COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Education officials say Ohio is getting a $35 million federal grant to help improve child literacy.

The Ohio Department of Education says the bulk of funding from the three-year grant will be distributed to schools and early childhood care providers such as preschools to improve language and literacy development for children up through 12th grade.

State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria says the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Grant from the U.S. Department of Education boosts efforts to improve literacy outcomes for vulnerable children.

State education officials say the grant will focus on serving children in poverty, those with disabilities, English learners and students with reading disabilities.

Officials say the money awarded through the grant will be aimed at serving as many of those students as possible.