Noxubee County School District added Early Learning Collaborative

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss (WCBI) – The Mississippi Board of Education has added 7 new schools to the list of 23 Early Learning Collaboratives in the state.

One of those schools is in the Noxubee County School District.

Superintendent Dr. Washington Cole says this new learning system for 4-year-olds will help guide them to new learning experiences and he can’t wait to watch these little ones grow.

On April 21st the Mississippi Board of Education voted to add seven new early learning collaboratives, or E-L-C’s, across the state.

The E-L-C model was created to provide learning opportunities to 4-year-olds and put them on an early path to academic success even before kindergarten.

One of the schools being added to the list is in the Noxubee County school district.

Superintendent Dr. Washington Cole the 4th says this is a great opportunity to give the youngest students a strong academic start.

“The state department we’ve received a 3-year grant 250 thousand dollars a year which is a total of 750 thousand dollars to impact early learning for our 4-year-olds in Noxubee county so this gives us a leg up because we are able to get students like 4 year old and begin to educate them very early around the early learning standards that the state has for us,” said Dr. Cole.

Dr. Cole says this program lays a strong foundation in literacy.

“4-year-olds are ready to learn and it’s not babysitting exercise its actually putting them into centers. Actually putting books it’s their hands in a literacy-rich environment gets them to know how to hold a book, know how to turn pages in a book, know that print is actually associated with words and vocabulary, and then it gets them ready to learn and also have a great appreciation for literacy,” said Dr. Cole.

Cole says he also wants to work with other educators in the area, so everyone can be on the same page.

“It also gives us an opportunity to partner with our headstart centers in this collaboration so we are both looking at the Mississippi learning standards and engaging students in those standards so that they are better prepared to get to kindergarten
This gives us an opportunity to work as partners. That we are doing the same thing basically for boys and girls to achieve. so the partnership actually opens up the dialogue and conversation,” said Dr. Cole.

It’s a way to help build the next generation for great success.

Dr. Cole says they have openings for three teachers to join the new Early Learning Collaborative.