Warner Establishes Preschool Center of Excellence
Preschool students in the Rochester Catholic Diocese will benefit from a project initiated by the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. The Warner School will use a $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Early Reading First program to establish a national preschool Center of Excellence in Rochester Catholic schools. During the three-year project, four elementary schools in the diocese will serve as regional and national model sites.
The project builds on a Warner initiative called ScienceStart!—a curriculum that uses science as a vehicle to develop language, literacy, and school readiness skills among preschoolers.
"We have an extraordinary opportunity here. Not only will we improve the outcomes for the children directly involved in this effort, but teachers will receive the kind of intense support and education that will transform their practice to affect thousands of children over their careers," says Lucia French, associate professor at the Warner School and director of the project.
