Kenney, LaGrange announce $45M to help kicks start school programming this fall

EDMONTON – The province has cut a cheque for $45 million in order to help schools and students boost learning in a post-COVID-19 world.

Premier Jason Kenney and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange made the announcement Friday morning.

WATCH: Kenney, LaGrange announce support for Alberta’s students

LaGrange says school boards will assess Grade 1 to Grade 3 students’ reading and numeracy skills and then apply for funding, which could be used for hiring more staff if needed.

The province says it’s been in touch with superintendents and has come up with this funding to best support early learners.

According to the province, early research indicated that literacy and numeracy were particular areas of struggle for Alberta’s kids and that early intervention can help student catch up to grade level.

“We know the COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need among younger students and schools that intervene quickly are able to help struggling students catch up to grade level. And we recognize that literacy and numeracy are essential and the building blocks for future learning,” said LaGrange.

Provincial modelling suggests about 15 per cent of kids in those early years will need additional support in the coming school year due to COVID-19-related learning disruptions.

This funding is targeted to help learning in those areas.

Last question, why do the boards have to apply and won't this take a lot of time?

LaGrange says they have assessments in place and they can access this knowledge to figure out if they need the money. By applying, they know only the students most in need get the help.

— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) May 28, 2021

The province says information on applying for this program will be available in the coming weeks.