Reading Is Fundamental
Research has shown that children who spontaneously learn to read early come from
families where there are books, where they are read to often, and where adults
engage in literacy activities. According to the U.S. Department of
Education, the single most important activity for building the knowledge
required for eventual success in reading is
reading aloud to children. The
National Research Council suggests that the best time to start sharing books
with children is during infancy, even when babies are as young as six weeks old.
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.
prepares and motivates children to read by delivering
free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them
most.
Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy
organization in the United
States RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through a
national, grassroots network of community volunteers at 21,000 program sites,
RIF provides 5 million children with 17 million new, free books and
literacy resources each year.
All RIF programs combine three essential elements to foster children's literacy: reading
motivation, family and community involvement, and the excitement of choosing
free books to keep.
RIF's accomplishments are due in part to the generous support of the
U.S. Department of Education, corporations, foundations, community
organizations, and thousands of individuals like you.
Early Reading First
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, especially 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.
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.
Specifically, Early Reading First grants 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.
The Path to Excellence Program (Path) is the Early Reading First Project designed and
implemented by GRCMA Early Childhood Directions. The program serves approximately 100 students
each year, 99% of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunch. The project serves students
at Elementary School Alba Elementary School, Clinton L. Johnson Child Development Center,
and Dumas Wesley Child Development Center The goals of Path are to:
·
Create high-quality, literacy-rich classroom environments.
·
Increase preschool staff knowledge about language and
literacy instruction and assessment through ongoing professional development and
in-classroom coaching.
·
Increase the amount of systematic and explicit instruction
provided to children that will develop oral language, phonological awareness,
and alphabet knowledge to ensure success in kindergarten and beyond.
·
Use ongoing screening and monitoring assessments to
determine children’s level of knowledge in language and literacy, to identify
children at risk, and to inform curriculum.
Services, instructional materials, and
activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, is facilitated by
the adoption of Open Court Reading Pre-K Program literacy curriculum.
Path provides intensive, ongoing professional development, mentoring and
coaching, and supervised planning sessions for all teachers and
paraprofessionals to assist them with implementing
Open Court Reading.
Teachers and paraprofessionals also participate in HeadsUp!
Reading, a professional development program offered nationwide through
distance learning technology. Screening reading
assessments are used to ensure that instruction is scaffolded for each child.
Catherine Kreger, M. Ed; Pam Baker, Kym Carroll, M.Ed are the Directors
of the Project. Dr. Lea McGee, and Dr. Judith Schickedanz consult with the
project. Dr. James VanHaneghan directs the project
evaluati
