MILLEDGEVILLE — Baldwin County Schools hopes a new grant will brighten futures in its county as students will get a little more help with reading.
Students at Lakeview Primary School start their day by focusing on reading.
8-year-old Ahmad Ivey spends an hour with a tutor once a week, working on reading and writing.
Starting in January, students like Ivey will get more help, made possible by a $2.5 million federal grant.
"I am so excited about this grant. This grant was brought about with multiple partners; we had to work together," said Community in Schools for Baldwin County executive director Sandy Baxter.
The education support group, Communities in Schools, Georgia College in Milledgeville, and five other groups helped get the grant.
The goal is to continue helping the more than 100 kids in the program.
"The students’ grades going up is huge. The lack of attendance declining is a measure we take, and their behavior," Baxter said.
With the grant, students will be able to get more one-on-one time with tutors -- being able to meet with a tutor twice a week.
The money will also be used to bring in a full-time coordinator and start a school summer reading program.
"We provide many services for students and family, and we're all in this together, to work towards the good of our community," Baxter said.
It’s a service that site coordinator Bridget Ivey says work easy.
"We have all these beautiful smiles, and the waves in the hallway," Bridget Ivey said.
Students at Lakeview know they can count on having fun while learning.
“[I love] reading with her and going with her [on] the days we go to read with her," said student Staci Ross said.
Close to 100 volunteers make sure these students are reading. Communities in Schools will focus on kindergarten through second grade students.
Baxter says the project will serve more than 1,000 students once the program kicks off in 2019.
In addition to boosting literacy, the $2.5 million grant will also help place a health clinic at Georgia College's Early Learning Center to diagnose and treat basic ailments for children in the district.