Building on President Bush's focus on educating our youngest children, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced seven grants to improve the knowledge and skills of early childhood teachers in communities with high concentrations of poverty. The seven grant recipients are the Arizona State University, in partnership with the Arizona State Board for School Readiness; the Mid-America Regional Council in Missouri; the University of Houston, in partnership with the Harris County Department of Education; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Connecticut State Department of Education; Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families in Washington, D.C.; the Tehama (California) County Department of Education. (Grant amounts are below.)

"We know that strong cognitive development is critical to help children learn when they arrive at school-and that the little things, like reading and talking with a child, do matter," Secretary Paige said. "Neglecting to prepare children for their academic careers endangers their prospects for success in school. Those who teach and care for young children need the best possible preparation."

Projects funded under the Early Childhood Professional Development Program are built upon the latest scientific research on early childhood teaching, child development and literacy and language learning. Through the program, teachers who work in preschools located in high-need communities and who serve children from low-income families will participate in professional development activities to improve children's language and cognitive skills and to prevent reading and behavior problems as children enter and move through school.

"It makes a huge difference for teachers to have high-quality, sustained and intensive professional development in how to create preschool classrooms where children are safe and where they acquire a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills needed for later school success," Paige noted. "Such professional development must be based on scientific research on early childhood development and learning. Only the best preschools and preschool teachers can help us prevent academic failure later on."

President Bush has made improving readiness of preschool children a priority of his administration. His Good Start, Grow Smart initiative will help prepare children to succeed in school by strengthening Head Start and other early childhood programs by infusing scientific research on cognitive development. More information about this initiative can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/toc.html.

Grants were awarded to partnerships including institutions of higher education or other entities that provide professional development services, public agencies such as state or local education agencies, and when possible, entities that train teachers to identify and prevent behavioral problems. The projects will provide professional development for educators who work in communities with high concentrations of children living in poverty and will also rigorously measure progress toward project objectives, including improved language and pre-reading skills among those children.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: A list of grantees, contacts and grant amounts follows. Project descriptions are available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/eceducator/index.html

Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program Grants
FY 2003

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