The nonprofit organization A Chance To Grow, based in Northeast Minneapolis, will expand its SMART program to southern Minnesota in order to provide more support and training to teachers to enhance children’s readiness skills.

The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation has approved a grant of $20,000 for the inception of the Southern Minnesota SMART Pre-K Alliance, which will involve 10 school-based pre-K programs in the region, including Woodson Kindergarten Center in Austin.

The Pre-K Alliance is focused on investing in educators in the region through training and mentoring in brain-centered programming in order to help prepare children to learn.

Two workshops held in southern Minnesota this summer will train teachers: June 25-June 27 in Austin and Aug. 6-Aug. 8 in New Ulm. Both workshops are also open to the public.