How will Early Reading First change the face of early childhood education for preschool children?
Early Reading First is a competitive grant program designed to transform existing early learning programs into centers of excellence by improving the resources, the pedagogy, and the classroom environment. Children, especially those from low-income families, will have optimal opportunity to develop physically, socially, and emotionally and they will learn the cognitive and early reading skills necessary for later school success. Early Reading First is about prevention rather than remediation. Remedial approaches have failed over the last two decades, as countless children who did not have adequate early learning experiences were never able to catch up with their more advantaged classmates. Research has shown the power of prevention through early intervention by well-trained early childhood educators. Early Reading First will change the face of early childhood education through intensive professional development for teachers of young children, ongoing screening assessments, many opportu
