Funding Your Structured Literacy Journey
To implement a structured literacy approach well there are many elements that are going to have to be funded. So how much is this going to cost and how can you fund this? In this blog post we give a high level overview of the costs you need to consider and how you might go about funding those.
How much is it going to cost?
You are going to need to budget for:
extensive training and coaching for your staff;
teaching resources, like decodable books, teacher manuals, and manipulatives and games;
release time for staff.
For a school of 500-600 students you can expect to spend between $50,000 - $75,000 over a period of 3 to 4 years. Even on a shoestring budget without extensive PLD for a small school of 150 students you can expect to spend around $10,000-$30,000 over a 3 to 4 year period on decodable books and teaching resources and more limited PLD.
We highly recommend engaging a reputable PLD provider/coach specialised in structured literacy to help you along this journey.
We have also seen that successful schools have valued the need for present and active leadership in the implementation process. These schools have appointed a ‘Literacy Leader’ from among, or to, their staffing complement to lead the implementation of the switch to a structured literacy approach and to provide ongoing support to new teachers. Also most schools have appointed a specialist structured literacy coach/es who works with students in intervention and also acts as a literacy coach to colleagues (this could potentially be the same person as that leading the initial across school implementation). So you’ll need to think about how you can fund these roles as well, or how across a Kahui Ako you might be able to fund those roles. Another option is to see if you can tap into the expertise of your RTLit or RTLB/SENCO.
Ministry of Education funding
Besides seeing how you might be able to rejig your general operational funding grant from the Ministry, you may be able to make an application for centrally funded (and regionally-allocated) PLD. See here for more information. You will need to choose from the list of Ministry accredited PLD providers. Make sure that the one you choose has the necessary depth of knowledge of the science of reading and structured literacy. See our Guide for assessing programmes for guidance in making your choice.
If you choose to go with a different PLD provider (separate to the Ministry funded option above) then you will need to fund that yourselves. See our list of structured literacy PLD providers.
There is no separate funding pool for decodable readers or other teaching resources, so unless you are going to rely solely on the free Ready to Read Phonics Plus books, you are going to need to source and fund additional decodables and teaching resources.
You can take a look at our series of Case Studies to get an idea of the range of resources other schools have invested in. There is quite a range, and the amount you need to spend is largely determined by the budget you have to spend on these. So you are going to need to get creative to fund these.
Below we set out some options you can consider to get that extra cash. And of course there is also the other fundraising that your PTA might be able to do for you. One idea is to approach local businesses, Rotary or Lions Clubs, to see if they would provide funding for decodable books. Another option might be to talk to your local library to see if they could also get in decodable readers that parents could then borrow and use at home.
Grants
We have collated links to some foundations or charitable organisations that consider applications for funding from schools. Also keep an eye out for other grants that might be available just for your local area. You may also want to consider engaging someone to help you with grant applications. For example, see this video interview with Helen Whitcombe from Funding Connection with Carla McNeil from Learning Matters to get an idea of the type of services they offer and tips for getting together grant applications.
Perpetual Guardian
They oversee a number of foundations with different funding rounds. Take a look at their website https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz/philanthropy/grant-seekers/grants-open-upcoming/ for more information.
In particular these two trusts seem to be very relevant: The Clyde Graham Charitable Trust & The Alexander Harold Watson Charitable Trust. The Trustees welcome applications from organisations that are working to reform educational outcomes and provide educational solutions for all, but particularly children. Preference will be given to one or more of the following priority areas:
Programmes that work to remove barriers to education and increase positive educational outcomes.
Programmes that target statistically disadvantaged, marginalised, or vulnerable children – including but not limited to Māori and/or Pasifika, and/or those with learning disorders or disabilities.
Programmes that pick up children who are not currently in education or training – such as those unable to engage with traditional schooling systems.
Provision of second chance education – adults or senior citizens.
Two funding pools are available: grassroots and broad reach.
*Innovative applications from schools or similar will also be considered.
Applications open 27 September – 18 October 2021.
Gaming Machine Grants
The proceeds from gaming machines are distributed to charitable and community groups through a number of regional trusts. See https://www.dia.govt.nz/Services-Casino-and-Non-Casino-Gaming-Funding-For-Community-Groups for more information.
Max e-Grants
These are specifically for schools and there are up to two funding rounds a year (March and October).
Max e-Grants is a community programme brought to you by OfficeMax in partnership with NZ’s leading children’s charity Barnardos. The programme provides small grants of up to $5,000 to New Zealand schools and pre-schools to support children (4-18 years) experiencing significant disadvantage to support, promote and encourage their educational potential and outcomes.
Max e-Grants aims to support individual children or groups of children experiencing major disadvantage so they can join in activities at school. A major aim of the programme is to avoid individual isolation so that a child or young person experiencing disadvantage does not feel isolated due to circumstances beyond their control. Isolation can be caused by geographical, economic or social disadvantage and the grants programme tries to address this so that children at school can join in activities with their cohort and not feel left out. A priority for the programme is to support children living in isolated rural and remote areas and recently settled refugee or migrant communities.
Mazda Foundation
Three rounds a year (March, June, September). The Mazda Foundation will consider awarding grants to programmes promoting: The maintenance and improvement of the natural environment; The advancement of culture and education to achieve excellence at all levels in the community; Advancement of education and employment skills development, with particular emphasis on children from deprived backgrounds; The arts where the goal is to educate and expose the NZ public on NZ culture.