Give Me That Money

I can only imagine what I could do with these kids:

Covington Independent Schools has received a $3.7 million federal grant that will be used to better prepare preschoolers to read, giving them a head start that school officials hope will have profound results.

The money will allow the school system to transform the James E. Biggs Early Childhood Education Center into a national Early Reading First Center of Excellence, with a literacy-rich curriculum.

The children now served by the Biggs Preschool will see their program go from a half day to a full day, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The grant also will open full-day centers in four more schools, all with curriculum designed to align with the Covington primary school reading programs. Some of the children now served at Biggs Preschool will move to the new locations.