Peabody, Salem Schools Awarded $30K MA Literacy Launch Grants

PEABODY, MA — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll was in Peabody on Monday to announce that Peabody and Salem Public Schools were among the districts awarded $30,000 youth literacy grants through the state's Partnership for Reading Success in Massachusetts program.

Peabody and Salem were among 15 districts sharing in $326,477 in funding.

"We know that early literacy can change the trajectory of a child's life," said former Salem Mayor and Lt. Gov. Driscoll. "These grants are a critical step in ensuring that every student in Massachusetts has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We're excited to see the innovative ways our schools will use this funding to inspire a love of reading and learning."

Awarded districts will receive professional development, and support to create partnerships with community-based preschool providers to align evidence-based early curriculum, instruction, and assessment across the community, and funding for early literacy screening assessments, coaching support and to cover staffing costs for roles like literacy coaches or reading specialists.

"High-quality early literacy instruction and materials are critical to our youngest learners," Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala said. "Literacy Launch is truly innovative in that it partners school districts with local preschool providers to ensure access to strong, evidence-based literacy materials for all children within the community. Peabody is excited to strengthen our community partnerships and expand the literacy opportunities throughout the city."

Other districts awarded grants were Brockton, Framingham, Gateway Regional, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lynn, Nashoba, New Bedford, Northborough and Southborough, Norwood and Stoneham.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)