ORPSEF partners UT-Battelle, ORAU, UCOR fund $30,636 literacy grant

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation partners UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) joined to fund Oak Ridge School’s $30,636 “Oak Ridge Reads” literacy grant.

The Oak Ridge Reads initiative supports Oak Ridge Schools’ efforts to improve literacy by extending services beyond the classroom. The Oak Ridge Reads grant will address summer learning, family literacy support, and high quality reading opportunities in home and after-school settings.

With support from the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, the Literacy Department of Oak Ridge Schools will provide a summer community bookmobile reading program to benefit families in Oak Ridge. Additionally, each preschool and kindergarten student will receive a library of books that they can keep, and after-school book clubs will begin for elementary and middle school students during the 2016-17 school year.

Early literacy is a priority in Oak Ridge Schools. The intent within each phase of the grant is to increase the volume of high-quality reading that occurs beyond the school day.

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2000, invests in the Oak Ridge Public Schools to ensure the highest quality of education for its students. The foundation, providing funds beyond public tax dollars for education, raises funds through grants and private donations to invest in enhanced educational programming, innovative technology, and state-of-the-art facilities for teachers and students.

For more information about making a donation to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, call Jessica Steed at the foundation office at (865) 241-3667 or see the Foundation’s website at www.orpsef.org.

This press release was submitted by Jessica Steed.

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