Contact: Maridith Geuder
Mississippi State University and the Oxford-based Barksdale Reading Institute announced today an 18-month pilot project targeting pre-school children in Clay County.
The Barksdale Institute is providing more than $150,000 to MSU's Early Childhood Institute. The collaboration seeks to strengthen language skills and improve the potential for reading success at private child care and public Head Start centers in the West Point area.
To be known as Leaders in Literacy, the project was launched during an afternoon program at West Point's Northside Head Start Center. Cathy W. Grace, director of the MSU Early Childhood Institute and a widely known early childhood advocate, will head the project.
"We will reach children as young as 10 weeks and work with them until they reach kindergarten," Grace said.
Centers that volunteer to participate will receive staff training in techniques that promote literacy and language skills. Books and other supporting materials also will be provided.
Grace said the primary goal "is to ensure that children enter kindergarten with language skills necessary for them to learn how to read."
Claiborne Barksdale, the reading institute's chief executive officer, said the program targets the most significant obstacle that Mississippi's children face: learning how to read.
"The primary reason many Mississippi children have difficulty becoming fluent readers is that they come to kindergarten with severe language skill deficiencies," Barksdale said. "In too many instances, they simply haven't heard enough words.
"Overcoming those deficiencies and getting those children to grade level is an extreme challenge," he added.
Leaders in Literacy, which also is receiving support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich., will enlist the advice of child care providers in identifying needs and providing ways to involve parents and the community in the effort.
"Our motto is simple: 'Talk to your children; read to your children,'" Barksdale explained. "We're confident that this program will make a significant difference."
If as successful as the sponsors believe, the project will expand to other child care centers around Mississippi.
"We may eventually be working with as many as 270 centers in the state in any one year," said Grace, an associate professor in the College of Education.
The Early Childhood Institute she leads was established in 1999 as a partnership between MSU's education college and The Day Foundation of Memphis, Tenn.
In addition to first grade, Grace has taught at Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. During three years as early childhood coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Education, she developed public kindergarten programs throughout the state.
She also is a former executive director of the Southern Early Childhood Association.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information about Leaders in Literacy, telephone Dr. Grace at (662) 325-4836 or Mr. Barksdale at (662) 236-5600.