[Archived] Department of Education Grant Aims to Help Children in the City of Alexandria

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

Oct. 22, 2003
PIO 178-03

Department of Education Grant Aims
to Help Children in the City of Alexandria

Last spring, the City’s Office for Early Childhood Development partnered with ZERO TO THREE, a national non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia Community College, faculty at George Mason University, and the Alexandria early childhood community to apply for a U.S. Department of Education grant. The partnership is pleased to learn that ZERO TO THREE received one of seven recently awarded U.S. Department of Education grants. The $1.9 million grant will focus on early childhood professional development.

Supporting a two-year project entitled Literacy, Learning and Life, the grant will help to positively impact early learning and literacy in children between birth and age five who live in high-risk communities in the City of Alexandria. More than 100 early childhood staff, including directors, family child care providers, assistant and lead teachers will be recruited to participate in intensive training and mentoring designed to support high quality caregiving.

The project will enhance and build upon the City’s existing standards for high quality child care, and promote school readiness in children who are most at risk in future school progress.

To learn more about the Literacy, Learning and Life project and ZERO TO THREE, visit www.zerotothree.org/ztt_professionals/html or call 202.638.1144.

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