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"
The person who figures out how to harness the collective
genius of the people in her organization is going to blow
the competition away."
Walter Wriston
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In September 2006, Little Sprouts
received a $3.49M Award for Early Reading First Project
Sprout Out
Little Sprouts is the only school in
Massachusetts to receive the 2006 U.S. Department of Education
Preschool Centers of Excellence Award! This is also the
second award Little Sprouts has received from the U.S. Department
of Education for the Early Reading First Project, the first
in September 2003. The Early Reading First program is designed
to introduce a high-quality scientifically based literacy
program which prepares young children to enter kindergarten
with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading
skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school
success.
Little Sprouts has 6 Early Education
facilities in the Greater Merrimack Valley: Haverhill, Lawrence,
Lowell, Andover, Methuen and the newest center opening September
2006 in Westford. This Early Reading First Project, titled
"Sprout-Out", will serve 14 preschool classrooms,
48 teachers, and over 260 children per year enrolled in
Little Sprouts.
Only 32 projects nationwide were awarded
the Early Reading First Grant, with Little Sprouts being
the only grantee in Massachusetts. Senator Ted Kennedy called
Little Sprouts on Friday, September 1st to congratulate
the award. "As study after study has shown, early childhood
education has a tremendous positive impact on our children,
and it is essential that we provide the best resources for
these efforts," said Senator Kennedy. "I'm thrilled
that these funds will support the Little Sprouts Child Enrichment
Centers' extraordinary work in enhancing the reading skills
of preschool-age children from low-income families in Massachusetts."
Little Sprouts is the only for-profit organization to receive
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View
Larger Image of Little Sprouts Receiving Check 
"I just read about your recent
success with
the Department of Education Award.
Frankly, I'm not surprised."
Mary McCabe, Attorney at Law, Lawrence MA
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In September
of 2003, Little Sprouts was selected by the U.S. Department of
Education as a "preschool center of excellence"
Little Sprouts was selected from over
2,000 applicants as a recipient of the prestigious Early Reading
First grant and received $1.5 million over three years. The award
enabled Little Sprouts to provide high-quality instruction and
ongoing professional development based on scientifically based
research, enhancing young children's language and cognitive development.
Little Sprouts is especially proud to be the only for-profit organization
to receive the 2003 award, a distinction that recognizes the company's
historical and ongoing commitment to improving literacy in Merrimack
Valley communities.
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About Early Reading First Grants
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On January 8, 2002,
the President signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act
of 2001, which added two important new reading programs to
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Reading First
and Early Reading First. Early Reading First was created to
address the growing concern that many of our nation's children
begin kindergarten without the necessary foundation to fully
benefit from formal school instruction.
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The overall purpose
of the Early Reading First Program - part of the President's
"Good Start, Grow Smart" initiative - 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.
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Early Reading First
is a nationwide effort providing funds to local education
organizations that serve children from low-income families.
Grants are based on the understanding that literacy is a learned
skill, not a biological awakening. The initiative promotes
coherent, skill-based instruction in the years before kindergarten.
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Early Reading First
core goal is to support the age-appropriate development of
pre-reading skills:
- Oral language
(vocabulary, expressive language, listening comprehension)
- Phonological
awareness (rhyming, blending, segmenting)
- Print awareness
- Alphabetic
knowledge
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here to learn more about the
Early Reading First Grant at Little Sprouts. You can find general
information about Early Reading First Grants by visiting the U.S.
Department of Education web site. |
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