Granite preschoolers to get reading boost

Preschoolers in Granite School District will get extra help developing early reading skills thanks to a three-year, $4.8 million federal grant.

Granite received the largest-ever federal Early Reading First grant, which in May will equip 15 classrooms with fully certified teachers, teaching assistants who hold associates degrees in early child development, literacy coaches and a slew of speech therapists, occupational therapists, special education teachers and parent volunteers, said Brenda Van Gorder, the district's director of preschool services.

"We're just very excited for the children and families of the school district. They'll have an even better chance of beginning kindergarten on target and becoming good readers," she said.

Van Gorder selected 15 of the district's existing 64 preschool classrooms based on risk factors that could affect a child's literacy development: economic disadvantages, higher crime rates, lower education levels of parents and qualifications for free or reduced lunch. The 300 students in classrooms in six schools will attend school five days a week for 46 weeks in a year-round setting.

While demand at these schools for all-day preschool has been high, Van Gorder said, parents can opt to send their children to neighboring schools that offer half-day programs.

The grant will focus on building children's vocabulary, familiarizing them with the names and sounds of letters, identifying shapes and numbers and developing social skills. Much of the curriculum has at-home activities parents can do with their children on weekends. Parents also will be trained and involved in classroom activities, Van Gorder said.

While Utah law requires preschool teachers to have associate's degrees, the 15 teachers in the grant program will have full licenses, which require four-year degrees. While Van Gorder hopes to tap local teachers for the job, she knows the more rigorous schedule may not work with their family schedules. The job openings will be posted on the district's Web site, and teachers will be interviewed and hired in February and March. The program's preschool classes will begin in May.

Along with more qualified teachers, the grant will be used to create an environment that focuses on literacy and reading, Van Gorder said, from classroom decor to curriculum. She will do a comparison study between the 300 children enrolled in the grant program and 150 students in the district's other preschool classes. While the grant lasts for three years, it can be extended, and Van Gorder hopes to expand the activities that work well in the grant program to the other classrooms.

"We don't want this to be that when the grant goes away, everything we know goes away, too," Van Gorder said. "We want to have a program of excellence across the district."

smcfarland@sltrib.com

Grant money

Early Reading First grant recipients:

lGourley, 4905 S. 4300 West, Kearns

lLincoln, 450 E. 3700 South, Salt Lake City

lStansbury, 3050 S. 2700 West, West Valley City

lWest Kearns, 4900 S. 4620 West, Kearns

lWoodrow Wilson, 2825 S. 200 East, Salt Lake City

lEarly Learning Center, 2500 S. State St., South Salt Lake