12 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Phillips Fundamental Learning Center (PFLC) received a $7.8 million award from the Department of Children and Families to build a new facility Tuesday.
A news release says the funding will provide two years of staffing and operating costs, as well as construction services to build a state-of-the-art multipurpose facility.
PFLC says it is planning, in conjunction with state universities, to implement a pilot project to provide access for college students interested in becoming dyslexia intervention specialists. The course was accredited in 2005, and prepares educators to teach children with dyslexia who struggle to learn to read, write and spell.
The grant opportunity will also allow the expansion of the Rolph Literacy Academy — a private day school for students with acute literacy needs — from 60 students to as many as 120 in the next two years.
The news release says according to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores, 70% of Kansas kids are not reading proficiently by the fourth grade, a number that is suspected to worsen due to the effects of COVID.
“We are in a real crisis in our state, and we can’t afford not to invest what we can in the children of our state,” said Jeanine Phillips, Co-Founder and Executive Director of PFLC, in the news release. “And our teachers deserve the tools essential for teaching their students to read, write and spell.
“We have known how to teach children to read, especially those with dyslexia, for more than 20 years, and we are excited to have the opportunity to reach even more with our services,” Phillips said.
The building is expected to open during Dyslexia Month in October.