Southwestern receives Bush Foundation grant

Southwestern Oregon Community College recently was awarded a $59,800 grant from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to fund the Early Literacy Specialist Teacher Enhancement project.

Southwestern was one of 10 grant recipients chosen from nearly 550 applicants. Since its inception in 1989, the Foundation has awarded $17 million to more than 500 family literacy programs in 47 different states and Washington, D.C.

“Reading aloud to children, early and often, is the single most important thing that a parent can do to help a child start school ready to learn,” Barbara Bush said. “And parents who are able to read, write and comprehend get better jobs, improve their families’ lives and participate more fully in their communities, as well. That’s why the projects we fund must provide literacy instruction for parents as well as their children.”

The funding will be used enhance preschool education at the Family Center by adding an Early Literacy Specialist Teacher, an early literacy curriculum and early literacy training opportunities to the existing preschool program. This project will enhance the ability for the 40 enrolled children to show measurable increases in their early literacy skills as shown in pre- and post-testing. It also will increase the skills of parents, guardians, adult students and teachers working in the classroom as they assist young children to develop early literacy skills through mentoring, direct training and role modeling by the teacher.

“Basically what this grant does is it brings an Early Literacy Specialist Teacher to the Family Center,” said Family Center Director Laurie Potts. “What we’ve been looking at over the years is building a site that’s known for early literacy.”

Press Release Date: May 22, 2007