September 19, 2005

Nova Southeastern University receives $1.5 Million No Child Left Behind Grant
Programs at Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies Aims to Improve the Language, Pre-reading Skills of Young Children

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University received one of two No Child Left Behind grants awarded in Florida to improve the language and pre-reading skills of young children, the Department of Education announced today.

Kathleen Leos, the U.S. Department of Education’s Director for the Office of English Language and Acquisition presented awards to NSU’s Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies and to the Early Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe.

“In today’s world, reading is a survival skill,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in a written statement. “President Bush says that reading is the new civil right. A child who can read is a child who can learn, and a child who can learn is a child who can succeed in school and in life.”

Wendy Masi, Ph.D., dean of the Mailman Segal Institute along with Judy Zimmerman, M.S., executive director of the institute’s Tampa Bay site, and the project’s principal investigator, Hilde Reno, Ed.D, accepted the award at today’s ceremony. “The Mailman Segal Institute is honored to receive this prestigious award. For this project, we will have the opportunity to work in the Tampa Bay schools in conjunction with Head Start to develop literacy skills. Literacy is a door to learning and our children’s future” Masi said.

This is the institute’s third federal award in three years. In 2002, MSI received $1.5 million, and a year later, the institute’s Explosion of Literacy and Learning program received $1,074,846.

Early Reading First, part of President Bush’s “Good Start, Grow Start” initiative, is designed to transform early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the Early Reading First Program is to prepare children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success.

NSU’s Mailman Segal Institute provides a range of programs designed to strengthen families and enhance the ability of parents and caregivers to foster the healthy development of children. Housed in the Jim & Jan Moran Family Center Village, the institute achieves its mission through direct services to families and children, development and implementation of early childhood education and training programs, community outreach, and advocacy. A state of the art demonstration and training facility, the village enables the institute to showcase best practices in the fields of early childhood education, family support, and parenting education.