Outcomes

The development of LiteraSci has been supported by more than $5 million in grants to the University of Rochester from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education,  the A. L. Mailman Family Foundation, and Eastman Kodak.  Extensive evaluations of children's learning were carried out for the three projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education.  Participating preschoolers from  low- and middle-income families showed statistically significant gains on a variety of measures of language and literacy development. In addition they developed a rich knowledge base about the five basic modules, acquired specialized science vocabulary to express this knowledge, and developed a variety of discourse skills and process skills (explaining, describing, questioning, predicting) that support academic success.