Read to Succeed of Buffalo

Kindergarten Preparedness: Early Reading First

Approximately 40% of children entering Kindergarten are not prepared for school primarily because of limited oral vocabularies, a key indicator for reading success. These children tend to fall further behind as they move up through the grades. Preparing children for Kindergarten is a key strategy in the strategic plan for ensuring future school success. Read to Succeed Buffalo is very active in making systemic change in this area through a number of programs.

Early Reading First (ERF)

Significant improvement is being made in the Early Reading First program, a partnership of Read to Succeed Buffalo, Bethel Head Start, the Child Care Resource Network and the Buffalo Public Schools. Supported by a highly competitive 3 year grant of $4.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education (one of two awarded in the State of New York and one of 32 awarded nationally), this grant allows RTSB to work on Kindergarten readiness for over 500 three- and four-year old children in Bethel Head Start programs in the Read to Succeed Buffalo literacy zone.

The Early Reading First program, which infuses literacy skills throughout the children's activities, focuses on increased adult/child interaction to improve vocabulary, and encourages parental involvement to continue learning at home. The teachers benefit from working in teams, coaching and increased resources for their students.

Outcomes:

Within the first six months, the ERF partners increased the number of children who could identify 18 or more letters of the alphabet (an ERF indicator) from 30% to 72%.

In the same time period, receptive oral language skills for 3-year olds increased from 47% to 75% and for 4-year olds from 72% to 93%.

In the first six months of the program, RTSB closed the gap by a year for both three- and four-year old children. The majority of the 200 children in the program are on track to meet or have already exceeded the Buffalo Public Schools' Kindergarten expectations despite the fact that 98% of these children live in poverty, and many were developmentally behind in literacy skills when the program began.