***A Synopsis of the 2008 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 2008

***Summary of the 2008 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 of 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.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # California                            | **Grantee:** Butte County  |
|                                         | Office of Education        |
| **Project Name:** SPARKLE Project -     |                            |
| Student Pre-K Acquisition of Reading    | 1859 Bird Street           |
| Knowledge and Language Excellence       |                            |
|                                         | Oroville, CA 95965         |
| **Project Director:** Heather Senske    |                            |
| (.25 FTE)                               | Tel. #: (530) 532-5763     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,532,656                | Fax #: (530) 532-5698      |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         | hsenske@bcoe.org           |
| served:** 12                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 192/year |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

Butte County Office of Education's *SPARKLE Project* (*Student Pre-K*

*Acquisition of Reading Knowledge and Language Excellence*) will
accelerate the oral language, cognitive, and early reading skills of 192
children annually attending four preschools which demonstrate high
readiness to become centers of learning excellence. Project features
include: (1) enhanced classroom environments to promote oral language,
preliteracy and cognitive skills; (2) comprehensive professional
development through classroom-based instruction, engaging online
learning, and intensive, on-site literacy mentor services to improve
instructional knowledge and practice with emphasis on the needs of
English language learners and low income children; (3) screening and
progress monitoring assessments to determine preschool children's
progress toward the language and early literacy skills necessary for
later school success; (4) implementation of the research-based *Houghton
Mifflin PRE-K: Where Bright* *Futures Begin* curriculum; and (5)
implementation of a parent involvement program including home
visitation, Family Literacy Nights, and literacy materials and supports
to enrich home environments.

Project goals include the following: (1) to demonstrate significant
improvements in oral language, phonological and print awareness, and
alphabet knowledge among participating children; (2) to demonstrate
substantially improved language and literacy environments to encourage
teacher-child and peer interactions, dramatic play, cognitive
development, and individual and small group reading and writing; (3) to
improve staff knowledge and skills in research, instruction, assessment,
and preschool standards to improve early language and literacy
development among diverse children; and (4) to support families in
integrating early language and literacy experiences into the home.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # California                            | **Grantee:** Imperial      |
|                                         | County Office of Education |
| **Project Name:** Ready to Read Plus    |                            |
| (RR+)                                   | 1398 Sperber Road          |
|                                         |                            |
| **Project Director:** Antonia Zupanich  | El Centro, CA 92243        |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,425,061                | Tel. \# (760) 312-6533     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         | Fax \# (760) 312-6565      |
| served:** 16                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 150/year |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The Imperial County Early Reading First Project -- *Ready to Read Plus*
*(RR+*) is based on the existing exemplary Early Reading First (ERF)
project, Ready to Read. It will target children and families who live
below the federal poverty line along the Mexican-American border in
Imperial County, California. *Ready to Read Plus* is a
scientifically-based instructional program designed to 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, *Ready to Read Plus* provides
high quality, intensive professional development to educators (teachers
and aides), as well as parenting programs that promote parental
involvement in the early reading and language development of their
children. Imperial County's existing Early Reading First Project has
been validated through a rigorous research study which shows that
children in the program outperformed their preschool peers on
assessments of oral language, alphabet recognition, and phonemic
awareness (IESD, 2007). *Ready to Read Plus* will use the *Scholastic
Early Childhood Program*.

*Ready to Read Plus* builds upon its existing validated program by
proposing the addition of the following five new, research-based
components in four full-day preschool centers of excellence: (1) Parent
Involvement Plan -- an intensive and interactive parent-child home based
program conducted the Home Literacy Aides; (2) An articulation system
that uses innovative, culturally appropriate approaches to connect
parents and children to kindergarten classrooms; (3) Integrated Child
Assessment System (ICAS) to monitor children's mastery of new state
learning foundations; (4) an ongoing accredited professional development
program that integrates university learning and in-classroom practice,
through the University of Houston's C.I.R.C.L.E. Training; and (5)
instruction and early literacy based assessment training and coaching.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # California                             | **Grantee:** Oakland      |
|                                          | Unified School District   |
| **Project Name:** Smart Start Early      |                           |
| Learning Program (SSELP)                 | 495 Jones Avenue          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Lynne Rodezno (.10 | Oakland, CA 94603         |
| FTE)                                     |                           |
|                                          | Tel. \# (510) 879-8328    |
| **Funding:** \$3,967,979                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax \# (510) 879-2821     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 32                             | lynne                     |
|                                          | .rodezo@oakland.k12.ca.us |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 208/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) proposes the *Smart Start Early
Learning Program* (*SSELP*). OUSD is a large, urban school district
located in Alameda County, California, that is home to 47,012 students
in grades Pre-K through 12th. Outside its boundaries, many perceive the
State of California as an economic giant that has high priced homes,
high paying salaries, and beautiful weather; the reality is a bit
different in Oakland. Over the course of the past few decades, the
community has experienced significant and profound social and economic
changes. Specifically, OUSD is home to growing populations of English
Language Learners (ELL), students that are classified as economically
disadvantaged, and students living in environments that place them
\"at-risk\" of academic failure. Despite these conditions, the Oakland
community is dedicated to ensuring that every child, regardless of
English language ability or economic condition, is provided with a
quality education.

The goal of *SSELP*, which is designed using the latest in
scientifically-based reading research, is to improve the literacy and
pre-literacy skills of the 3 through 5 year old youths in the community.
The *SSELP* will provide: (1) Intense professional development,
including providing in classroom Literacy Coaches, to help teachers
implement scientifically-based reading research (SBRR) into the
classroom during the school day; (2) Classroom environments rich with
books, real-life print, and student work; (3) Integration of the *Open
Court Pre-K* (OCR) curriculum into OUSD's existing early childhood
development programs; (4) Screenings and assessments on every child
multiple times a year to assist with differential instruction; (5)
Expanding the school day to 9-hours a day, 12-months a year; and (6) An
in-home literacy development program for partnering with parents.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # California                            | **Grantee:** Oxnard School |
|                                         | District                   |
| **Project Name:** ERF OSD Early         |                            |
| Literacy Project                        | 1051 South Street          |
|                                         |                            |
| **Project Director:** Diane Wallace     | Oxnard, CA 93030           |
| (.10 FTE)                               |                            |
|                                         | Tel. #: (805) 487-3918     |
| **Funding:** \$1,733,892                | ext. 202                   |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 13                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 100      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The Oxnard School District is a large, Pre-K - 8th grade school
district, with nearly all high poverty and English Learners, located in
an agricultural area on the central coast of California. This proposal
represents the district's serious focus on early literacy and the
improvement of pre-school education, and is an integral part of the
district plan to significantly improve student achievement. As a result
of Reading First, improved achievement in language arts among K-3
students confirms the district's capacity to coordinate efforts,
implement research-based strategies and materials, and demonstrate
positive results. The need is clear and urgent. Between 80-85% of
students in grades two through eight are below proficient on the
California Standards Test in Language Arts.

The goal of the *ERF OSD Early Literacy Project* is to reduce the gap
between at-risk and on target early learners before they enter
Kindergarten. The project will be implemented in three preschool centers
with the capacity to become centers of excellence and is designed to
implement a high quality, research based intensive pre-literacy
development program. The curriculum will include a research-based Pre-K
language development program, an early literacy software program, and a
parent-child home reading program. The *OSD Early Literacy Project* will
establish print rich learning environments in each center. Periodic
meetings and professional development will support communication between
the Pre-K and K teachers. Professional development will focus on
teacher/staff acquisition of research knowledge, development of skills
to implement research-based curriculum, and ability to use data to drive
instruction. Parent education will encourage pre-reading and language
development in the home. The project addresses transition to
Kindergarten by incorporating district Kindergarten staff in project
activities and by scheduling school visitations and conferences with
receiving teachers, Pre-K teachers, a parent and the preschool student.
All students will be assessed initially and periodic formative
assessments will monitor improvement in prereading and English Learners
will be assessed and monitored for second language acquisition. The
instructional materials selected for the Early Reading First project
include *Opening a World of Learning* and the *Waterford Early Reading*
*and Early Math and Science Programs (WERP & WEMS)*.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # California                             | **Grantee:** Riverside    |
|                                          | County Office of          |
| **Project Name:** Project READ           | Education                 |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Raul Anthony       | 3939 13^th^ Street        |
| Garcia (1.0 FTE)                         |                           |
|                                          | Riverside, CA 92502       |
| **Funding:** \$3,298,475                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. \# (951) 826-4848    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 14                             | Fax \# (951) 826-4467     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | trgarcia@rcoe.us          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 208/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The Riverside County Early Reading First Project (*Project READ*) is a
research-based, model program that restructures four Head Start
preschool centers serving 208 children and families in Riverside County,
California. These centers serve only low-income children, most of whom
are limited English proficient and/or have an identifiable disability.

*Project READ* 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, Project READ 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. *READ* classrooms
will use the *Houghton Mifflin's Where Bright Futures Begin (HM PREK) -*
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, and California's
Preschool Foundations.

*Project READ* has developed the following goals: (1) Provide 3 to
5-year old preschool children, including those with limited English
proficiency, identified developmental disabilities, and those at
significant risk for not acquiring school readiness skills, with a
high-quality, literacy-rich learning environment designed to foster the
language and literacy skills necessary for them to meet or exceed
California's preschool and kindergarten content standards; (2) Provide
ongoing professional development and training for teachers to gain
mastery of research-based theory and instruction; (3) Engage parents in
their own and their children's learning and provide them with skills to
extend language and literacy development in the home; (4) Establish a
permanent, articulated educational system for a seamless transition into
kindergarten; and (5) Use multiple assessments to measure, monitor and
support children's development and literacy learning.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Connecticut                            | **Grantee:** Catholic     |
|                                          | Charities, Inc. --        |
| **Project Name:** Connecticut is Reading | Archdiocese of Hartford   |
| First                                    |                           |
|                                          | 61 Colony Street          |
| **Project Director:** Debbie Plourde     |                           |
| (1.0 FTE)                                | Meriden, CT 06451         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,113,058                 | Tel. \# (203) 235-2507    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax \# (203) 639-6509     |
| served:** 23                             |                           |
|                                          | dplourde@ccaoh.org        |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 170/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Connecticut is Reading First* (*CRF*) is a partnership between Catholic
Charities, Oldham Innovative Research, Yale's Haskins Laboratories and
other literacy experts that will develop new best practices in early
childhood and make dramatic improvements in preparing young children
from low-income families to enter kindergarten with the necessary
cognitive, early language and literacy skills for success in school.
This innovative model will create four centers of educational
excellence; and serve as a statewide model for educators. *CRF* will
enhance 4 existing CT School Readiness (SR) preschool centers in
Hartford and Waterbury, two of Connecticut's poorest urban cities with
disproportionately high levels of school drop out rates; poverty; dual
language learners; low academic performance and literacy rates; and
underachieving schools.

In partnership with the Connecticut State Department of Education and
Local Education Authorities since 1998, Catholic Charities provides
comprehensive full year early childhood education services in centers
accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young
Children. *CRF's* exceptional approach includes intensive professional
development, teacher mentoring, integration of new skills and knowledge
into classroom teaching, ongoing screening assessments, progress
monitoring, individualized planning for each child, enhanced
opportunities for discovery and constructive play, and coherent language
and literacy teaching, including skills based instruction in early
reading and writing. *CRF* will work with Reading First schools to
ensure the curriculum is aligned and assist in smooth transitions.
Increased knowledge and expertise in integrating scientifically based
reading researched curriculum and teaching strategies into faith and
community based early childhood programs will be instrumental in
addressing literacy and preparation for kindergarten for low income
children including English learners moving toward closing the
achievement gap. *CRF* will integrate the *Opening the World of
Learning* (OWL) with *Creative Curriculum*.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Connecticut                            | **Grantee:** Eastern      |
|                                          | Connecticut State         |
| **Project Name:** Community Partners for | University                |
| Early Literacy (CPEL)                    |                           |
|                                          | 83 Windham Street         |
| **Project Director:** Maureen Ruby (.50  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Williamtic, CT 06226      |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$1,409,697.40              | Tel. #: (860) 465-0659    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (860) 465-5099     |
| served:** 41                             |                           |
|                                          | rubym@easternct.edu       |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 253/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Connecticut has some of the most deeply impoverished communities in the
country; its schools serve some of the neediest children. *CPEL* will
improve the lives of approximately 506 of these high-need, at-risk
children and their families, through an intensive, bilingual,
family-based language and literacy preschool intervention. Partnering
with two high-quality, community-based centers, nationally-recognized
faculty from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) will support 15
preschool classrooms serving low-income families to become sites of
excellence. Four classrooms will become a model bilingual program.
*CPEL* will use advanced video technology to create video archives and
trainings of research-based early literacy practices.

*CPEL* will increase the time spent in systematic literacy instruction
to improve children's oral language, phonological awareness, print
awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and early writing by integrating
literacy within the total curriculum. Students will be engaged in
literacy activities for up to 3½ hours each day. Additionally, CPEL will
improve home and school language/ literacy environments through
improvements in discourse, materials, activities, background knowledge
enhancement, and a comprehensive family literacy program.

To achieve these goals, *CPEL* will implement the *Scholastic Early
Childhood Program*; utilize *Read Together, Talk Together* (dialogic
home literacy support); and provide intensive,

sustained, classroom-focused professional development, including 220
hours of coaching and 144 hours of professional development for all
teachers and assistants. Screening assessments and progress monitoring
tools will provide formative data to guide instructional planning,
decision making, and tracking of student progress. *CPEL* will
complement and extend the local school district's Reading First K-3
program, and coordinate with similar efforts by sharing findings,
lessons learned, and video clips from *CPEL's* classrooms locally,
regionally, and nationally.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| # Connecticut                           | **Grantee:** Waterbury     |
|                                         | School District            |
| **Project Name:** WE Read First         |                            |
|                                         | 30B Church Street          |
| **Project Director:** Paul Sequeira (no |                            |
| ERF funds)                              | Waterbury, CT 06702        |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,111,516                | Tel. #: (203) 574-8005     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         |                            |
| served:** 21                            |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 216/year |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

With the support of our School Board and community, the Waterbury School
District is in an ideal position to implement Centers of Excellence
focused particularly on bi-lingual and special needs children.
Immigrants are attracted to Waterbury because of a tolerant community
demeanor, a perceived wealth of entry-level jobs and a supportive
Student Intake Center. Our school Board embraces the idea that early
education is the foundation to future learning for *all* children and
its support is limited only by lack of funding. In the past 10 years,
the Board has added inclusion classes and bilingual aides, provided for
co-teachers in all special education classes and supported joint
planning among all sites. Also in the past 10 years, the total student
population has grown from approximately 14,000 to 18,223. Today 43% are
Hispanic students, 28.6% are Black, 26.2% are White, 1.8% are Asian
American, and .3% are American Indian. Demand for pre-K exceeds supply
and we screen applicants, accepting those who are lowest in speech and
predictive literacy skills.

Now Waterbury proposes to provide new services to our urban children who
face significant learning challenges, including poverty, English as a
second language, and special physical, mental, or emotional needs. The
project will meet all invitational priorities and serve 216 preschool
children/year in 9 classrooms with an equivalent of 6.5 hours per day, 5
days per week, 46 weeks per year, in classrooms led by highly qualified
teachers. *WE Read First,* grounded in scientifically based reading
research, utilizes *Harcourt Trophies for Pre-K* and *Breakthrough to
Literacy Pre-K*, an extensive curriculum of explicit, intentional
skill-based instruction in language and literacy development. The
project will involve parents and families. It will be distinguished by a
dual language approach in some classes and a 'push-in' ESL support model
in others. Classroom staff will participate in extensive and ongoing
professional development and will use on-going assessments to drive
instruction. *WE Read First* includes an evaluation plan to be carried
out by an independent evaluator. Significant gains in the oral language
skills of Pre-K students are expected.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **[District of Columbia]{.underline}**   | **Grantee:** AppleTree    |
|                                          | Institute for Education   |
| **Project Name:** DC Partnership for     | Innovation                |
| Early Literacy                           |                           |
|                                          | 415 Michigan Ave., NE,    |
| **Project Director:** Mary Anne Lesiak   | 3^rd^ Floor               |
| (1.0 FTE)                                |                           |
|                                          | Washington, DC 20017      |
| **Funding:** \$4,341,750                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (202) 488-3990    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 42                             | Fax #: (202) 488-3991     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | mlesi                     |
|                                          | ak@appletreeinstitute.org |
| **Number of children served:** 286       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Young children in DC, like those enrolled at our partner schools, are at
the greatest

risk for educational failure of any children in the United States. The
2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) documents that
69% of DC fourth-graders do not exhibit even the most basic-level
reading skills and only 10% read on grade level. Among African-American
students (85% of children in DC) a staggering 73% of fourth-graders fail
to achieve basic-level reading. NAEP's Trial Urban District Assessment
demonstrates that DC performs last in 4th and 8th grade reading when
compared with participating urban school districts, including Los
Angeles, New York, Cleveland and San Antonio (USED). Additionally, DC
has one of the highest special education placement rates in the nation
with nearly 1 in 5 students qualifying. AppleTree Institute for
Education Innovation is the lead applicant for a partnership among
Septima Clark Public Charter School for Boys, Early Childhood Academy
Public Charter School, and the District of Columbia Public Schools. The
project meets all three of the Secretary's invitational priorities and
will transform five existing preschools into centers of educational
excellence that will serve approximately 300 young children annually
at-risk of reading failure per year in the District of Columbia.

The *DC Partnership for Early Literacy* features a standards-based
instructional program grounded in scientifically-based reading research
that uses *Opening the World of Learning* as its core curriculum and
adds *PreK Mathematics* to strengthen children's language and background
knowledge. The project will implement a multi-tiered Response to
Intervention instructional model that relies on providing additional
support for children before they fail in the context of engaging,
suitably challenging and developmentally appropriate instruction. Print
rich, center-based classrooms that meet the standards outlined in the
ELLCO will provide the backdrop for a balance of direct instruction and
child-centered exploratory activities. Families will participate in
family fieldtrips, receive books and activities for each content them
and participate in empirically-based training on supporting their
children's developing language and literacy*.* Annually, teachers,
apprentice teachers and paraprofessionals will participate in a 56-hour
Institute, 22 hours of workshop and 160 hours of in-classroom coaching.
The project will support teachers in assessing children's progress using
the PPVT-IV, EVT-II and the TOPEL, and the PALSPreK for baseline and
outcome assessments and the IGDIs, the GRTR and a letter identification/
letter sound task for progress monitoring.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # District of Columbia                    | **Grantee:** Hope        |
|                                           | Community Charter School |
| **Project Name:** DC Early Success        |                          |
| (DC-ES)                                   | 1003 K Street, NW, Ste.  |
|                                           | 405                      |
| **Project Director:** Nicol Christie (1.0 |                          |
| FTE)                                      | Washington, DC 20001     |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$2,980,010                  | Tel. #: (202) 628-8848   |
|                                           | ext. 134                 |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** |                          |
| 35                                        | Fax #: (202) 628-8849    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  | nchristie@               |
|                                           | studentsupportcenter.org |
| **Number of children served:** 311/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

DC's public schools are in crisis. Although preschool enrollment in the
nation's capitol is among the highest in the nation (67% of children
attend), according to the latest Quality Counts, DC is failing young
children in preparation for school. In response to the area's education
crisis, *DC Early Success (DC-ES)* will establish three Early Reading
First Centers of Excellence at public charter schools in Washington, DC,
that will enrich the early literacy skills of up to 500 students. Hope
Community Public Charter School will collaborate with Ideal Academy PCS
and William E. Doar Jr. PCS to demonstrate how to overcome barriers to
school success and achieve outstanding results with urban youth living
in poverty. The Success for All Foundation (SFAF) and the Student
Support Center (SSC) will provide professional development, technical
assistance, and Mentor-Coaching. Non-certified teachers will have the
opportunity to participate in George Mason University's Early Childhood
Certification program. A School Leader Coach will provide technical
assistance and mentor school administrators, and a Transition
Mentor-Coach will assist students with the transition from preschool to
Kindergarten. Home visitors will support families and facilitate
literacy outreach, and *Ladders to* *Literacy* will supplement the
literacy curriculum for at-risk students needing more intensive help.

Four research-based elements will transform all three schools into ERF
Centers of Excellence. The components are: 1) The *Success for All
Curiosity Corner* (*SFACC)* program, including its intensive
professional development and rigorous plan for implementation; 2)
Mentor-Coaching linked with professional development for Teachers and
Aides; 3) Mentor coaching linked with professional development for
Principals; and 4) Integrated Home-School Programming. Student gains
will be assessed through an external evaluator using multiple measures,
including EARLI probes, PPVT-III, DIBELS, PALS Pre-K, and Woodcock
Johnson (WJ).

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Florida                                | **Grantee:** The          |
|                                          | Committee for Academic    |
| **Project Name:** LASER CAERS            | Excellence                |
| (Collaboration in Achieving Early        |                           |
| Reading Success)                         | 6152 Delancey Station     |
|                                          | Street, Ste. 105          |
| **Project Director:** Candice Harris     |                           |
| (.40 FTE)                                | Riverview , FL 33578      |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,164,998                 | Tel. #: (813) 698-6360    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (866) 370-8138     |
| served:**                                |                           |
|                                          | candice.harris@thecae.org |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 150/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Project *LASER CAERS* (*Collaboration in Achieving Early Reading
Success*) endeavors to develop two community and faith-based early
childhood education centers of excellence in Hillsborough County,
Florida. CAERS will serve 150 three- and four-year olds each year for at
least two consecutive years prior to kindergarten. More than one-third
of the students speak English as a second language, 94% of students
qualify to receive free or reduced lunches, 63% of the students served
are faith-based and 91% of the families served receive Title 20
subsidies. Annually CAERS will serve students year round, for at least
seven hours per day, five days per week.

*LASER CAERS* will adopt *Scholastic's Early Childhood Program* (SECP)
as its core scientifically-based reading research (SBRR) curriculum.
Using SBRR *CAERS* 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 and
age/developmentally-appropriate instruction that embeds literacy and
language across curriculum experiences (4) using screening assessments
and progress monitoring 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. Both centers have a coordinated direct feed into the
LEA and are served by Reading First elementary schools within the
Hillsborough County School District.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Florida                                | **Grantee:** The School   |
|                                          | Board of Broward County   |
| **Project Name:** Building Language and  |                           |
| Literacy                                 | 600 Southeast Third       |
|                                          | Avenue                    |
| **Project Director:** Claudia Dean (1.0  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301  |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$4,022,728                 | Tel. #: (754) 321-1952    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | claudi                    |
| served:** 52                             | a.dean@browardschools.com |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 451       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The School Board of Broward County (SBBC), partnered with Nova
Southeastern

University (NSU), proposes a comprehensive Early Reading First (ERF)
model titled *Building*

*Language and Literacy (BLL)* to improve oral language, phonological
awareness, print awareness, and alphabetic knowledge for students in
existing preschool programs. In 2006-2007, 45% of students entering
kindergarten in Broward County were considered at-risk based on the
Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener. *BLL* will provide intense
literacy support to five proposed ERF sites serving 451 low-income 3-4
year-old children. The five selected sites that will serve as ERF
centers work with 25% of children who speak another language, 15% of
students with disabilities and 95% of the children are from low-income
families as determined by federal poverty guidelines. In an effort to
create five centers of educational excellence, *Opening the World of
Learning*, a scientifically based early literacy program, along with
extensive professional development will be used to create a language and
print-rich environment that supports the critical components of language
and early literacy development.

*BLL* will provide integrated, intensive language and literacy-based
services through the following goals: (1) Implement *Opening the World
of Learning* (*OWL)*, a scientifically-based

language and literacy curriculum; (2) Provide families with information
on language and early

literacy skills; (3) Provide high-quality, ongoing classroom-focused
professional development and continued support and mentoring throughout
the year to increase preschool teacher knowledge; (4) Provide valid,
reliable, and ongoing screening and assessment to identify students
at-risk, guide individualized instruction, and evaluate program
effectiveness; and (5) Coordinate efforts with appropriate community,
state, and federal resources to ensure a smooth transition with Reading
First elementary schools. Evaluation measurements used to assess and
monitor student progress will include the PALS-PreK, PPVT, EOWPVT,
ESI-R, CLASS, ELLCO, IGDIs and Creative Curriculum Assessments.
Workshops and ongoing site mentoring will be conducted along with
efforts to bridge learning into the home and community to meet the needs
of all students. An English Language Acquisition Plan has been developed
to support English Language Learners.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Georgia                                | **Grantee:** Wilkinson    |
|                                          | County Schools            |
| **Project Name:** Great Beginnings       |                           |
|                                          | 207 West Main Street      |
| **Project Director:** Barbara Lundy      |                           |
|                                          | Irwinton, GA 31042        |
| **Funding:** \$4,396,871                 |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (478) 946-4225    |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 21                             | Fax #: (478) 946-3275     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 | b                         |
|                                          | lundy@wilkinson.k12.ga.us |
| **Number of children served:** 210/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Wilkinson County (WC) is one of the poorest counties in Georgia.
Wilkinson County Schools (WCS) has one primary school (k-2) with a total
enrollment of approximately 533 students. 17% of our students have been
identified as students with disabilities as defined under IDEA, which is
a concern. In 2005, an Even Start grant was awarded which provided much
needed parent support to help curb the downward spiral creating a cycle
of poverty. Early Reading First (ERF) for WC will provide the foundation
we so desperately need for our 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 goal of *Great Beginnings* (*GB*) 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 a
SBRR early literacy curriculum using valid and reliable assessments and
interventions to improve school readiness; 2) training staff in SBRR
teaching practices that target language and early literacy, as well as,
cognitive, social, and emotional development; and 3) creating a family
and community network that supports the school learning environment.
Program outcomes for children will be aligned to Georgia pre-k and Head
Start standards and Reading First. *GB's* project features a literacy
team lead by an expert literacy coach (LC), family literacy coordinator
(FLC), and parent educators (PE) that will serve approximately 210

children (7.5 hr/d, 5 d/w, 46 wks). *GB* will implement a program of
intentional instruction and a research-based design for PD in which
preschool staff learn and work together with families. The chosen
curricula (*DLM Early Childhood Express, Imagine It, Language for
Learning, and Breakthrough to Literacy*) 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, *GB* will serve as
a national model for the development of cognition, language, and
literacy in children.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Iowa                                   | **Grantee:** Des Moines   |
|                                          | Independent Community     |
| **Project Name:** Preparing Early        | School District           |
| Readers for Kindergarten (PERK)          |                           |
|                                          | 1301 Second Avenue        |
| **Project Director:** Nancy Duey (.20    |                           |
| FTE -- no ERF funds)                     | Des Moines, IA 50314      |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$4,308,288                 | Tel. #: (515) 242-7588    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (515) 242-7862     |
| served:** 41                             |                           |
|                                          | nancy.duey@dmps.k12.ia.us |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 426/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

A 2008 study conducted by the Child & Family Policy Center of Des Moines
determined that only 29% of students in Des Moines enter kindergarten
with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school. Building
on the success of a 2004 Early Reading First grant, Des Moines Public
Schools (DMPS) will implement the Preparing Early Readers for
Kindergarten (PERK) project at five early childhood sites serving
high-need neighborhoods in Des Moines. This project will serve 25
classrooms and 426 students (89% FRPL, 79% minority, 38% ELL, and 16%
special education).

*PERK* strategies and materials are based on scientifically-based
reading research and best practices to improve oral language, alphabet
knowledge, phonological & print awareness. The PERK project will
implement *Houghton Mifflin Pre-K*, a comprehensive preschool literacy
curriculum that is based on scientific research and aligned with
critical preschool learning goals. This curriculum will be supplemented
with scientifically-based *Hampton-Brown Avenues* for ELL students.
Instructional practices of PERK staff will be improved through
professional development from *McREL Scaffolding Early Literacy*, a
verified, research-based professional development program, and DMPS-led
professional development sessions. Screening assessments and progress
monitoring measures will be administered regularly to determine overall
program success and continually monitor student progress. Assessments
will include PPVT-III, PALS, ELLCO, ECERS, and G3.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Illinois                               | **Grantee:** University   |
|                                          | of Illinois at Chicago    |
| **Project Name:** Achieving Preschool    |                           |
| Language & Literacy Excellence (APPLE)   | Center for Literacy Mc    |
|                                          | 147                       |
| **Project Director:** William Teale (.30 |                           |
| FTE)                                     | 1040 West Harrison Street |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,791,672                 | Chicago, IL 60607         |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Tel. #: (312) 413-1423    |
| served:** 14                             |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (312) 413-8083     |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          | wteale@uic.edu            |
| **Number of children served:** 160/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Achieving Preschool Language & Literacy Excellence* (*APLLE*) is a
partnership involving seven Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
preschool classrooms and the University of Illinois at Chicago designed
to create early education centers of excellence. These classrooms will
provide low-income, culturally diverse, urban children with an
educational program centered on high quality language- and print-rich
environments that foster oral language skills, phonological and print
awareness, and alphabet knowledge enabling children to enter
kindergarten with the language, cognitive, and early reading skills
necessary for school success.

*APLLE* will serve approximately 450 children, over 85% of whom are
considered at-risk for educational failure; the families of the
children; 7 teachers and 7 teacher assistants; and 5 school principals.
*APLLE,* grounded in scientifically-based reading research, will provide
high quality materials and explicit and contextualized literacy
instruction facilitated by implementing the *Opening the World of*
*Learning* curriculum. The curriculum is supplemented by a) targeted
instruction supporting English Language Learners and b) a multi-tiered
instructional model that specific one-to-one tutoring for children shown
by formal and classroom-based assessments to be not making sufficient
developmental gains and are therefore most severely at risk for later
literacy problems. Teachers and assistants will participate in extensive
professional development (PD) to implement *APLLE* at the highest levels
of effectiveness. PD will include regular group sessions and ongoing
modeling, observation, and feedback conducted by on-site coaches.
*APLLE* also will employ a comprehensive, psychometrically sound
assessment program that (1) identifies children at risk for
language/literacy delays; (2) continuously monitors children's progress;
and (3) uses individual and aggregate assessment data to make informed
judgments about appropriate instruction. Finally, *APLLE* includes an
external evaluation that assesses program effectiveness and contributes
to ongoing formative program development.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Louisiana                               | **Grantee:** Louisiana   |
|                                           | State University         |
| **Project Name:** Project Recovery        |                          |
|                                           | 223 Peabody Hall         |
| **Project Director:** Renée Casbergue     |                          |
| (.50 FTE)                                 | Baton Rouge, LA 70803    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$3,607,577                  | Tel. #: (225) 578-6660   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Fax #: (225) 578-2941    |
| 12                                        |                          |
|                                           | rcasberg@lsu.edu         |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 140/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*Project Recovery* represents a partnership between the New Orleans
Public

Schools, Louisiana State University, and the University of New Orleans
to support development of seven preschool classrooms serving 140
children each year as centers of educational excellence. While high
quality basic preschool programs are now in place in those schools that
have opened in Orleans Parish, the addition of the intensive
developmentally appropriate early literacy program proposed here will
help children and families regain educational ground lost in the
disruptions related to the two storms. Each of the schools to be
included in the project serve children with special needs through an
inclusion model, reserving up to 10% of slots for children who qualify
for special education services. The schools' populations range from
98-100% African American. All are considered low SES schools by virtue
of proportion of children on free or reduced lunch ranging from 82 --
96%.

This Early Reading First Proposal has the following goals: (1)
accelerate children's language and literacy development; (2) implement a
content-enriched language and literacy curriculum that provides
comprehensive instruction to enhance children's vocabulary, background
knowledge and thinking skills; (3) increase the amount of time spent in
daily planned scientifically research based language and literacy
instruction, including explicit small group and individual instruction;
(4) substantially improve the language-, literature-, and print-rich
environments in all *Project Recovery* classrooms; (5) dramatically
increase teachers' and assistants' effectiveness in delivering explicit
language and literacy instruction in oral language, comprehension,
vocabulary, phonemic awareness, alphabet recognition, and concepts about
print; and (6) use screening and progress monitoring of age-appropriate
language and literacy skills to identify children at risk and guide
instructional planning. The curricula currently being implemented in
these preexisting preschool classrooms will be supplemented with
Pearson's *Opening the World of Learning* (*OWL*) program and five key
research-based literacy routines. Systematic ongoing and comprehensive
professional development activities will be conducted by experts in the
field of early literacy and monitored using CLASS, a research tested
observation instrument, as well as the ELLCO, PALS-PreK, PPVT and other
assessments with the goal of sustaining implementation of
scientifically-based practices over time.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Maine                                   | **Grantee:** University  |
|                                           | of Southern Maine        |
| **Project Name:** Early Literacy for      |                          |
| Every Child                               | P.O. Box 9300            |
|                                           |                          |
| **Project Director:** Susan Reed (1.0     | 34 Bedford Street        |
| FTE)                                      |                          |
|                                           | Portland, ME 04104       |
| **Funding:** \$4,633,101                  |                          |
|                                           | Tel. #: (207) 780-5825   |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** |                          |
| 32                                        | Fax #: (207) 780-5817    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 3  | sreed@usm.maine.edu      |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 280/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

Maine's educational communities have been challenged by the needs of a
diverse

population that includes a dramatic increase of immigrants and refugees.
In Portland schools

alone there is a 28% ELL population with over 50 languages spoken.
Lewiston refugees and

immigrants represent 8-10% of the population with 16 different languages
spoken. The second wave of Somali immigrants, Bantu, brings specific
challenges as they are illiterate in the written languages of Somali
*and* English. The numbers of students who do not or only partially meet
Maine third grade reading standards average 70% in the neighborhoods
targeted for ERF. Additionally, the children entering elementary schools
have high percentage of diagnosed special needs ranging from 19-42%.

The *Early Literacy for Every Child* project at the University of
Southern Maine

will collaborate with Androscoggin Head Start, Catholic Charities St.
Louis Child Development Center, People's Regional Opportunity Program
Head Start and three LEAs

to transform sixteen preschool classrooms into programs of educational
excellence. The project will implement activities to improve
significantly: (1) Classroom language and literacy environments for 280
children annually; (2) 32 preschool teachers' capacity to deliver SBRR
instruction and assessment (including regular, direct and explicit
language and literacy activities that support oral language,
phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge and print awareness); (3)
Preschool children's transition to kindergarten programs.

The project will implement the research-based curriculum, *Opening the
World of*

*Learning (OWL),* in order to support significant and sustainable change
in curriculum,

instruction, classroom environment, parental involvement, professional
development and

child and program level assessment require to meet the proposed goals. A
professional

development team comprised of Dr. Judy Schickedanz, early literacy
expert and senior

*OWL* curriculum author, multilingual specialists, speech therapists, an
inclusion and a

technology specialist will work with five early literacy coaches to
ensure successful

project outcomes and knowledge transfer to all teachers. Oldham
Innovative Research

will conduct the formal assessments and evaluation.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Massachusetts                          | **Grantee:** Education    |
|                                          | Development Center        |
| **Project Name:** LEADER - Lowell's      |                           |
| Enhanced Approach for Developing Early   | 55 Chapel Street          |
| Readers                                  |                           |
|                                          | Newton, MA 02458          |
| **Project Director:** Sheila Skiffington |                           |
| (.80 FTE)                                | Tel. #: (617) 969-7100    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$2,766,184                 | Fax #: (617) 244-3609     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | sskiffington@edc.org      |
| served:** 26                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 175/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in partnership with Community
Teamwork Incorporated (CTI) is pleased to propose project *LEADER --
Lowell's Enhanced Approach for Developing Early Readers* in Lowell, MA.
EDC brings 5 decades of experience in leading widely-recognized
national, state, and local early literacy initiatives and more than 20
years of working collaboratively with CTI on school improvement efforts.
CTI has a record of quality and now seeks to work closely with EDC staff
to fully implement an Early Reading First project, located at EDC's
Lowell office. Together we have carefully crafted a multi-faceted
intervention to elevate 2 of CTI's preschool centers from programs of
quality to programs of educational excellence.

*LEADER* will institutionalize evidence-based instructional practices in
10 classrooms, potentially reaching 525 of Lowell's most vulnerable
children during the 3 years of the project. All of these children are
low-income and face other high risk factors for academic failure. The
number of Lowell's ELL children exceeds the state average and their
standardized test scores fall well below mean state assessment scores.
*LEADER* will implement an intensive professional development program
for nearly 30 Lowell staff---teaching teams, supervisors, and Reading
First kindergarten teachers---consisting of evidence-based,
credit-bearing courses, instructional coaching, adoption of a
research-based curriculum, and parent training sessions. Over the 3
years of the grant, each participant will engage in 220 hours of
coursework in early language/literacy development, formative assessment,
and science, receiving 10 graduate or undergraduate credits. Weekly
instructional coaching will enhance teachers' instructional practices,
with a focus on the considerable population of English language
learners. *LEADER* will give CTI the resources needed to coordinate its
preschool services with its Reading First initiative and align practices
across preschool and K classrooms. CTI has selected the scientific
research-based *Building Language for Literacy* (*BLL*) curriculum in
recognition that a strong literacy-based curriculum is essential and
because of its rigorous scientific base and its coordination with the
*Creative Curriculum* framework (*CC*).

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Massachusetts                          | **Grantee:** Greater      |
|                                          | Lawrence Community Action |
| **Project Name:** EStRELLA - Early Steps | Council, Inc.             |
| towards Reading, Education, Language &   |                           |
| Literacy Acquisition                     | 305 Essex Street          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Gayle Williams     | Lawrence, MA 01840        |
| (.25 FTE)                                |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (978) 681-4996    |
| **Funding:** \$3,976,257                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (978) 681-4948     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 33                             | gwilliams@glcac.org       |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 235       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*EStRELLA -- Early Steps towards Reading, Education, Language & Literacy
Acquisition* is headed by the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council
as fiscal and administrative lead for the local Community Partnerships
for Children Program. *EStRELLA* is a partnership within a partnership.
The centers that will participate in *EStRELLA* are already members of
the CPC partnership, a group of 53 organizations that provide services
related to early care and education in Greater Lawrence. Participating
*EStRELLA* centers will be three sites of educational excellence, all in
urban early childhood settings serving low income children, with 52%
being English Language Learner (ELL) children.

The goals of *EStRELLA* are to: (1) Build Centers of Excellence through
improvement in early childhood instruction, enriched classroom
environments, and language supportive interactions that infuse literacy
into every part of the child's preschool experience and (2) Improve
children's phonological awareness, print awareness, alphabet knowledge
and oral language via a five prong approach using: a) explicit
instruction, ELL & special needs strategies involving language extension
and vocabulary development; b) best practices in print rich environments
with teachers/families using the environment as a teaching/learning
tool; c) teacher understanding and application of SBRR practices after
600 hours of professional development; d) valid and reliable screenings,
diagnostic, progress monitoring and outcome literacy measures to
identify children at risk; and e) collaboration and coordination of ERF
with similar efforts and with other resources.

*EStRELLA* (10 hrs/5 days/12 months) is projected to serve 235 high
poverty, at-risk children from 3 sites (2- YMCA, YWCA) in multi-age
classrooms. Of the 206 students currently enrolled, 19 have identified
special needs, 93% live in poverty & over 52% are non/limited English
speaking. Classrooms are staffed with bi-lingual teachers or
paraprofessionals. *EStRELLA* will use *Curiosity Corner* as the core
curriculum with *Language for Learning* as a supplement and
*Breakthrough to Literacy* for intervention.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Michigan                                | **Grantee:** Grand       |
|                                           | Rapids Community College |
| **Project Name:** EARLY -- Early Accent   |                          |
| on Reading and Learning for Young         | 143 Bostwick NE          |
| Children                                  |                          |
|                                           | Grand Rapids, MI 49503   |
| **Project Director:** Rebecca Brinks (.25 |                          |
| FTE)                                      | Tel. #: (616) 234-4084   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$4,494,866                  | Fax #: (616) 234-3370    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | bbrinks@grcc.edu         |
| 15                                        |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 144/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*Early Accent on Reading and Learning for Young Children* (*EARLY*) will
develop Centers of Early Childhood Educational Excellence at five sites
that serve 144 children each year of the program in urban Grand Rapids,
Michigan. EARLY is a partnership between Grand Rapids Community College
(GRCC), Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), and the YMCA of Greater
Grand Rapids (YMCA). The project is based upon a theory of change
focusing on scientifically based reading research (SBRR) literacy
practices and leading to school readiness for at-risk children. *EARLY*
meets ERF Invitational Priority 1 as intensive full-time services are
delivered to at-risk preschoolers; age's four to five, at sites that
feed into

Reading First schools. Priority 2 is met by focusing on increasing
school readiness for children with limited English proficiency.
Invitational Priority 3 is met through intentional inclusion of the YMCA
of Greater Grand Rapids, a non-profit, faith-based organization built on
Christian principles. The emphasis of the project is to serve those
children who are considered most at risk and in need of early
intervention.

*EARLY* activities address the following ERF goals: (1) Classroom
environments will be improved through use of the Classroom Literacy
Enrichment Model (CLEM), grounded in SBRR, that infuses literacy into
all aspects of the classroom environment and emphasizes assessment as a
part of common classroom practice. This builds on the experience and
success of the 2002 ERF grant and Great Start Professional Development
Grant. (2) Professional development for educators will be provided
through an initial coursework learning opportunities, cohort monthly
workshops, site-based mentoring (coaching) and individualized education
plans that will lead to improved instruction in oral language,
phonological and print awareness, and alphabet knowledge. (3) Services
and instructional materials will develop language, cognitive and early
reading skills through use of the CLEM integrating SBRR literacy
practices. (4) Screening assessments (Pre-LAS, PPVT III, Pals PreK,
TROLL) will identify needs of individual children and drive
instructional strategies. Classroom environments will be assessed using
ELLCO and improved to ensure tools for learning are available. External
evaluation will be conducted to provide on-going assessment data,
assessment of change in educator knowledge and practice, and use of home
literacy activities by families. Data will be used to ensure program
efficacy and to improve the project on an ongoing basis.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Michigan                                | **Grantee:** Western     |
|                                           | Michigan University      |
| **Project Name:** Promising Beginnings    |                          |
|                                           | 1903 W. Michigan Avenue  |
| **Project Director:** Esther Newlin-Haus  |                          |
| (1.0 FTE)                                 | 1202 Sangren Hall Mail   |
|                                           | Stop 5290                |
| **Funding:** \$4,024,946                  |                          |
|                                           | Kalamazoo, MI 49008      |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** |                          |
| 40                                        | Tel. #: (269) 387-0728   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  | esth                     |
|                                           | er.newlin-haus@wmich.edu |
| **Number of children served:** 350/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

*Promising Beginnings (PB)* is a unique partnership between Western
Michigan

University (WMU), Kalamazoo Head Start (HS), Learning Village (LV), a
state funded/ tuition based program, and the YWCA Preschool in
Kalamazoo, Michigan. The project seeks to improve school readiness of
approximately 350 children annually from 12 classrooms. Seventy-six
percent are eligible for free/reduced lunch and 18% are English Language
Learners who speak Spanish, Arabic, and various Asian languages. A
four-week summer program (LV & YWCA) and an intensive summer family
program (HS) will increase intensity and extent of early literacy
instruction.

*PB* will integrate *Creative Curriculum/High Scope* with *Opening the*
*World of Learning (OWL)*, an SBRR early literacy curriculum, providing
intensive, thematic, integrated curriculum to increase early literacy
skills in alphabet recognition, phonological awareness, print/book
awareness, background knowledge, and oral language/vocabulary. *PB* will
supplement OWL with rich classroom libraries and thematic "prop boxes."
Parent workshops, mentoring, and take-home books will increase the
print-richness of children's homes. *PB* is heavily weighted on
parent/family and community (Parent to Parent of SW Michigan, the
Hispanic American Council, and the national award-winning Kalamazoo
Public Library) involvement. *PB* will also provide intensive
professional development: workshops, small-group "coaching labs" and
coaching, offering WMU credits for teachers. Weekly coaching of teachers
will ensure high quality, explicit, data-driven instruction using valid
and reliable outcome and ongoing progress/classroom monitoring
instruments (PPVT, PALS Pre-K, CIRCLE, Monthly Benchmark Checklist,
qualitative child profile data, and ELLCO).

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Montana                                 | **Grantee:** Rocky Boy   |
|                                           | School Districts 87-J&L  |
| **Project Name:** Rocky Boy Preschool     |                          |
| Literacy Acquisition Coalition (RB        | RR 1, Box 620            |
| Coalition)                                |                          |
|                                           | Box Elder, MT 59521      |
| **Project Director:** Voyd St. Pierre     |                          |
| (.10 FTE)                                 | Tel. \# (406) 395-4291   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$2,251,690                  | Fax #: (406) 395-4829    |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | v                        |
| 18                                        | oydsp@rockyboy.k12.mt.us |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2  |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 138        |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The *Rocky Boy Preschool Literacy Acquisition Coalition* (*RB
Coalition*) is a partnership among local education agencies (Rocky Boy
and Box Elder School Districts), local Head Start provider (Rocky Boy
Head Start), and Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
(McREL). The RB Coalition will improve the school readiness of 138
low-income, ethnically and language-diverse children in nine preschool
classrooms throughout rural communities of the Chippewa Cree Indian
Nation. While poverty is pervasive in this remote, rural area, the
American Indian (AI) children to be served by the *RB Coalition* face
additional educational challenges; they must learn to negotiate and
integrate two worlds---the tribal and the surrounding communities. These
challenges can be overcome with early intervention, most importantly,
ensuring that all children enter school ready to learn.

*RB Coalition* will implement a curriculum, proven second language
acquisition strategies, professional development, and valid and reliable
assessments to create centers of excellence that increase children's
language and literacy preparedness. The project addresses the two
invitational priorities by providing a full day, full year program to
at-risk children, many of whom have limited English proficiency.
Teachers and aides will be provided with research-based curricular
materials (Houghton Mifflin *Where Bright Futures Begin)*, ongoing
research-based professional development (Mid-Continent Research for
Education and Learning, *Scaffolding* *Early Literacy)*, and
instructional support via literacy coaches and model teachers to ensure
that the children of the *RB Coalition* are prepared to enter
kindergarten with the cognitive, early language and literacy skills
needed for success in school: oral language, phonological awareness,
alphabet knowledge, and print awareness.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **[New York]{.underline}**               | **Grantee:** Addison      |
|                                          | Central School District   |
| **Project Name:** BLAST Off-- Build      |                           |
| Literacy Awareness, Skills, and Training | 7 Cleveland Street        |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Deborah Flint (.10 | Addison, NY 14801         |
| FTE -- no ERF funds)                     |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (607) 359-2261    |
| **Funding:** \$2,769,345                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (607) 359-2156     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 14                             | dflint@addisoncsd.org     |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 120       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The *BLAST Off* Program will partner the Addison Central School District
with

ProAction Head Start to deliver a high-quality, research-based Early
Reading First program

designed to accelerate language and literacy development for three- and
four-year old, at-risk,

children living in a rural, geographically isolated,
economically-depressed community located in the Appalachian foothills in
the southern tier of New York State. Twenty percent of district families
have incomes below the federal poverty guidelines; 62% of students
qualify for a free/reduced price lunch; 33% percent of parents have less
than a high school education or GED; and 20% are illiterate/marginally
literate. Thirty-nine percent of entering kindergarten students scored
below benchmark for Letter Naming Fluency and 90% of students with no
preschool experience score below benchmark. Additionally, rural
isolation delays the development of social skills needed for success in
school.

In order to address the impact of poverty and social isolation on early
literacy development, the program partners will create two Early Reading
First Centers; one at Tuscarora Elementary School and one at Valley
Elementary School. The project will provide structured, systematic,
explicit instruction in the four key literacy areas using the *Open
Court Reading Pre-*K literacy curriculum, extend existing half-day
programs to full-day, increase the number of children served from 87 to
120, add an additional four-year old class and three-year old class,
extend the program year to 46 weeks, and implement a tiered system of
intervention using the Response to Intervention Model. Teachers will
participate in intensive, sustained classroom-focus professional
development including coaching and mentoring provided by two Literacy
Coaches. As a result of program participation,

students will increase their alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness,
print awareness, and oral language skills; families will increase their
skills for supporting early literacy skills; and teachers will increase
their capacity to effectively integrate SBRR into classroom instruction.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # North Dakota                           | **Grantee:** North Dakota |
|                                          | Department of Public      |
| **Project Name:** MiND PLACE -- Minot,   | Instruction               |
| North Dakota Preschool Literacy          |                           |
| Acquisition Collaborative for Education  | 600 East Boulevard Ave.,  |
|                                          | Dept. 201                 |
| **Project Director:** Gail Schauer (.50  |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Bismarck, ND 58505        |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$5,601,655                 | Tel. #: (701) 328-2285    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (701) 328-4770     |
| served:** 61                             |                           |
|                                          | gschauer@nd.gov           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 2 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 380       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The *Minot, North Dakota Preschool Literacy Acquisition Collaborative
for*

*Education (MiND PLACE*) aims to improve the school readiness of 380
low-income, ethnically and language-diverse children attending three
regional Head Start preschools (Minot Public Schools, Early Explorers,
and Three Affiliated Tribes) located in Minot and Mohall-Lansford-
Sherwood School Districts. This remote rural area faces numerous
challenges to education, including pervasive poverty and unemployment.
Approximately 79 percent of children in the proposed project are
eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and 35% are English learners.
Although growing up in remote, rural America presents a well documented
set of educational challenges for young children, including pervasive
poverty and limited opportunities,1 these challenges can be overcome
using strategies such as ensuring that all children enter school ready
to learn. To address this condition, *MiND PLACE* will combine a
curriculum, proven second language acquisition strategies, professional
development, and valid and reliable assessments to create centers of
excellence that increase children's language and literacy preparedness.
The proposed project addresses the two invitational priorities by
providing a full day, full year program to at-risk children, many of
whom have limited English proficiency.

To help children acquire the cognitive, oral language, and early
literacy skills needed for later success, *MiND PLACE* will use a
multifaceted approach that is grounded in the science of reading and
instructional best practices. The approach features eight strategies:
(1) increased time for learning; (2) research-based literacy curriculum,
Pearson's *Opening the World of* *Learning*; (3) print- and
language-rich classrooms; (4) research-based instructional practices
that support individual learning needs; (5) ongoing assessment and
progress monitoring; (6) *Scaffolding Early Literacy,* research-based
professional development led by Dr. Elena Bodrova and Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning; (7) home-school linkages; and (8) a
comprehensive preschool to kindergarten transition program.
Videoconferencing will supplement face-to-face professional development
and curriculum planning. Formative and summative evaluation will guide
program implementation and measure changes in teacher practice and child
outcomes.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Oklahoma                               | **Grantee:** Little Dixie |
|                                          | Community Action Agency,  |
| **Project Name:** Project HOPE --        | Inc.                      |
| Helping Oklahoma Preschoolers Excel      |                           |
|                                          | 209 North 4th Street      |
| **Project Director:** Ruthie Tate (1.0   |                           |
| FTE)                                     | Hugo, OK 74743            |
|                                          |                           |
| **Funding:** \$3,930,569                 | Tel. #: (580) 326-3351    |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | Fax #: (580) 326-2305     |
| served:** 36                             |                           |
|                                          | rtate@littledixie.org     |
| **Number of school districts served:** 3 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 310/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Project HOPE*, or *Helping Oklahoma Preschoolers Excel*, is the name of
Little Dixie Community Action Agency's (LDCAA) Early Reading First
initiative. LDCAA is a private, nonprofit community organization that
operates Head Start classrooms in three rural Oklahoma counties
(Choctaw, McCurtain, and Pushmataha), which have some of the highest
poverty rates in the state. All three counties are included in the
territory of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and have large Native
American populations. The project will serve children attending
preschool centers located within these poverty-stricken, rurally
isolated counties.

Through *Project HOPE*, LDCAA will turn three rural preschool sites into
model centers of excellence by implementing the Wright Group's
*Breakthrough to Literacy (BtL)*, a comprehensive reading curriculum
addressing essential Early Reading First (ERF) components. Assisting in
this endeavor will be: local educational agencies and Head Start
centers, families of the preschool children served, the University of
Oklahoma, the University of Memphis, and the Center for Improving the
Readiness of Children for Learning and Education/University of Texas
Health Sciences Center. These and other partnerships will be established
to build relationships with those involved in the project, and to ensure
that *Project HOPE* is transitioned easily into the centers to be
served.

Through this funding opportunity, *Project HOPE* will address all three
Invitational

Priorities, which are: intensity of services provided through full-time
early childhood education programs; an English Language Acquisition Plan
for children served with limited English proficiency; and engaging
faith-based or community organizations in the delivery of services under
the Early Reading First Program. In addition, *Project HOPE* will
include an equal balance of comprehensive, research-based,
literacy-focused professional development, improved classroom
environment and literacy instruction, assessment, and family
involvement. Each of these components will be used to facilitate
low-income children's language and literacy learning to prevent them
from encountering reading difficulties once they enter school.

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| # Pennsylvania                            | **Grantee:** School      |
|                                           | District of Lancaster    |
| **Project Name:** Lancaster Early Reading |                          |
| First                                     | 251 South Prince Street, |
|                                           | 3rd Floor                |
| **Project Director:** Traci Scott (.80    |                          |
| FTE - no ERF funds)                       | Lancaster, PA 17602      |
|                                           |                          |
| **Funding:** \$2,781,482                  | Tel. #: (717) 291-6264   |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of teachers/assistants served:** | Fax #: (717) 396-6817    |
| 14                                        |                          |
|                                           | tas                      |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1  | cott@lancaster.k12.pa.us |
|                                           |                          |
| **Number of children served:** 250/year   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

The School District of Lancaster is located in an urban center in rural
Pennsylvania. Although our surrounding region is best known for its
Amish population and picturesque farmlands, Lancaster City belies this
marketing stereotype. We are a diverse urban community. Unfortunately,
many of our children and youth are at risk of educational failure. Only
45% of students met state standards in reading on the 2007 Pennsylvania
System of

School Assessment; 52% met PSSA math standards. The achievement gap
between Caucasian students and African-American and Latino students
persists and widens as students age. While 58% of Caucasian 11th-grade
students met PSSA reading standards, only 37% of African American and
33% of Hispanic students did so. In 2006-07, only 67% of students
graduated; that percentage drops to 56% for Latino students. *Lancaster
Early Reading First* is a communitywide effort to transform 4 urban
preschool centers in the School District of Lancaster into models of
early childhood literacy and language excellence, using scientifically
based reading research (SBRR) as the foundation for this work. The 4
Lancaster centers serve a diverse population of 250 children: 85% of
children receive free/reduced lunch; 67% are Latino, 20%
African-American, 10% Caucasian, and 3% Asian; 68% of students are
English language learners; and 5% of children have identified
disabilities and receive special education services.

With support from Early Reading First, our centers will: (1) Implement
strategies, materials and professional development that are grounded in
SBRR. We will continue to implement *Building Language for Literacy* as
the primary curriculum to address the four major areas of ERF: oral
language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet
knowledge. *BLL* builds from the *Report of the National Reading Panel*,
*Learning to*

*Read and Write* and *Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young
Children*. (2) Operate full-day, full-year, consecutive-year programs in
each of our target centers (Priority 1), allowing us to increase the
intensity and depth of instruction and resulting in greater gains in
language and literacy development among our at-risk students. (3) Offer
a robust language acquisition program for our English language learners
(Priority 2). Our language acquisition program will employ immersion to
align it with the District's immersion-based ELL program. Students'
knowledge of their native language, Spanish, will be built upon and
supported as they acquire English language and literacy abilities. With
these components in place, our centers will provide *all* children, with
the language, cognitive and early reading skills necessary for future
reading success.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # South Carolina                         | **Grantee:** The School   |
|                                          | District of Edgefield     |
| **Project Name:** PEACH -- Partnership   | County                    |
| for Educational Achievement in Centers   |                           |
| and Homes                                | 3 Par Drive               |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Bridget Creel      | Edgefield, SC 29824       |
| Clark (1.0 FTE)                          |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (803) 275-2755    |
| **Funding:** \$3,948,791                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (803) 275-4426     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 24                             | b                         |
|                                          | clark@edgefield.k12.sc.us |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 255/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The School District of Edgefield County, in partnership with the GLEAMNS
Head Start Program and Edgefield First Steps to School Readiness
Program, has formed the *PEACH* (*Partnership for Educational
Achievement in Centers and Homes*) Project to address the historical
pattern of low educational achievement in this small, rural county where
one in ten preschool children lives in abject poverty and one in four
does not demonstrate readiness for first grade. Operating forty six
weeks per year, the project will transform the county's four elementary
schools and sole Head Start Program into preschool Centers of
Excellence. The *PEACH Project* will ensure, due to its inclusion of all
public providers, that every low-income, educationally disadvantaged
three and four year old child has the opportunity to enter kindergarten
with the cognitive and early literacy skills necessary to ensure reading
success.

The *PEACH Project* will integrate an explicit, scientifically-based
emerging literacy

curriculum, *Building Language for Literacy*, into all centers to
facilitate a two year continuum of

intentional instruction in oral language, phonological awareness, print
awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Instruction will be provided in
thirteen classrooms rich in language and literature. All teachers will
participate in rigorous and ongoing professional development in the
continuum of reading that incorporates weekly embedded sessions to
convert scientifically based reading research concepts to practice. The
project will utilize criterion referenced and standardized instruments
including the PALS PreK, PPVT-III, PEP, IGDI, ELLCO, and CLASS to
measure progress and inform instruction and professional development at
the student, classroom, and program levels. Community-based literacy
teams, aligned to school attendance zones, will serve as vehicles for
transitional planning and instructional continuity across providers. The
*PEACH Project*, through its county-wide scope and research-based
design, will ensure that every child has the necessary foundation to
reach their full reading potential.

+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| **[Tennessee]{.underline}**             | **Grantee:** Hamilton      |
|                                         | County Department of       |
| **Project Name:** Great Beginnings      | Education                  |
| Early Literacy Initiative               |                            |
|                                         | 3074 Hickory Valley Road   |
| **Project Director:** Brenda Benford    |                            |
| (.20 FTE - no ERF funds)                | Chattanooga, TN 37421      |
|                                         |                            |
| **Funding:** \$3,938,734                | Tel. #: (423) 209-8563     |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of teachers/assistants         | Fax. \# (423) 209-8494     |
| served:** 50                            |                            |
|                                         | benford_b@hcde.org         |
| **Number of school districts served:**  |                            |
| 1                                       |                            |
|                                         |                            |
| **Number of children served:** 425      |                            |
+-----------------------------------------+----------------------------+

The *Great Beginnings Early Literacy Initiative* is collaboration
between Hamilton County Department of Education, Chattanooga Human
Services, City of Chattanooga Head Start, and Children's Home/Chambliss
Shelter. The project will serve 425 3-5 year old children and 50
teachers and assistants in 1 Reading First school, 2 community based
centers, and 2 Head Start centers. The selected sites are located in
some of the most impoverished areas in the county. According to a survey
conducted by the Southeast Tennessee Information Service, between 47%
and 61% of the students in these communities scored in the "not ready to
learn" section of the First Step readiness test and approximately 45% of
the adults in these communities had the highest percentage of reading
deficiencies in the county. Because of the extreme poverty (100%
free/reduced lunch), chronically poor educational achievement, & high
rate (50%) of entry into kindergarten with learning deficiencies, *Great
Beginnings* (GB) will show what at-risk children can achieve in "centers
of excellence." The project will serve sizable

populations (over 15%) of children with special needs.

The initiative will allow the programs to effectively utilize
literacy-based curricula and to create learning environments that would
build a strong foundation of basic literacy skills by integrating SBRR
strategies, instructional materials, and literacy activities into our
existing programs**.** Ts part of the project the district will extend
the number of weeks children are served to 46 and to hire support staff
that would focus on assessment, curricula, instruction, and professional
development for administrators, staff (teachers and assistants), and
families. The project will provide literacy coaches, a family literacy
coordinator, and a speech and language therapist. The initiative is
designed to transform our existing preschool programs into centers of
excellence that would provide a high-quality education for preschool
children, who are considered at risk and are economically disadvantaged.
The research based curricula are *DLM Early Childhood Express* for 3
year olds and *Opening the* *World of Learning* for 4 year olds.
Assessments for screening, informing instruction, and monitoring student
progress are First Step Screening Assessment, PALS Pre-K, Peabody
Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III), IGDI (Get It, Got, Go) , and
Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT). Work Sampling System and Creative
Curriculum Developmental Continuum will provide reports to families
about student progress. The *ELLCO* and *E-LOT* will be used to evaluate
classroom environments.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Tennessee                              | **Grantee:** Vanderbilt   |
|                                          | University                |
| **Project Name:** Enhanced Language and  |                           |
| Literacy Success (ELL Success)           | 263 Wyatt Center          |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** David Dickinson    | Nashville, TN 37203       |
| (.0625 FTE)                              |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (615) 343-4792    |
| **Funding:** \$3,421,324                 |                           |
|                                          | david.k                   |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          | .dickinson@vanderbilt.edu |
| served:** 13                             |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 234       |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Enhanced Language and Literacy Success* (*ELL Success*) is
collaboration among the Department of Teaching and Learning at
Vanderbilt's Peabody College, the Center for

Evaluation Research and Methodology at the Vanderbilt Institute for
Public Policy Studies, the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS),
the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, and the Nashville Public Library. *ELL
Success* is designed to ensure that all children in our preschool
classrooms have the language, conceptual knowledge and emergent literacy
skills required for long-term literacy success. It will be based in 13
classrooms in 7 MNPS schools. Several schools serve significant numbers
of families who speak languages other than English. The percentage of
ELL students being served by the MNPS has nearly doubled

from 5% in 2000 to 9% in 2007 and this growth combined with the increase
in the rapid growth in the total number of ELL children in MNPS Pre-K
classrooms means that the system is facing dramatic growth in the
overall number of ELL children. *ELL Success* will build on Reading
First successes and provide a model for ways to enhance the quality of
preschool classrooms and better integrate them into the school system.

*Opening the World of Learning (OWL),* will provide the foundation for
the project, with

methods for encouraging and teaching emergent writing augmenting OWL.
Efforts to ensure high quality instruction will include professional
development delivered in large and small groups and coaching. Children's
learning and instructional quality will be monitored and improvement
efforts guided by findings. Classroom experiences will be designed to

intentionally build children's language and literacy skills in English
as the program is designed to ensure success of children from all
language backgrounds while also celebrating the fact the some children
know more than one language. Classrooms will foster the learning of
English while they also provide families with books and strategies that
help them support their children's first languages and use those
language skills as a resource for learning English in school. Library
programs will be designed to help foster home literacy and a summer
program operated by the YMCA will be developed to reduce summer learning
loss.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| **[Virginia]{.underline}**               | **Grantee:** Virginia     |
|                                          | Commonwealth University   |
| **Project Name:** Supporting and         |                           |
| Ensuring Early Language and Literacy     | 3600 West Broad Street,   |
| Success (SEELLS)                         | Ste. 669                  |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Christopher Chin   | Richmond, VA 23230        |
| (.50 FTE)                                |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (804) 828-9942    |
| **Funding:** \$4,492,920                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (804) 828-7539     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 26                             | cechin@vcu.edu            |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 236/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

*Supporting and Ensuring Early Language and Literacy Success*
(*SEELLS*), an

interdisciplinary, university-community partnership between Virginia
Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Education, The Literacy
Institute at VCU, and Richmond Public Schools (RPS), will enhance the
RPS Head Start program by creating centers of excellence that provide
high quality preschool education focusing on early language and literacy
development. Through instructional and assessment strategies, curricula,
professional development based on scientifically-based reading research,
a summer transition program, increased family involvement, and enhanced
support for children with special needs and limited English proficiency,
*SEELLS* will promote preschoolers' successful transition to
kindergarten with the early language and literacy skills necessary for
reading success. *SEELLS* sites will serve as a permanent model of
scientifically-based early language and literacy instruction and
assessment in Richmond and statewide. The RPS Director of Instruction,
RPS HS Program Director, and *SEELLS* Project Director collaboratively
identified five sites for *SEELLS*, which together serve 236 children
(ages 3 to 5) in 13

classrooms. *SEELLS* sites serve 100% minority children, 100% low-income
children (eligible for free lunch), and at least 10% children with
special needs. *SEELLS* will provide daily, explicit, and systematic
instruction targeting preschoolers' oral language skills, phonological
awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge using the *Houghton
Mifflin* *Pre-K: Where Bright Futures Begin (HM Pre-K)* curriculum.

The overarching goals of *SEELLS* include the following: (1) Provide
high-quality learning environments for all preschoolers to acquire
critical early language and literacy skills needed for successful
transition to kindergarten; (2) Provide ongoing professional
development, classroom-based coaching, and formal educational
opportunities to increase mastery of research-based theory and
instruction; (3) Provide research-based materials and activities that
support the development of preschool students' cognitive and early
language and literacy skills; (4) Enhance home literacy environments by
engaging and educating parents and families and providing practical,
home-based literacy resources and materials; and (5) Use screening and
monitoring assessments to identify and individualize instruction for
children at risk for reading failure.

+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| # Wisconsin                              | **Grantee**: Marquette    |
|                                          | University                |
| **Project Name:** Wisconsin Reading      |                           |
| Acquisition Program (WRAP)               | P.O. Box 1881             |
|                                          |                           |
| **Project Director:** Maura Moyle (.375  | Milwaukee, WI 53201       |
| FTE)                                     |                           |
|                                          | Tel. #: (414) 288-1408    |
| **Funding:** \$4,034,108                 |                           |
|                                          | Fax #: (414) 288-2980     |
| **Number of teachers/assistants          |                           |
| served:** 30                             | maura.moyle@marquette.edu |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of school districts served:** 1 |                           |
|                                          |                           |
| **Number of children served:** 300/year  |                           |
+------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

The *Wisconsin Reading Acquisition Program* (*WRAP*) is a collaboration
between

Marquette University and Day Care Services for Children, Inc.,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The need for this partnership is more crucial now
than ever before. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of
Education, the average reading ability for fourth- and eighth grade
African American students in Wisconsin is the worst in the nation. In
addition, 70% of English language learners fall below the basic reading
proficiency level by fourth grade. Coordination with Milwaukee Public
Schools (MPS) will be a key point of this project, as 99% of children
enrolled in DCSC preschool programs enter MPS at kindergarten. To
prevent future MPS students from following the aforementioned trends, an
effective, scientifically-based early literacy program will be
implemented through this grant. The project will serve 300 at-risk,
low-income children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds
(50% African American, 40% Hispanic/Latino, 40% English language
learners, 10% special needs) that will enter the MPS.

The goals of *WRAP* are to improve children's oral language,
phonological awareness, written language awareness, alphabet knowledge,
development of background knowledge, verbal reasoning abilities,
analytical thinking, and English language skills. Fifteen classrooms
will implement *Opening the World of Learning* (OWL), a scientifically
based language- and literacy-based preschool curriculum, in conjunction
with the *Creative Curriculum*®. Children will be screened using the
PPVT-4 and PALS Pre-K. On-going assessments (IGDIs and curriculum based
checklists) will be used to inform instruction. In addition, English
language learners will be assessed using the Pre-IPT, ROWPVT: SBE, and
various WIDA measures. Classrooms will be assessed using the ELLCO. A
tiered approach will be implemented for children identified as needing
more intensive, individualized instruction. In addition, *WRAP* includes
a detailed plan for facilitating English language acquisition in
children who are English Language Learners.

*WRAP* will provide intensive, on-going professional development,
including regular mentoring by Literacy Coaches and Content Specialists,
and annual teacher institutes featuring nationally-recognized experts on
early literacy. Family Support workers will implement programs and
strategies to increase family involvement in their children's reading
readiness. In addition, project staff will work closely with MPS to
oversee children's transition to kindergarten. The comprehensive
evaluation plan includes regular Advisory Board meetings (including
parents and members of the community), annual evaluations from an
external evaluator, and the collection of follow-up data after children
have entered kindergarten.