Even Start Program
Purpose
The National Even Start Family Literacy 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." The program shall:
- be implemented through cooperative projects that build on high quality, existing community resources to create a new range of services,
- promote the academic achievement of children and adults,
- assist children and adults from low-income families to achieve to challenging State content standards, and
- use instructional programs based on scientifically based reading research and addressing the prevention of reading difficulties for children and adults, to the extent such research is available.
Authorization
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, of the Education and Secondary Education Act, Title 1, Part B, Subpart 3T
What is Even Start?
Even Start is a federally - funded grant program that is administered by each state.
Eigible Participants
To be eligible for Even Start, a family must have:
- A parent or parents eligible for participation in adult education and literacy activities under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act; or within the State's compulsory school attendance age range,
- A child or children, from birth through age 7, ( local projects may allow children 8 years of age or older to participate in the program under Title 1, Part A of the ESEA, NCLB and Title 1 Part A funds contribute to the cost of providing Even Start program services to those children, so long as the focus of the program continues to remain on families with young children.)
Use of Funds
Federal funds shall be used to pay the federal share of the cost of providing intensive family literacy services that involve parents and children, from birth through age seven, in a cooperative effort to help parents become full partners in the education of their children and to assist children in reaching their full potential as learners.
Links
For more information on Match Requirements, Use of Funds, The General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Section 427, Reporting Requirements and Submission Procedures, go to:
MSDE Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Grant
http://www.msde.state.md.us/family_literacy/even_start.htm