Walton Family Foundation donates $5,000 to Farmington for Reading First Program
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Walton Family Foundation recently donated $ 5, 000 to the Farmington school district.
The gift was announced Monday at Folsom Elementary School in Farmington. Ernie Penn, senior vice president of Arvest Bank in Farmington, was on hand as a representative of the foundation to present the check.
In 2006, Farmington began participating in the Reading First Program as a nonfunded school project. The program is an initiative where instruction is focused on five keys of early reading / phonetic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The Arkansas Reading First program is a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Through this initiative, Arkansas school districts receive professional development to help schools to better prepare their youngest students.
As a nonfunded participant, the Farmington Schools utilize donations to implement the comprehensive reading program. The donations are used to purchase books and expand literacy workstation activities.
"Our goal, and the goal of the program, is to have all children reading on or above grade level by third grade," Jill Phillips, Farmington literacy coach, said. "Even though our test scores are above the region, we still need to increase the scores of the students who are performing at the basic and below levels in reading. We are very grateful for this wonderful gift from the Walton Family Foundation.
With a new elementary school opening in Farmington next year, the school district will have an additional resource need for the reading program. The donation from the Walton Family Foundation will be used to supply materials for the reading initiative to be implemented at the new elementary school and for it to be continued at the current location. Phillips said 750 students - kindergarten through third grade - will benefit from this donation.
"We are pleased to present this donation on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation to support the school's efforts to enhance education in our community," Penn said. "This donation demonstrates the foundation's ongoing commitment to the children in our region."
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
