STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Educational Service Center is helping schools’ youngest students reach their potential with a recent grant award.

Director of Grants Nicole McDonald obtained a Comprehensive Literacy Grant this summer from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and will utilize the $101,250 award for preschool education. JCESC and DEW, in partnership with Step by Step Learning Co., are providing funds to Indian Creek Local and Steubenville City Schools for their preschool programs. McDonald said it was the first time JCESC applied for the grant and it was a highly competitive process.

“The focus is to support early literacy instruction for emergent readers. The grant will fund professional development for all area pre-kindergarten teachers in emergent literacy instructional practices with an additional focus on qualifying schools for instructional modeling and coaching,” she explained. “Qualifying schools will also receive intensive support in parent engagement activities pertaining to early literacy.”

She said all area schools will be welcome to join the training, but Indian Creek and Steubenville are receiving the modeling, coaching and parent-engagement activities. McDonald noted the instruction is geared towards emergent readers, language acquisition, vocabulary building, letter recognition and letter-sound recognition.

She called the allocation a “remarkable development for early childhood education” and said it will empower the programs to provide enhanced literacy instruction and support to parents of preschool students, with a specific focus on improving literacy skills at home to complement school-based learning.

“The two esteemed preschool programs, Steubenville City Schools and Indian Creek Local Schools, will receive invaluable instructional modeling and coaching from Step by Step Learning Co.,” McDonald said. “This collaboration aims to equip educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to facilitate parent learning sessions, ensuring that parents can actively contribute to their child’s literacy development.”

The parent learning sessions, aptly titled “Teach Me to Read at Home,” will be a key component of this initiative. McDonald said the sessions will offer parents practical guidance on how to support literacy learning at home in a way that complements their child’s school education. The goal is to foster a supportive and engaging environment for young learners, helping them build strong literacy skills from an early age.

As part of the grant program, each family will receive a comprehensive manual to accompany the three parent learning sessions. The manuals will serve as valuable resources for parents, providing them with actionable strategies and tips to enhance their child’s reading and writing abilities. She said the materials will be accessible and user-friendly, ensuring that all parents can actively participate in their child’s literacy journey.

The grant’s impact extends beyond the selected programs and will also support all area preschool programs in instructing emergent readers.

“This inclusive approach ensures that a wide range of educators can access valuable resources and training to nurture literacy skills among their young students, helping to bridge the gap between home and school learning,” McDonald concluded. “The grant initiative represents a significant stride in advancing early childhood education in our community. By engaging parents and educators in the shared goal of enhancing literacy skills, we are laying the foundation for a brighter and more prosperous future for our young learners.”

The programs have yet to be implemented at Steubenville and Indian Creek and officials there say it plans to benefit hundreds of students in the long run.

“The grant will enhance our Success For All Curiosity curriculum by increasing parent knowledge of activities that can be done at home to build on the skills the preschoolers are learning at school, such as oral language development, letter recognition and pre-reading,” said Wells Academy Principal Tommy Kotsanis, noting that about 260 pupils will be impacted at Steubenville schools. “The grant will provide real-life literacy experiences to do at home to be able to build on developing and emerging skills through make it take workshops and informational meetings.”

Michele Minto, director of curriculum and instruction at Indian Creek, noted that her district plans to host family engagement events during the winter and spring.

“Our events will benefit 180 preschool students at our two elementary schools. The events we will offer will give parents the knowledge to help their child be successful in kindergarten,” Minto concluded. “Not only will the parents receive the knowledge, but they will be able to practice the skills that they learn with their own child.”