McCurtain Gazette

9-28-08

LDCAA announces $3.9 million grant

One of the largest grants in the history of Little Dixie Community Action Agency will turn 18 southeast preschools into model literacy centers.

Project HOPE, or Helping Oklahoma Preschoolers Excel, is the name of Little Dixie's Early Reading First initiative. A U.S. Department of Education grant in the amount of $3,930,569 will be used to serve 310 students per year for the next three years.

The Little Dixie Early Reading First grant is the only one awarded this year in Oklahoma or any of its neighboring states, and was one of only 31 awarded in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Education out of 400 applications.

Project HOPE was introduced to the public at a recent ceremony at the Little Dixie Home Ownership Center in Hugo. Guest speakers included State Senator Jeff Rabon, State Representatives R.C. Pruett and Jerry Ellis, and Melissa JOnes representing State Superintendent Sandy Garrett. Many public school leaders spoke at the event, including Clayton superintendent Jim Dominick, Idabel Even Start teacher Marie Wharry, Hugo kindergarten teacher Mary Jim Trapp and Little Dixie Head Start director Dawn McDaniel.

"We do a lot of work at Little Dixie to help people and change lives, but this grant is an exceptionally exciting opportunity," said LDCAA executive director Brenda Needham. "Through our Early Reading First program, we have the chance to drastically reduce illiteracy and in fact, we could be turning southeast Oklahoma into a hopeful example of the potential of early childhood education."

Clayton, Haworth and Swink public schools will serve as leading partners for Project HOPE. Other participating preschools and Head Start centers in Choctaw, McCurtain and Pushmataha counties are located in Fort Towson, Soper, Battiest, Broken Bow, Forest Grove, Valliant and Rattan. All of these are communities that were not served by Little Dixie's previous early literacy effort, Project ROAR.

"In 2005, we implemented Project ROAR in numerous local preschool classrooms, and those students made significant gains in their reading skills,' said Project HOPE director Ruthie Tate. "We will build on this success through Project HOPE and bring more early reading resources to a whole new group of children."

The ultimate goal of Little Dixie Project HOPE will be to improve the school readiness of our young children, especially those from low-income families.

Little Dixie Project HOPE will help these 18 preschool classrooms become model centers of educational excellence by implementing a scientific and research-based reading curriculum, literacy materials and extensive professional development for classroom teachers and aides.