The Early Reading First program is a federally funded program that supports the development of early childhood centers of excellence that focus on all areas of development, especially on the early language, cognitive, and pre-reading skills that prepare children for continued school success and that serve primarily children from low-income families. Currently the Preschool programs located at the YMCA and the YWCA in Lawrence and the YMCA in Methuen are participating in the ERF program. The mission of the Early Reading First program is to ensure that all children enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills for continued success in school.
Our objectives are
to:
- Enhance
children's language, cognitive, and early reading skills through
professional development for teachers;
- Provide
early language and reading development and instructional materials as developed
from scientifically based reading research;
- Provide
preschool-age children with cognitive learning opportunities in high
quality language and literature-rich environments;
- Use
screening assessments to effectively identify preschool children who may
be at risk for reading failure;
- Improve
existing early childhood programs by integrating scientifically based
reading research into all aspects of the program (including instructional
materials, teaching strategies, curricula, parent engagement, and
professional development).
