SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $2 MILLION IN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FUNDING COMING TO OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Funding Will Go To School District For Department of Education's Early Reading First Program
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U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Olean City School District will receive $2,749,102 from the Early Reading First Program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Funding will be used to establish Early Reading First centers in Cattaraugus County.
"Reading is the first building block of a sound education," Schumer said. "Enhancing literacy skills at an early age will help our children succeed in and out of the classroom. I am proud to support this essential funding and will continue to fight to see that early child education remains a priority."
The Early Reading First Program is designed to support local efforts to enhance the early language, literacy, and prereading development of preschool age children, particularly those from lowincome families, through instructional strategies and professional development based on scientifically based reading research.
The Department of Education funding will be directed to Make a Difference Early (MADE), Olean's Early Reading First program. MADE is an established and respected partnership between Olean City School District, Cattaraugus County Project Head Start, Inc, and St. Bonaventure University. The overarching goal of MADE is to prevent reading difficulties and to ensure that every child receives high quality early childhood experiences and enters kindergarten fully prepared to begin to learn to read and succeed.
This particular allocation will create two Early Reading First centers comprising of 13 classrooms that serve 234 lowincome, atrisk 3 and 4yearolds. The centers will enroll students in a 2year program, and will focus on highquality professional development and a system for tracking students' performance over time.
This funding, part of the President's "Good Start, Grow Smart" initiative, is designed to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide highquality, early education to young children, especially those from lowincome families. The overall purpose of the Early Reading First Program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success.
