Cape district receives $150K grant to support early literacy efforts

The Cape Henlopen School District has recently been awarded $158,436.24 through Delaware’s competitive Bridge to Practice for Educators and Success for Students Early Literacy Grant. The award supports the district’s comprehensive plan to strengthen early literacy instruction and ensure every student reads on grade level by the end of third grade.

The grant, funded through the Delaware Literacy Emergency Fund and administered by the Delaware Department of Education, aligns with the state’s vision that all students will leave school ready for success in college, career and life. It supports implementation of evidence-based practices grounded in the Science of Reading and prioritizes sustained, job-embedded professional learning for educators.

Cape Henlopen’s project, Bridge to Practice for Educators and Success for Students, will expand professional learning for PreK-3 educators across all five elementary schools and the Sussex Consortium. The initiative builds upon the district’s adoption of the American Reading Company framework as its high-quality instructional material and integrates two nationally recognized literacy training programs: Lexia’s Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, aka LETRS, and University of Florida Literacy Institute Foundations.

Through this funding, the district will provide specific LETRS training for targeted teachers, interventionists and administrators; send educators to the UFLI Foundations for intensive training in explicit phonics and phonemic awareness instruction; strengthen coaching cycles and Professional Learning Communities to ensure classroom implementation aligns with research-based practices; and use multiple data sources, including the district’s universal screeners and implementation dashboards, to monitor student growth and instructional effectiveness.

The grant directly supports Delaware’s requirement that 100% of PreK-3 teachers complete Science of Reading training by the 2027-28 school year. Currently, Cape Henlopen has dozens of educators who have completed or are actively engaged in LETRS training and will continue building internal capacity through this award.

“This grant represents an important investment in our teachers and our students,” said Dr. Audrey Dempsey, supervisor of elementary education and early learning. “By deepening educator knowledge and strengthening instructional practices, we are ensuring that every child receives the high-quality literacy instruction they deserve in every classroom, every day.”

The initiative launched in January and will continue through June, with a sustainability plan that leverages Title I and Title II funding to maintain professional learning and coaching supports beyond the grant period. The work is fully aligned with the district’s strategic plan and promise, as well as each elementary school’s success plan.