First-year impact of an Early Reading First project on language and early reading skill development

This study is of a federally-funded Early Reading First project aimed at improving school readiness by creating Centers of Excellence which focus on language and early reading skills development of low-income preschool children. The project consisted of a content standards-based curriculum and instructional program, literacy enriched classrooms, ongoing professional development, and parent involvement. The analysis focuses on 65 randomly assigned preschoolers attending state preschools (treatment = 37 and control = 28), enrolled for at least 18 weeks, who would be eligible by birth date for entry into public kindergarten the following year. Results demonstrate the intervention to be effective in improving the receptive language and early reading skills of participating preschoolers