MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee literacy program is set to receive nearly $4 million in grants to improve the language and pre-reading skills of young children, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today.

"President Bush believes that we can give every child the reading skills they need to succeed in school and in later life," Secretary Paige said. "Children who are most at risk benefit the most from high-quality early learning experiences. And yet, these children are the least likely to have access to programs providing these experiences. This grant will help Milwaukee Public Schools provide children in the Building Blocks for Literacy preschools with the early-learning experiences that will help them excel."

The Milwaukee Public Schools, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, and the Milwaukee Partnership Academy, will receive the Early Reading First grant for their "Building Blocks for Literacy program, which will create an environment rich in print and verbal activities for all curricular units.

Scientific research shows that in the preschool years, young children need to develop their vocabulary, acquire the ability to hear the sounds that make up words, and learn about how print and books work. These skills should not be taught in isolation, but instead integrated into challenging content that explores the fundamentals of science, mathematics and social studies in enjoyable and meaningful ways for young children, Paige added.

Early Reading First is President Bush's initiative to transform existing early education programs into preschool centers of educational excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. It builds upon the president's "Good Start, Grow Smart" initiative to improve early learning.

On behalf of Secretary Paige, Darla Marburger, deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, joined Milwaukee Superintendent Bill Andrekopoulos for a visit to the Starms Early Childhood center in Milwaukee.

The Early Reading First grant program has five aims:

• Provide professional development for teachers, based on scientific research, to enhance children's language, cognitive and early reading skills.
• Provide preschool-age children with cognitive learning opportunities and high-quality language and literature rich environments.
• Integrate materials, activities and instruction that is grounded in scientifically based reading research to support the development of young children's oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabetic knowledge.
• Use screenings and assessments to determine the skills children are learning in order to prevent reading failure.
• Improve all aspects of an instructional program, including materials, activities, tools and assessments.

Numerous early reading resources are available for parents and educators. Publications may be downloaded or ordered through: www.ed.gov/about/pubs.jsp.

For more information about Early Reading First, go to: www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/index.html

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