MEDIA RELEASE

The state Department of Education has received a $150,000 grant from Target. The “Better Together Community Reading” grant will support school literacy programs at three elementary schools in East Hawaii.

“Literacy is the foundation for learning,” Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area Superintendent Mary Correa said. “As a complex, we are committed to proactively instilling and nurturing a lifelong love of reading in our students and families. This grant will positively impact our community for many years to come.”

The “Better Together Community Reading” grant strives to:

* Engage families and communities in early education literacy development by providing communication-based and in- and out of-school literacy training activities for beginning readers (grades pre-K-3) and their families, particularly high poverty, homeless and/or immigrant populations in underserved areas;

* Provide resources to families that will increase access to age-appropriate reading materials in the home; and

* Develop a sustainable family literacy model that can be replicated in other underserved communities.

Keonepoko Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, and Naalehu Elementary schools are celebrating. Approximately 1,000 students and their families will benefit from the grant.

“Family engagement will be our key to increasing literacy at Keonepoko Elementary,” Principal Kathleen Romero said. “Our commitment to student success and achievement extends far beyond our school boundaries.”

“Mountain View Elementary strives to promote literacy in school and at home,” Principal Sylvia Lee said. “By working together with families, we will ensure that our students read at appropriate levels and achieve academic success.”

“Naalehu Elementary is actively reaching out to our students, parents, and volunteers to elevate literacy in school and at home,” Principal Teddy Burgess said. “This grant will help our learners attain academic success despite the economic challenges being faced by many of our families.”