Governor Ivey Announces 36 New Classrooms Funded by Pre-K through 3rd Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education announced Friday that 36 new classrooms will be funded through the Pre-K through 3^rd Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning (P-3). This will bring the number of classrooms impacted by the P-3 approach to 260 in 23 counties.

“Today’s announcement is part of my Strong Start, Strong Finish initiative that will help guide our children towards success in school, their career and throughout their lives,” said Governor Ivey. “P-3 works to align the gains in First Class Pre-K to ensure students continue receiving high-quality instruction. I am proud that we can support teachers and school leaders so that they can continue providing students with the best models for learning in the critical early years.”

The recipient schools are as follows:

Harmony Elementary School in Cullman County
Geneva County Elementary School in Geneva County
Bradford KinderCare in Huntsville
Sugar Creek Elementary School in Limestone County
University Charter School in Livingston
Lupton Junior High School, Valley Junior High School, Curry Elementary School and Parrish Elementary School in Walker County
Double Springs Elementary School, Addison Elementary School, Lynn Elementary School, and Meek Elementary School in Winston County.

“The P-3 approach blends instruction, leadership and assessment to create a school environment that improves student outcomes,” said Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Secretary Barbara Cooper. “The developmentally appropriate practices implemented in the classrooms through the guidance of our experienced coaches is bolstered by principals’ participation in the Leadership Academy where school leaders learn about the recent science concerning brain development in this critical time.”

The goal of the P-3 approach, now moving into its sixth year, is to expand the early learning continuum from First Class Pre-K through 3^rd grade. The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education and the Alabama State Department of Education are working together to align instructional practices, assessment and leadership from pre-K through 3rd grade.

The P-3 approach works to ensure the student success and achievement gap closure by expanding access to the nationally recognized, high-quality First Class Pre-K program model and by taking the most successful parts of K-3 initiatives to establish a strong foundation of early learning experiences that promote student achievement and success.

In addition to the classroom funding, administrators are given the opportunity to participate in the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Pre-K – 3^rd Grade Leadership Academy. To date, 79 Alabama elementary school principals and school system administrators have successfully completed the academy with another 18 to finish by April. The first collaborative initiative of its kind in the nation, the P-3 Leadership Academy, is provided in partnership with NAESP and the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS). This is the only such program in which participants, upon successful completion of the program, receive a national certification credential.

P-3 is funded by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education through the governor’s Strong Start, Strong Finish education initiative and the federal Preschool Development Birth Through Five Renewal Grant.

Research findings from multi-year early education interventions suggest that the components of the P-3 approach can combine to make a positive contribution to young children’s learning, providing the pathways through which more children will achieve success by the end of 3^rd grade.

For more information, including a full list of P-3 Classrooms, visit https://children.alabama.gov/pre-k-3rd.

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