September 1, 2006

NSU receives $1.9 million federal literacy grant

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE—Approximately 240 children from Hillsborough County will benefit from a $1.9 million federal grant awarded to Nova Southeastern University’s Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies to train Head Start teachers and assistants to infuse literacy into every part of the preschool experience.

NSU’s Mailman Segal Institute received the only Early Reading First Grant awarded to a Florida agency in the 2006 cycle. The award, the institute’s third, supports the Prescription for Reading Excellence Program, which will provide literacy-based college-level coursework and mentoring to 24 Head Start teachers and assistants serving 240 children from low-income families. The program is a partnership with NSU’s MSI Tampa Bay satellite branch and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Head Start.

NSU’s Mailman Segal Institute has received three previous federal awards—totaling $4.1 million—for programs offered in Hillsborough and Broward counties.

“We are proud of the work the Mailman Segal Institute is doing in the Tampa Bay area,” said Wendi Masi, Ph.D., dean of the Mailman Segal Institute. “Our programs have had a significant impact on teacher’s skills and on children’s learning”

The Early Reading First Program was authorized by No Child Left Behind, Title I, Part B, Subpart 2, to improve the school readiness of the nation’s young children, especially those from low-income families, by providing support for early childhood education programs serving preschool-age children so they may become centers of educational excellence. 

The Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies provides a range of programs designed to strengthen families and enhance the ability of parents and caregivers to foster the healthy development of children. MSI Tampa Bay is located just off Interstate 75 in Tampa, Florida. The Institute is staffed by a group of innovative early childhood education professionals who are committed to improving the quality of child care and supporting families with young children. Most programs at the Institute are funded by grants, contracts and donations.