Round 4: Even Start Family Literacy Program
Program description. “The Even Start program is intended to: “help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving the educational opportunities of the Nation’s low-income families by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program.” In 2000-2001, there were 855 Even Start projects serving 31,896 families… Even Start grantees had considerable flexibility in designing services to meet the needs of the low-income families, but all were required to offer four services:
(1) adult education to develop basic educational and literacy skills;
(2) early childhood education services to provide developmentally appropriate services to help prepare children for school;
(3) parenting education to help parents support the educational growth of their children; and
(4) parent-child literacy activities.
Even Start projects also offered referrals to a range of support services, such as child care, transportation assistance, health care, nutrition, and an array of other family support services. When these services were not locally available, some Even Start projects provided them directly.”
Do you think that Even Start had a good effect (i.e., increased literacy rates in families), bad effect (i.e., decreased literacy rates in families), or had no effect?
(1) adult education to develop basic educational and literacy skills;
(2) early childhood education services to provide developmentally appropriate services to help prepare children for school;
(3) parenting education to help parents support the educational growth of their children; and
(4) parent-child literacy activities.
Even Start projects also offered referrals to a range of support services, such as child care, transportation assistance, health care, nutrition, and an array of other family support services. When these services were not locally available, some Even Start projects provided them directly.”
Do you think that Even Start had a good effect (i.e., increased literacy rates in families), bad effect (i.e., decreased literacy rates in families), or had no effect?