NCFF receives $10 million grant to strengthen child reading skills

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF) has been given a federal grant of nearly $10 million over five years.

The grant will go towards studying and expanding a program that is currently putting books into homes and early childhood programs. The initiative focuses on Nebraska preschool-age children.

The Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant will also fund an expansion of Nebraska Growing Readers, a program meant to strengthen early reading skills.

“Through our work with communities across Nebraska, we heard a clear need to strengthen early literacy. That led to a partnership with NDE and Unite for Literacy on the Nebraska Growing Readers initiative. Results from four pilot communities showed statistically significant gains in early literacy. We’re excited to build on that success with this EIR award and continue growing children’s love of reading and literacy skills, which will prepare them for school and future careers,” said Dr. Joshua Cramer, Executive Vice President of NCFF.

Over 120 sites statewide will take part in the study.