Red Deer Public Schools says it appreciates the additional provincial funding announced to close learning gaps for Grade 1 students.
On Tuesday the province announced it will provide $10 million to double its 2022-23 funding commitment to help Grade 1 students who need help catching up to grade level in the areas of foundational math and literacy.
Nicole Buchanan, board chair of Red Deer Public Schools, said the jurisdiction was grateful for more funding.
“We have gone above and beyond the government-provided funding as we want to ensure each and every student reaches their full academic potential. This additional funding will help support the programs already in place,” said Buchanan in a statement.
“At the beginning of the school year, our board committed to funding $700,000 for COVID-19 recovery and to help with learning disruption. This was in addition to receiving close to $108,000 in learning disruption funding from Alberta Education last fall.”
The province said ongoing research and feedback from school authorities, teachers and parents indicates students in Grade 1 are experiencing challenges in their reading and math skills and were affected by learning disruptions while in kindergarten or preschool. For many of these students, Grade 1 is their first year learning in a school setting.
School authorities will have the flexibility to tailor programs to their students’ unique needs. For example, they may hire additional teachers and educational assistants, provide more training to their staff or purchase resources like books and access to online resources.
They can begin applying for this funding immediately.
The first four months of the school year allowed teachers to assess students and identify those in need of additional interventions and supports.