North Alabama classrooms receive state funding through elementary school initative
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Early Education announced Tuesday 41 new classrooms will be funded through the Pre-K – 3rd Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning (P-3).
An additional 32 Kindergarten classrooms, five first-grade classrooms, and four second-grade classrooms will be funded under the initiative, which has grown from 35 pilot classrooms in 2017 to 117 classrooms in the 2019-2020 school year.
Several schools in North Alabama received grants:
- Skyline, North Sand Mountain & Woodville High in Jackson County – $90,000
- Lexington High, Central High, Brooks Elementary & Rogers High in Lauderdale County – $105,000
- University of North Alabama Kilby Laboratory in Florence – $30,000
The goal of the P-3 program is to expand the state’s First Class Pre-K program model to all elementary grades and use successful parts of other K-3 initiatives to establish strong foundations of early education.
In a news release, Governor Kay Ivey said the early stages of education are important.
“Those early years are vitally important for a student’s future success,” she said. “By expanding this program even further, we are certainly taking advantage of those valuable years in a child’s learning journey.”
Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Secretary Jenna Ross agreed.
“A high-quality early education provides the foundation for student success in school during the years when children have the greatest growth potential,” she added.
Over 2,100 students will be impacted by the program with Tuesday’s additions.