VIDALIA, La. &045; Parish schools will implement the next step in the Reading First grant by mid-year with the help of more grant dollars.

A combination of several grants will put four new computers in every kindergarten through third-grade classroom in all the parish schools.

The computers will fulfill the technology portion of the Reading First program that was started in the schools last year.

The program, which sets aside a block of time for reading and emphasizes individualized learning, requires schools to take advantage of reading software and Web sites to supplement classroom learning, Reading First Coordinator Cindy Smith said.

Once all the wiring is checked and installed, each room will use the computers to make a learning center. Smith said some students will work at the center while other students work with the teacher on a rotating basis.

Kindergarten classes in Ferriday and Monterey will receive the computers from a different state grant.

The district currently has a capital outlay project that is updating wiring at all the schools.

&uot;There’s a lot of meetings and talks going on so we are all on the same page,&uot; Smith said. &uot;Hopefully by mid-school term they’ll be in (the classrooms).&uot;

When the district implemented the Reading First grant last year they were unable to go ahead with the software component of the curriculum because the classrooms did not have adequate computers, Smith said.

She went back to the state and explained the situation and received more grant money to fully complete the process.

The computers are not for teacher use, but will be used mainly by the students.