In case you missed it, EEP has been closely tracking Ohio’s biennial budget over the last few months. In this blog, (part 2 of 3) we will cover early learning and literacy.
Early Learning:
- Early Childhood Education Grants – $13 million each year to fund continuation grants and new grants.
- Early Childhood Mental Health – Funds to promote identification and intervention for early childhood mental health and to enhance healthy social emotional development in order to reduce preschool to third grade classroom expulsions. Funds also support early childhood mental health credentialed counselors and consultation services.
Literacy:
- Literacy Materials Funds – $64 million to subsidize costs for purchasing new materials for literacy instruction.
- Dyslexia Professional Development – New phase in timeline for all teachers to receive training, K-1 beginning of this school year. Grades 2-3 by fall 2024 and all other grades by fall 2025.
- Literacy Improvement – $43 million each year to reimburse districts/schools for stipends to teachers to complete a course provided by the DEW (formerly ODE) Science of Reading and evidence based strategies for effective literacy instruction professional development. All teachers and administrators must complete it by June 30, 2025. Stipends will be either $400 for non-ELA teachers and $1,200 for ELA and elementary teachers.
Check back on August 7th for part 2! Sign up for our newsletter below, for updates, grant information, and event reminders!