FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Maryalicia Johnson 407-246-3629, 407-468-3379

MAYOR DYER’S PRE-K PROGRAM GETS
$1 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT

ORLANDO, FL (October 3, 2003) -- Mayor Buddy Dyer today announced that the Orange County School Readiness Coalition, on behalf of the Mayor’s Education Action Council, has received a $1 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to help fund pre-kindergarten classes in Orange County Public Schools in the City of Orlando ahead of the state mandate to provide pre-k by 2005.

“This grant will enable us to fund a total 180 kids at eight sites, and it couldn’t come at a better time,” said Mayor Dyer.

In July, Mayor Dyer established the Mayor’s Education Action Council, chaired by Attorney Bill Sublette, to implement new programs for education excellence. The Readiness Subcommittee of the Group, chaired by Florida Hospital Vice President Rich Morrison, has been the force behind establishing pre-k programs, targeting those schools with the greatest need. Literacy is the primary focus of the pre-k program, and pre and post assessments of students will show how well the program is working and if the participants are ready for school.

The students will benefit from an additional $440,000 in funding for the program, including a $200,000 contribution from City of Orlando, $30,000 from Walt Disney World, $20,000 from Orlando Utilities Commission, $21,000 from Architect C. T. Hsu’s fundraising efforts and $130,000 provided by the Orange County Readiness Coalition.

“Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Congressman Ric Keller were instrumental in securing the grant funding, and we want to recognize their significant contribution," said Mayor Dyer.

“I think it’s important to emphasize that we are not just funding pre-kindergarten classes,” said Mayor Dyer. “We are establishing a universal framework for pre-k with measurable outcomes that will serve as a pilot for communities across Florida.”

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