the broader based early childhood
curriculum in their classrooms. Children will be screened using both a
broad developmental screen and emergent literacy screens, including
DIAL-R, PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and TERA-3. Progress will be monitored monthly
using curriculum based assessment and also bimonthly with the IGDIs. A
tiered approach to monitoring and differentiated instruction will be
used to provide more intensive instruction to identified children.
Families will participate in many types of events designed to increase
their ability to enhance their children's emergent literacy and concept
development, provided by a family liaison.

The grant will be managed by ECAP faculty from the University of
Illinois. ECAP's five participating faculty partners, including the two
Co-Principal Investigators, will serve

as Component Facilitator for designated aspects of the project design
and will be actively involved in personnel development, technical
assistance, and project governance. Professional development will
include regularly scheduled initial and semiannual

Teacher Institutes, weekly in-class coaching, and monthly coach team
meetings with trained literacy coaches in each center. The comprehensive
evaluation plan includes quasi-experimental research on child outcomes,
with follow-up into Kindergarten and 1st grade.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Kansas                                 | **Grantee:** Unified      |
|                                          | School District #475      |
| **Project Name:** Foundation of Literacy |                           |
| Activities for Geary County Children     | 123 North Eisenhower      |
| (FLAG)                                   |                           |
|                                          | Junction City, KS 66441   |
| **Project Director:** Pat Anderson (.10  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Tel. #: (785) 717-2724    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,325,056                 | patanderson@usd475.org    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 36                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 293       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Geary County USD 475 will use it's ERF project, the *Foundations of
Literacy Activities for Geary County Children (FLAG)*, to support early
intervention literacy services for 293 three/five-year-old children
attending four existing preschools, and their 36 teachers in 24
classrooms. USD 475 serves both Junction City, KS and Ft. Riley, the
contiguous 13,540-member U.S. Army post that has no separate school
system. Fully 66% of proposed FLAG students are children of active-duty
military men and women. FLAG partners (Head Start, USD Pre-K, and two
Ft. Riley Centers) will improve access to high quality preschool
services for the county's impoverished, at-risk children, and will
establish early intervention model demonstration sites (Centers of
Excellence) that focus on language, literacy, and prereading development
activities for children with the greatest need. Two of the four
partners, serving 76% of FLAG children, operate at least 6.5 hours per
day for 46 weeks.

The goals of FLAG include: 1) to develop SBRR-based curriculum; 2)
create literature-rich environments; and 3) provide a professional
development model to increase teachers' instructional and assessment
competencies. FLAG will develop early reading skills through *Curiosity
Corner (CC)*, a Success for All (SFA) curriculum designed for preschool.
When the child transitions to kindergarten, he/she moves to
KinderCorner, the SFA kindergarten curriculum. It is aligned with the
five core areas from the Kansas Reading First Statewide Professional
Development Initiative, which meets the Kansas Curricular Standards for
Reading and Writing. All 30 full-day kindergarten classrooms in our
district use KinderCorner, and most low-income K-3 classrooms use SFA,
the K-3 literacy curriculum. Such integration of the SFA curricula
ensures effective transitions for children. FLAG integrates the three
ERF performance measures into its extensive evaluation plan. Measures
will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and Pre-LAS. Once the child is in
kindergarten, scores on district-wide assessments (DIBELS) will be
collected for each child enrolled in FLAG for up to three years, in
order to monitor early literacy development and overall success in
school. Students identified as at-risk by FLAG assessments will receive
intense remediation. Intended outcomes include improved teacher
competencies in the emergent literacy area, increased parent
involvement, and measurable change in reading readiness in preparation
for the transition to kindergarten.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Kansas                                 | **Grantee:** University   |
|                                          | of Kansas Center for      |
| **Project Name:** Wyandotte County ERF   | Research, Inc. -- JGCP    |
|                                          | Life Span Institute       |
| **Project Director:** Mary Abbott (1.0   |                           |
| FTE)                                     | 650 Minnesota, Second     |
|                                          | Floor                     |
| **Funding:** \$3,425,557                 |                           |
|                                          | Kansas City, KS 66101     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 27                             | Tel. #: (913) 321-6143    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | Fax #: (913) 371-8522     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 160       | mabbott@ku.edu            |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Wyandotte County ERF (Wy-ERF)* will build upon an existing
collaboration among two local urban preschool programs, early childhood
support programs within Project EAGLE of the University of Kansas
Medical Center, and early literacy researchers at Juniper Gardens
Children's Project of the University of Kansas**.** The purpose of
Wy-ERF is to substantially increase the intensity of language and
literacy instruction so that children from high-risk Kansas City, Kansas
families improve academically. Nine classrooms, 27 teachers, and 180
children from local Head Start and El Centro preschools will
participate. The project will integrate the intensity-rich tiered model
of implementation, research-based literacy materials, summer and monthly
on-going professional development, and data-driven instructional
decisionmaking. Each classroom will have three teachers (2 AA + 1 CDA).
There will be a mentor coach for every three classrooms and sufficient
assistance from an intervention coach to ensure criterion-level
implementation of tier-two intervention.

Wy-ERF will implement the *Scholastic Early Childhood Program (SECP).*
The Wy-ERF tiered model of leveled instruction that focuses on
differentiated instruction through data-driven decision-making will
substantially increase instructional intensity and help to prevent later
reading difficulties among our young high risk/disadvantaged children.
Our Wy-ERF project will implement these five goals: (1) to integrate
research-based instructional materials and literacy activities; (2) to
increase the use of evidence-based instructional strategies and
activities; (3) to raise the level of environmental support; (4) to
provide and support professional development based on
scientifically-based reading research that will enhance preschoolers'
language, literacy and pre-reading development; and (5) to increase the
use of screening and progress monitoring reading assessments that will
effectively identify children at risk for reading failure and lead to
improved instruction for individual children. Measurements will include
TOPEL, PPVT/TVIP, PALS Pre-K, G3 Oral Language and Early Literacy
Indicators: Picture Naming Fluency, and DIBELS.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Kentucky                                | **Grantee:** Green River |
|                                           | Regional Educational     |
| **Project Name:** GRREC Early Reading     | Cooperative              |
| First                                     |                          |
|                                           | Western Kentucky         |
| **Project Director:** Elizabeth Storey    | University               |
| (.10 FTE)                                 |                          |
|                                           | 1606 College Heights     |
| **Funding:** \$4,466,755                  | Blvd.                    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | #21031                   |
| 34                                        |                          |
|                                           | Bowling Green, KY 42101  |
| **Number of school districts served:** 5  |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (270) 745-2541   |
| **Number of children served:** 198        |                          |
|                                           | Fax #: (270) 745-5199    |
|                                           |                          |
|                                           | liz.storey@grrec.ky.gov  |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) is a
member-driven service agency supporting 32 school districts in rural
Kentucky. The *GRREC ERF* project will support five low-income, at-risk
preschool centers in five school districts. Most of the 198 preschoolers
are language/developmentally delayed; all are low-income and/or have a
special need (disability). Such challenges lead to achievement deficits
in the five identified elementary schools.

GRREC ERF will support teachers as they transform their preschools into
Centers of Excellence. Specifically, it will: (1) implement the
scientifically researched-based *Building Language for Literacy* early
literacy curriculum by Scholastic; (2) double current classroom time,
going from half-day to full-day and expanding to summer; (3) provide
assessment-guided instruction via individual Assessment & Intervention
Plans; (4) provide a 200-hour professional development and coaching
model to support center staff; (5) implement a family/community literacy
plan to impact each child's home environment; and (6) align preschools
with existing Reading First programs (transitioning to Kindergarten).
Achievement of each project goal will be evaluated through aligned
objective benchmarks and indicators. Measurements will include PPVT,
PALS Pre-K, G3, PAYCO, and ELLCO. In short, GRREC's ERF project will
prevent reading difficulties through early, excellent, research-based
instruction that will engage its three- and four-year-olds and expand
their early literacy skills and abilities.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Louisiana                               | **Grantee:** Bright      |
|                                           | Futures Madison Parish   |
| **Project Name:** Bright Futures ERF      | School District          |
| Project                                   |                          |
|                                           | 301 S. Chestnut St.      |
| **Project Director:** Patricia Candler    |                          |
| (1.0 FTE)                                 | Tallulah, LA 71282       |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$3,060,535                  | Tel. #: (318) 574-3616   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Fax #: (318) 574-3667    |
| 28                                        |                          |
|                                           | patrici                  |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  | a.candler@madisonpsb.org |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 250        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The *Bright Futures Early Reading First Project (Bright Futures)* is a
partnership among Madison Parish Public Schools (MPPS), the Delta
Community Action Association Head Start, and the Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory (SEDL). Bright Futures will develop three centers
into Preschool Centers of Educational Excellence: two MPSS elementary
school centers with six Pre-K classes serving 97 children, and one Head
Start center with eight classes serving 153 preschoolers. The project
proposes to provide a full day, full year early childhood program for
three- and four-year-old children who are from very low-income families
in one of Louisiana's most impoverished parishes.

Bright Futures is characterized by close coordination between the local
schools and Head Start center, a strong set of instructional resources
targeted to the needs of low-income children, a focus on providing
high-quality oral language and print-rich environments, and ongoing
professional development that assures effective implementation. All
three centers will implement a common curriculum. The proposed
instructional programs, *DLM: Early Childhood Express* (three-year-olds)
and *Open Court Reading Pre-K* (four-year-olds), are well supported by
current reading research. The project approach also addresses
Louisiana's Pre-Kindergarten standards for early language and literacy.
Professional development plans are modeled after *A Blueprint for
Professional Development* and will provide a minimum of 228 hours of
professional development, including extensive in-class coaching by
trained literacy coaches. Screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostic
reading assessments will be used to ensure that instruction is
scaffolded for each child. Measurements include PPVT, EOWPVT, PALS
Pre-K, and Pre-CTOPP. Project coordination and oversight will be
provided by a steering committee comprised of the project director and
project coordinator, MPPS preschool and Reading First coordinators, the
two literacy coaches, a representative from each of the three centers,
and a SEDL consultant.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Massachusetts                           | **Grantee:** Chelsea     |
|                                           | Public Schools           |
| **Project Name:** Chelsea Early Ready     |                          |
| First                                     | 99 Hawthorn St.          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Project Director:** Jacqueline Bevere   | John Silber Early        |
| Maloney (no ERF funds)                    | Learning Center          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$1,738,087                  | Chelsea, MA 02150        |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Tel. \# (617) 466-5150   |
| 21                                        |                          |
|                                           | Fax #: (617) 889-8425    |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           | beverej@chelsea.mec.edu  |
| **Number of children served:** 117        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The Chelsea Public Schools currently have 5,566 students enrolled in
nine schools with 85.1% of students qualifying for free or reduced
lunch. All schools are Title I Schoolwide programs. Chelsea is an urban
district, with the highest percentage of students whose primary home
language is not English (80.8%) and second highest percentage of
minority students (89.3%) of any public school district in
Massachusetts. The pre-kindergarten (PK) classes have existed in the
Chelsea School District since 1990 and are now located at the John
Silber Early Learning Center (ELC). The ELC is the largest PK provider
in the city with an average daily attendance rate of 94% in the 2005-06
School Year. The *Chelsea Early Reading First (ERF)* project will focus
on seven full-day, year-round classrooms and will directly impact 117
children. Through ERF, the ELC will be transformed into a center of
excellence that will serve as a model for other preschools, particularly
those servicing economically disadvantaged families and students' whose
primary home language is not English.

Chelsea ERF will provide students with the foundational linguistic
building blocks and skills (oral language, phonological awareness, print
awareness, and alphabet knowledge), necessary to meet the challenges of
learning to read and later reading comprehension in a literacy and
language rich environment by: 1) implementing the *Opening the World of
Learning (OWL)* early literacy program curriculum; 2) hiring two
full-time coaches to model and mentor staff on the implementation of
OWL; 3) providing training by the OWL author and publishers on the OWL
curriculum; 4) hiring Hanson Initiative for Language & Literacy to
provide professional development; 5) increasing the quality and quantity
of language and print material available in all classrooms; and 6)
measuring and assessing student growth and development using PPVT, PALS
Pre-K, and EVT. Through focused professional development the Chelsea ERF
project will create a "professional learning community" where ERF staff
will be provided the necessary coaching and content to assist them in
implementing OWL and additional strategies to further enhance their
print and language environments in all areas of the classroom. Chelsea's
ERF project will enhance and expedite the acquisition of early literacy
and language skills to ensure future social and academic success for
students.

Massachusetts

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Project Name:** RENEW -- Reading       | **Grantee:** Education    |
| Enrichment to Nurture Excellence in      | Development Center, Inc.  |
| Worcester                                |                           |
|                                          | 55 Chapel St.             |
| **Project Director:** Sue Washburn (.80  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Newton, MA 02548          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,385,805                 | Tel. #: (617) 969-7100    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (617) 244-3609     |
| served:** 37                             |                           |
|                                          | swashburn@edc.org         |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 313       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*RENEW---Reading Enrichment to Nurture Excellence in Worcester* is a
partnership between the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and the
Worcester Public Schools (WPS). RENEW is a multi-faceted intervention
that will elevate five of WPS' preschool centers from programs of
quality to programs of educational excellence. RENEW will
institutionalize evidence-based instructional practices in 19
classrooms, reaching 313 of the district's most vulnerable children in
each year of the project, nearly half of whom will receive two years of
service. All of these children are low-income and

face other high risk factors for academic failure prevalent in this
urban community---Worcester's percentages of children with limited
English proficiency exceed the state average while standardized test
scores fall below.

RENEW will implement an intensive professional development program for
over 50 WPS staff---supervisors, teachers, and teacher assistants---
consisting of evidence-based, credit-bearing courses, instructional
coaching, and adoption of a new research-based literacy curriculum,
*Opening the World of Learning* (*OWL*). Over the three years of the
grant, each teacher and supervisor will participate in 220 hours of
coursework in early language and literacy development and receive 10
graduate or undergraduate credits. Weekly instructional coaching will
enhance teachers' instructional practices, with a focus on the growing
population of English language learners. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring will occur on a regular basis. Measurements will
include PPVT/TVIP, PALS Pre-K, PLS-4, and Pre-LAS. RENEW will give WPS
the resources needed to coordinate its preschool services with its
Reading First initiative and align practices across preschool and K
classrooms.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Michigan                               | **Grantee:** Marion       |
|                                          | Public Schools            |
| **Project Name:** Mesick, Marion, and    |                           |
| Pine River TLC (Teaching Literacy        | 1011 Lake Ridge Dr., #305 |
| Collaboratively)                         |                           |
|                                          | Traverse City, MI 49684   |
| **Project Director:** Michael Acosta     |                           |
| (.50 FTE)                                | Tel. #: (230) 590-0048    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,796,400                 | mikeacostamsw@yahoo.com   |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 18                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 3 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 161       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Mesick, Marion, and Pine River Schools will partner with Northwest
Michigan Human Services Agency (NMHSA) and North East Community Service
Agency (NEMCSA), Head Start grantees, to transform existing preschool
programs into Early Literacy Centers of Excellence through *Mesick,
Marion and Pine River TLC* (*Teaching Literacy Collaboratively)*. TLC
ensures all preschoolers in these rural districts a high quality,
literacy focused preschool experience, explicitly taught by
knowledgeable staff and of sufficient duration and intensity to develop
the predictive pre-reading skills to transition into Reading
First/kindergarten programs. An average of 20% of the students in these
communities live in poverty compared with the state average of 12%. Free
and reduced lunch eligibility is at 60% compared to the state average of
38%. The socioeconomic status along with the accompanying risk factors
too often sends these children to school ill prepared for educational
success.

TLC will expanding seven two days per week programs and two four days
per week programs to Early Literacy Centers of Excellence that operate
five days per week and 46 weeks per year. Fidelity research based
curricula (*Language for Learning* and *Ladders to Literacy* for
three-year-olds and *Harcourt Trophies* for four-year-olds) will be
implemented to intentionally and explicitly teach predictive reading
skills to 161 three and four-year-olds. A research based parent mentor
program that will support parents working side-by-side with TLC to
provide daily experiences to develop predictive reading skills and a
research based home visiting program to expand curricula exposure will
be implemented. TLC will set up a lending library for families and
sponsor monthly family events. Research based, sustained, intense, and
ongoing professional development will be offered to all TLC staff.
Professional development time will be built into the program schedule on
an annual basis. The early literacy mentor/coach role will be developed
through *Steps to Success* so they have the knowledge and tools to
support teachers in implementing curricula ensuring fidelity to the
model. Valid and reliable screening, progress monitoring, and
assessments will me implemented to ensure individual needs are met,
interventions are timely and are used to inform and guide instruction.
Measurements will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDIs, Pre-LAS, and Denver
Developmental Screen. A transition to school team with all stakeholders
will be developed to create ongoing activities that reflect a shared
vision and investment in reading achievement and school success.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Missouri                               | **Grantee:** The School   |
|                                          | District of Kansas City   |
| **Project Name:** Leveling the Field for |                           |
| English Language Learners                | 1211 McGee St.            |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Alicia Miguel      | Kansas City, MO 64124     |
| (interim -- no ERF funds)                |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (816) 418-2603    |
| **Funding:** \$4,478,279                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (816) 418-2610     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 72                             | amiguel@kcmsd.net         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 590       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Leveling the Field for English Language Learners (Leveling the Field)*,
an Early

Reading First project from the Kansas City, Missouri School District,
will upgrade five early childhood/Head Start programs to centers of
Early Childhood Excellence. The five sites chosen are all schools where
the students would normally enter the English as a Second Language (ESL)
program when they enter kindergarten. These centers include East
Elementary, which has 120 students in its Early Childhood program;
Wheatley, which has 75 students in its Head Start Program and Early
Childhood Special Education program; Douglas, which has 310 students its
Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education Program; Whittier,
which has 80 students in its Early Childhood program, and Woodland,
which has 80 students in its Head Start and Early Childhood program.
Leveling the Field will focus on the language needs of these children
before they enter kindergarten. About 80% of the students in the Kansas
City School District qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch
program. Each of the five sites chosen has an elementary school attached
to them or nearby, with over 85% of their students qualifying for the
Federal Free and Reduced Lunch program. Over 90% of the 665 students
involved in this program are minority with a majority of the students
from families who speak a language other than English at home.

Leveling the Field will provide the scientifically based reading
research programs,

*Curiosity Corner (CC)* and *Breakthrough to Literacy (BTL)* with
scientifically based research in English language development through
the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). The CC and BTL
curriculums include an environment rich in literature and meaningful
environmental print, an emphasis on oral language production, and a
daily schedule pervaded by literacy events. The program provides
teachers with engaging materials and explicit strategies to teach letter
names and sounds through meaningful vocabulary. SIOP uses the three
principles that must be present in all second language classes:
increased comprehensibility, increased interaction, and increased
thinking skills combined with the instructional strategies of: total
physical response, cooperative learning, academic language scaffolding,
native language support, building or accessing background knowledge, and
realia to teach English language development. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring tools will be administered on a regular basis.
Measurements will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and BTL Literacy
Assessments.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Nebraska                                | **Grantee:** Board of    |
|                                           | Regents, University of   |
| **Project Name:** Rural Language and      | Nebraska, University of  |
| Literacy Connections                      | Nebraska -- Lincoln      |
|                                           |                          |
| **Project Director:** Lisa Knoche (.20    | 238 Teachers College     |
| FTE)                                      |                          |
|                                           | University of Nebraska,  |
| **Funding:** \$2,741,563                  | Lincoln                  |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Lincoln, NE 68588        |
| 30                                        |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (402) 472-4821   |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           | lknoche2@unl.edu         |
| **Number of children served:** 176        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*Rural Language and Literacy Connections (Rural LLC)* is designed to
create an intensive, literacy-based early learning program for rural,
low-income children in Nebraska. Rural LLC is grounded on strong
preschool/Head Start classroom curriculum instruction and rich
environmental supports in literacy and language, as well as literacy
supports in supplemental child care (family home or center-based)
settings and children's homes to enhance children's early reading
skills. The partnership involves Head Start Child and Family Development
Program (HSCFDP), and Grand Island Public Schools-Early Childhood
(GIPSEC) in central, rural Nebraska, and the Nebraska Center for
Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. Annually, the language and literacy skills of 176
rural, low-income children from 11 classrooms will be enhanced as a
result of participation.

The goals of Rural LLC are to (1) improve young children's oral
language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge
via use of scientifically-based early literacy curricula (integration of
*Opening the World of Learning \[OWL\]* and *Read Together, Talk
Together \[RTTT\]*); (2) improve the language and print-richness of the
literacy environments for preschool children enrolled in Rural LLC; and
(3) improve the capacity of early childhood professionals in preschools
and supplementary child care settings to support the future reading and
school success of young children through systematic professional
development activities, as well as supplemental literacy-based
opportunities to families.

Professional development that is high quality, sustained and intensive
is important for effective implementation of the curriculum components
(OWL/RTTT) to support children's language and literacy development, as
well as teachers' abilities to provide natural language opportunities
for children and engage families in early literacy development. The
training series is designed to ensure that teachers and child care
providers, 1) understand the underlying principles of child language and
literacy development, 2) understand how to effectively implement the OWL
and/or RTTT curriculum, and 3) utilize effective instructional
strategies, materials, and techniques to engage children in language
learning as well as parents and other family who routinely supervise
children at home. Screening assessments and progress monitoring tools
will be administered on a regular basis. Measurements will include PPVT,
PALS Pre-K, Get Ready to Read, WMLS, Preschool COR, and DIBELS.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # New York                               | **Grantee:** Community    |
|                                          | Foundation for Greater    |
| **Project Name:** Buffalo Preschool CARE | Buffalo -- Good Schools   |
| (Community Action for Reading Equity)    | for All                   |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Helene Harris      | 712 Main St.              |
| Kramer (.20 FTE)                         |                           |
|                                          | Buffalo, NY 14202         |
| **Funding:** \$4,111,507                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (716) 843-8895    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 29                             | Fax #: (716) 843-8899     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | hkra                      |
|                                          | mer@goodschoolsforall.org |
| **Number of children served:** 217       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Buffalo Preschool CARE (Community Action for Reading Equity)* is a
partnership of *Good Schools for All*, the Buffalo Public Schools,
Bethel Head Start, and the Child Care Resource Network (CCRN). CARE
partners will transform five Head Start Centers into Early Reading First
(ERF) preschool centers of educational excellence through a high
quality, scientifically based reading research (SBRR) program aligned
with Early Reading First's statutory guidelines. The five Head Start
Centers in this project serve 217 three and four-year-old children per
year in 13 classrooms - 97% are eligible for free or reduced lunch, 93%
are African-American, 77% live in a single parent household, and 16%
have documented disabilities.

CARE will dramatically increase the language and literacy skills of the
children served so they are all ready to start Kindergarten
successfully. The ERF project will (1) create high quality, extended
year/extended-day programs of stimulating, intensive and explicit
language and literacy instruction for preschool children in a high
poverty neighborhood of Buffalo, NY; (2) expose children to SBRR
literacy instruction and demonstrate significant improvement in the
essential components of literacy: oral language, phonological awareness,
print awareness, and alphabet knowledge; (3) significantly improve the
language and print richness of all three and four year old classrooms
with high quality resources and SBRR strategies to improve cognitive
learning opportunities; (4) provide continuous professional development
for classroom teachers and staff, along with in-class literacy coaches,
to ensure the highest quality of instructional practice in each
classroom; and (5) create a seamless corridor of evidence-based reading
practice for preschool through 3^rd^ grade children by aligning ERF and
Reading First funds and strategies and by tracking children's progress
to ensure that progress is made and sustained.

To carry out these goals CARE will integrate and implement the
*Houghton-Mifflin Pre-K: Where Bright Futures Begin!* and *Creative
Curricula*. The CCRN will design and implement an intensive, ongoing and
embedded professional development component to increase the capacity of
teachers and staff to implement effective literacy instruction and
practices for the low-income children in the CARE project. CCRN staff
includes specialists in early childhood, child development,
developmentally appropriate practices, literacy education and adult
learning. Screening assessments and progress monitoring tools will be
administered on a regular basis. Measures will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K,
and DIBELS.

**[New York]{.underline}**

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| **Project Name:** Syracuse City School  | **Grantee:** Syracuse City |
| District ERF                            | School District            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Project Director:** Karen Howard (no  | 725 Harrison St.           |
| ERF funds)                              |                            |
|                                         | Syracuse, NY 13210         |
| **Funding:** \$3,531,340                |                            |
|                                         | Tel. #: (315) 435-5840     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 22                            | Fax. \# (315) 435-4025     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 248      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

*Syracuse City School District ERF* will transform three District
Reading First elementary schools with pre-k classes and two off-site
District-run pre-k programs serving a large number of English language
learners into five ERF Centers of Excellence. The project will target
nine classrooms serving 248 preschoolers, of whom 93% live in poverty,
15% are ELLs, 79% are non-Caucasian, and 22% have special needs.

These centers will: (1) provide preschoolers with high quality oral
language and print-rich environments with adult/child ratios that
support the proposed language and literacy learning outcomes; (2)
provide intensive professional development to Center staff that is based
on SBRR knowledge of the development of emergent literacy skills,
including strategies to support ELLs and children with disabilities; (3)
provide activities and instructional materials based on SBRR to support
oral language development, phonological awareness, awareness of the
conventions of print, and alphabet knowledge; (4) systematically measure
environment (ELLCO) and children's growth in the critical domains of
language and early reading development to identify at risk students and
to adjust instruction and programs accordingly; (5) coordinate with
Reading First activities at the targeted sites (and/or feeder schools),
providing a comprehensive approach to reading instruction pre-k-3
validated by SBRR; (6) provide parents with knowledge and resources to
support their children's learning; (7) utilize independent evaluators
and rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods to support continuous
program improvement; and (8) broadly disseminate our work at the local,
State, and national levels contributing to the body of knowledge as to
what works to support language and literacy learning for and with our
nation's young children.

The project will provide explicit and intentional instruction for
developing each child's language, cognition, and early reading skills
through the implementation of *Scott Foresman Reading Street Pre-K.*.
The project will provide extensive and ongoing professional development
with interconnecting components including coaching, study groups, small
and whole group sessions, in-class modeling, and visitations to other
classrooms. Screening assessments and progress monitoring tools
including PALS Pre-K and PPVT/TVIP will be administered on an ongoing
basis to measure children's growth in the critical domains of language
and identify at risk students.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # North Carolina                         | **Grantee:** Bladen       |
|                                          | County Schools            |
| **Project Name:** HEART: Hands-On Early  |                           |
| Assistance for Readers of Tomorrow       | 1489 Highway 701 South    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** David Jordan       | Elizabethtown, NC 28337   |
| (interim)/Jessie Smith (proposed) (1.0   |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Tel. #: (910) 862-4136    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,367,721                 | Fax #: (910) 862-4277     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | dcjordan@bladen.k12.nc.us |
| served:** 24                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 206       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The Eastern North Carolina school districts of Bladen and Columbus
Counties have joined forces to implement *HEART: Hands-On Early
Assistance for Readers of Tomorrow* to ensure that students in this
rural, poverty-stricken area receive enhanced learning opportunities at
the heart of future academic success for two years prior to formal
kindergarten entry. The five target sites, Bladen Lakes Primary,
Elizabethtown Primary, Chadbourn Elementary, Hallsboro-Artesia
Elementary, and Tabor City Elementary School, currently operate
full-day, 3K and 4K preschool classes (6.5 hours per day, five days per
week). With ERF funding, operations will be expanded to 46 weeks/year*.*

Through results-driven, ongoing professional development led by early
literacy coaches, teachers and paraprofessionals will be empowered to
implement high-quality instructional practices enabling students to
acquire the essential literacy skills leading to future academic
success. HEART will implement a literacy-focused, scientifically based
curriculum, *Ready, Set, Leap! (RSL)* into the preschool classrooms. By
embedding instructional targets in alphabet knowledge, oral language,
phonological awareness, and print concepts into preschool instruction,
HEART will assist students in developing essential early literacy skills
shown to prevent future reading difficulties and promote academic
success. *HEART* will also address the needs of our rapidly expanding
English language learner population through our English language
acquisition plan. Screening assessments and progress monitoring tools
will be administered on a regular basis. Measurements will include PPVT,
PALS Pre-K, and IGDIs. HEART's Early Reading First program will ensure
that our high-risk students receive *H*ands-On *E*arly *A*ssistance for
*R*eaders of *T*omorrow, acquiring the early literacy skills at the very
*HEART* of future, academic success!

# North Carolina

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Project Name:** The Time is Now in     | **Grantee:** Richmond     |
| Pre-K                                    | County Schools            |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Haven Harrelson    | 118 Vance St.             |
| (interim)/Cheryl Lampley (proposed) (1.0 |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Hamlet, NC 28345          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$2,940,000                 | Tel. #: (910) 582-5860    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (910) 582-7921     |
| served:** 11                             | havenhar                  |
|                                          | relson@richmond.k12.nc.us |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 100       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*The Time is Now in Pre-K* ERF project is designed to prepare children
to enter kindergarten with the necessary cognitive, early language and
literacy skills for success in school. The five programs selected for
the project include children with "at risk" conditions such as poverty,
ELL, and disability. At the same time, they each have the capacity and
potential to become an Early Reading First preschool center of
excellence. The fact that these centers are situated in one of the
poorest counties in the country, Richmond County, North Carolina, makes
them uniquely qualified to demonstrate that centers of excellence can be
established and outstanding child outcomes achieved in communities with
high risk.

*Opening the World of Literacy (OWL)*, the main curriculum, is
structured, systematic, and aligned to support the development of
children's oral and written language skills. The over-arching goal for
the Time is Now in Pre-K project's professional development program is
to improve ALL pre-K children's literacy learning and achievement. This
goal will be achieved by: 1) enhancing adult knowledge of early literacy
development, assessments, and supports as indicated by significantly
higher scores of pre- and post-curriculum-based assessments; 2)
enhancing fidelity of implementation of a research-based early literacy
curriculum the *OWL*; 3) developing and supporting professional learning
communities through "guided design" activities on effective early
childhood language and literacy programs and practice; 4) helping
Richmond county, other schools and districts develop high-quality
comprehensive early language and literacy childhood programs through
dissemination efforts; and, 5) suggesting/providing resources and
research that will help meet these goals. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring tools will be administered on a regular basis. The
specific measurement instruments to be used are the PALS-Pre-K, the
PPVT, preLAS-2, and PLS-4.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # South Carolina                          | **Grantee:** Lancaster   |
|                                           | County Partners for      |
| **Project Name:** Lancaster County        | Youth                    |
| Partners for Youth ERF                    |                          |
|                                           | P.O. Box 1023            |
| **Project Director:** Sharon Novinger     |                          |
| (interim)/Mim Boucher (proposed) (1.0     | Lancaster, SC 29720      |
| FTE)                                      |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (803) 286-1465   |
| **Funding:** \$3,391,930                  |                          |
|                                           | Fax #: (803) 283-2171    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** |                          |
| 40                                        |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 350        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The *Lancaster County Partners for Youth ERF* project was derived from a
county-wide strategic plan. Following a comprehensive community needs
and resource assessment, and extensive review of best practice
literature, a set of detailed strategies was established to improve
school readiness in a small rural county in South Carolina.
Approximately 350 children and families will be served in various
program components. Approximately 40 childcare providers will receive
professional development and mentoring.

The project will implement the *Open Court Reading Pre-K* curriculum.
The professional development component includes on-site training and
mentoring at the three target childcare centers, enhanced diagnostic
assessments, an environmental enhancement component. Professional
development is designed to start at the broad theoretical level,
gradually translate these constructs into specific activities related to
the classroom environment and set-up, content, focus, and duration of
instruction, and strategies for interacting with children to promote
pre-literacy skill development. Finally, staff training is conducted on
the proposed curriculum and assessment instruments. Parent literacy
support (Raising a Thinking Child) and home visitation components
(Parent --Child Home) will also be implemented. The program includes an
evaluation methodology to track implementation and monitor effectiveness
at both the process and outcome levels. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring tools will be administered on a regular basis.
Measurements will include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, TERA-3, and EVT.

South Carolina

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **Project Name:** South Carolina Early   | **Grantee:** South        |
| Reading Collaborative                    | Carolina First Steps to   |
|                                          | School Readiness          |
| **Project Director:** Mary Anne Mathews  |                           |
| (.25 FTE -- no ERF funds)                | 1300 Sumter St.           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$4,150,553                 | Columbia, SC 29201        |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Tel. #: (803) 734-0397    |
| served:** 54                             |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (803) 734-1431     |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2 |                           |
|                                          | mmathews@scfirststeps.org |
| **Number of children served:** 480       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*SCERC (South Carolina Early Reading Collaborative)*, a project of South
Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, proposes to study the impact
of a research-based early literacy model on publicly-supported preschool
programs for at-risk children in public school, Head Start, and private
settings. Partnering with SC First Steps are: the First Steps
partnerships of Darlington and Lee Counties, Public School Districts of
Darlington and Lee Counties; Wateree and Darlington Head Start Programs;
Bishopville-Lee Child Development Center; and Lynchburg-Elliott Child
Development Center. The results of this project will help inform public
policy and the use of federal, state, and local resources in South
Carolina to remedy a court ruling that requires the state to increase
access to early childhood services for children in poverty.

The project will impact student outcomes in three types of programs at
six sites -- one public school, three Head Start, and two center-based
-- in two underserved rural counties, each served by LEAs that are
eligible for Reading First funding and characterized by high levels of
children in poverty and educational failure. This project will impact an
estimated 480 children annually, in both 3K and 4K programs, most of
whom are African American and over 95% are low-income. Project sites
also anticipate serving more children from Spanish-speaking families due
to demographic changes in their counties. Each site has

demonstrated the willingness and capacity to benefit from such a
program.

*SCERC* will transform existing early childhood programs striving toward
higher quality into "centers of educational excellence" by integrating a
literacy-focused, scientifically-based curriculum with high-quality
language and print environments; intensive professional development in
early childhood literacy; and effective use of assessments for program
accountability and informing instructional practice. *SCERC* will
implement Leapfrog Schoolhouse's *Ready, Set, Leap!*, including its
supplemental modules for students having difficulty acquiring literacy
skills (*The Literacy Center*) and for ESL learners (*Language First*).
*SCERC* will: (1) increase teacher knowledge and use of
scientifically-based reading research and practices to promote the
development of students' key early literacy skills including
phonological awareness, oral language development, print awareness, and
alphabet knowledge and (2) empower teachers to successfully implement
high-quality curricula components, instructional materials and
meaningful learning activities to positively impact student academic
achievement. Screening reading assessments and progress monitoring
tools, including PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDI, Get Ready to Read, and RSL
student progress reports will be administered on an ongoing basis.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Texas                                   | **Grantee:** Hearne      |
|                                           | Independent School       |
| **Project Name:** Good Beginnings         | District                 |
|                                           |                          |
| **Project Director:** Catherine Davis     | 900 Wheelock             |
| (1.0 FTE)                                 |                          |
|                                           | Robertson, TX 77859      |
| **Funding:** \$2,166,898                  |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (512) 576-7516   |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** |                          |
| 15                                        | catie74@hotmail.com      |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2  |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 540        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*Good Beginnings* is both the name and the goal of a central Texas
partnership that is led by Hearne (TX), and includes Calvert ISD, Head
Start, two private preschools, professors from Texas State University,
The University of Texas, and EducationNews.org who will serve as
professional development and evaluation partners and project
disseminators. Hearne, TX (and Calvert 10 miles away) are rural farm
communities in central Texas. According to the 2000 census, the average
household income in the area income was \$19,556 and a third of families
were living in poverty. 86% of public school children qualify for free
or reduced price lunch. Through the cooperation of Head Start, TLC and
First Steps private preschools, and Hearne and Calvert ISDs, grantees
will reach *every* three and four year old in the targeted geographical
area.

Good Beginnings has chosen to implement *Doors to Discovery* for
three-year-olds and the *DLM: Early Childhood Express* for
four-year-olds because of their alignment to district Reading First
components, their ease of use and comprehensiveness, appropriateness for
the age, and because both are on the Texas State Adoption Textbook List.
To give teachers the broadest exposure to styles, strategies and
content, Good Beginnings will utilize three tiers of professional
development. Tier I includes curriculum- based professional development
to support the Doors and DLM curricula and will be presented by
certified Wright Group curriculum trainers. Tier II is weekly support
provided by two on-site, highly qualified literacy coaches who will be
in each teacher's room at least four hours a week. Tier III is
independent professional growth which will include keeping a reflection
journal after each demonstration lesson observed; participating in an
optional book study led by one of the Read Team consultants; reviewing
and responding to a video of their own teaching; observing in other
classrooms; and attending college classes. Screening assessments and
progress monitoring tools, including PPVT, PALS Pre-K, DRA Reading
Level, Woodcock Johnson, and TPRI will be administered on an ongoing
basis.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Washington                             | **Grantee**: City of      |
|                                          | Seattle                   |
| **Project Name:** Seattle Early Reading  |                           |
| First                                    | 700 5^th^ Ave., Suite     |
|                                          | 5800                      |
| **Project Director:** Pat Wells (no ERF  |                           |
| funds)                                   | Seattle, WA 98124         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,974,248                 | Tel. #: (206) 684-0524    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (206) 621-5033     |
| served:** 20                             |                           |
|                                          | pat.wells@seattle.gov     |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 193       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Seattle Early Reading First's (SERF)* 2007 will prepare preschool age
children who are low income and at-risk of educational failure to enter
kindergarten with language, cognitive, and early literacy skills
necessary for reading success. SERF 2007 will build upon the successful
strategies used in SERF 2002, which transformed five early childhood
programs into language and literacy rich centers of excellence for
preschoolers. SERF 2007 will partner with five agencies serving 193
children annually in full-time settings: a total of 381 unduplicated
children will be served during the three-year period. Since Seattle's
full-time childcare system is strongly community based, all of the
participating centers are closely connected to families and schools. The
families of children served in these five agencies are primarily very
low or moderately low income, with most earning below livable wage
standards for Seattle.

Centers will use a language intensive, research based early language and
literacy curriculum, *Opening the World of Learning (OWL)*, to develop
oral language and vocabulary, phonological awareness, awareness of print
conventions, and alphabet knowledge. Teachers and program supervisors
will participate in focused language, and literacy seminars taught by a
literacy specialist and college classes. These centers of excellence
will be dynamic learning communities, where teachers routinely use
assessments, including PPVT, PALS Pre-K, and CAP to update curriculum
design, to guide instructional strategies and to identify children who
will benefit from specific resource and assessment referrals. Classroom
environmental and teaching assessments, including ELLCO will be used to
inform the design of classroom environments and will help on-site
coaches tailor interventions. Families will be engaged with literacy
learning activities at the center, in the library and at home.

SERF's focus and strategies align with the strategies in use by the
Local Education Agency (LEA) to reduce disproportionality: children
progressing to Kindergarten in the Seattle Public Schools will be
supported to continue their accelerated progress. SERF is intentionally
designed to sustain and broaden the gains in early literacy in the early
childhood community long after the SERF funding cycle is completed, by
building internal capacity in the form of highly qualified early
childhood providers and well equipped early childhood centers. The
partners are committed to improving equity and outcomes for children at
risk. Together, we will ensure that the most vulnerable preschool
children in Seattle start kindergarten prepared to succeed.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Wisconsin                             | **Grantee:** Board of      |
|                                         | Regents, University of     |
| **Project Name:** Project EMERGE        | Wisconsin, University of   |
| (Exemplary Model of Early Reading       | Wisconsin -- Milwaukee     |
| Growth and Excellence)                  |                            |
|                                         | Dept. of Educational       |
| **Project Director:** Karen Stoiber     | Psychology                 |
| (.50 FTE)                               |                            |
|                                         | 2400 E. Hartford Dr.       |
| **Funding:** \$3,212,726                |                            |
|                                         | Milwaukee, WI 53211        |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 30                            | Tel. #: (414) 229-6841     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  | Fax #: (414) 229-4939      |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         | kstoiber@uwm.edu           |
| **Number of children served:** 300      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

*Project EMERGE* (*Exemplary Model of Early Reading Growth and
Excellence)* is an intensive, multi-partnership effort to transform five
existing pre-kindergarten Head Start and Early Childhood centers in the
Milwaukee urban community into exemplary, scientifically based early
literacy programs. The partnership includes the Social Development
Commission Head Start of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Head Start Delegate and
Partner Sites, and the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Madison
campuses). The project will serve 300 urban, disadvantaged children (at
least 90% are from low-income families) attending 15 full-day classrooms
that provide year-round programming for two consecutive years prior to
kindergarten entry. Approximately 75% of EMERGE child participants are
African-American and 25% are Latino, with less than 1% White/Other.
Approximately 10% of children served have identified disabilities and
20-25% have limited English proficiency.

The five purposes of Project EMERGE are: (1) to develop and implement an
instructional model that integrates the use of explicit, research-based
early literacy practices into existing preschool programs; (2) to
provide multi-tiered, evidence-based practices to support early literacy
development in children from low-income minority families and children
with limited English proficiency; (3) to create high-quality,
literacy-rich environments that provide cognitive learning opportunities
and support the development of children's literacy and language
competence; (4) to provide intensive and continuous professional
development and mentoring grounded in scientifically-based knowledge of
language and early literacy development; and (5) to implement screening
and progress-monitoring procedures to identify children at risk of
developing reading problems and to ensure that instruction accommodates
children's needs. These assessments will be administered on an ongoing
basis and include PPVT, PALS Pre-K, IGDIs, and Story Retelling Task.
Project EMERGE will also implement the *Scholastic Early Childhood
Program* (SECP), a comprehensive, research-supported curriculum that
integrates a primary emphasis on language and literacy with other
learning domains, including math, science, and social studies.