Education
Vicksburg’s United Way to receive literacy grant
VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — United Way of West Central Mississippi has been selected as one of 24 recipients nationwide to receive a prestigious federal literacy grant announced by the U.S. Department of Education.
With the $10 million award, part of $256 million in new Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants aimed at improving literacy outcomes nationwide, United Way of West Central Mississippi will expand its SOAR United Literacy Intervention Program. SOAR United, which stands for Serving Others by Accelerating Reading, focuses on high-impact tutoring, evidence-based reading strategies, meaningful academic and social connections supported by trained academic guides, and increasing book ownership for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade.
The initiative aims to accelerate reading achievement, particularly for children from rural communities. United Way of West Central Mississippi serves a primarily rural region, positioning the organization to maximize the impact of the funding.
“Our goal in lifelong literacy is to ensure individuals of all ages and zip codes have access to the tools and support needed to develop strong literacy skills,” said Michele Connelly, Executive Director of United Way of West Central Mississippi. “This investment allows us to strengthen and expand SOAR United so more children in our community and state can succeed academically and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.”
“The EIR funding will expand SOAR United tutoring from 2 to 21 counties, ensuring high-quality reading support for students in out-of-school time settings is more accessible in areas where these opportunities are needed most,” said Dr. Ashley Parker Sheils. “Programs like SOAR United are positively contributing to the ‘Mississippi Marathon’ in literacy by complementing the high-quality instruction happening in classrooms with individualized and small-group support for children who need it after school.”
Sheils, who designed SOAR United and will serve as a principal investigator for the EIR grant, is the newly named Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, which will support five United Way hubs as they implement the SOAR United tutoring model over the next four years. The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi will serve as a connector and facilitator across EIR communities so that the work can continue to be elevated and scaled.
“United Way of West Central Mississippi has set the bar extremely high for building partnerships and using data and best practices to inform community-led literacy programming. The impact this project will have on our state will make all Mississippians proud.”
For more information about SOAR United and United Way’s literacy initiatives, visit www.unitedwayvicksburg.org.
