Head Start Collaboration with Even Start
RMC Research Corporation, National Parent Involvement Training Contract, Portsmouth, New Jersey
The Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion recommends that Head Start programs "recommit to providing two-generational programming that focuses on parents as well as children." It states further that such programming should, "Provide parents with child development and literacy skills training to help their children reach their full potential" (Committee Report, Dec. 1993). As Head Start grantees look to expand services to families, some are finding a natural link with a program in the Department of Education called the Even Start Program.
Even Start is a Federal and State funded demonstration project which has delivered integrated services to children ages 0-7 and their parents through more than 400 nationwide programs since 1989. It is administered through the Department of Education's Chapter I program and builds on existing community resources to expand service to families. Even Start has three components: early childhood education, adult literacy, and parenting education.
Head Start programs have been involved with Even Start through two avenues: Local Education Agencies (LEA's) or Community Based Organizations (CBO's). Following are some encouraging findings from Head Start-Even Start collaborations:
- The Albany Park Community Center, Inc., in Chicago, illinois, is a CBO which received an Even Start grant last year. Although they already had Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language classes as part of their Head Start program, they applied for Even Start to enable them to support more fully families with infants and toddlers who needed to take literacy classes and be more involved in the program.
- The Southern Ute Child and Family Center in Ignacio, Colorado, has found that Even Start enables them to involve parents who were not previously involved in Head Start. In addition to providing services for families of 0- to 3-year- olds, the community center has worked with schools to develop services for early elementary children and their parents.
- The Hopewell School Even Start in Hopewell, Virginia, was started three years ago by an LEA. Recently, they moved their Head Start-Even Start collaboration to the rural Woodlawn Learning Center. This joint effort has created a system where instructors from both programs team-teach
adult education classes in math, social studies, and reading. Head Start Coordinator Belinda Perry says this has opened up opportunities for both parents and staff as the two programs collaborate on other needs, such as transportation, technical assistance, and in service training.
- At the ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.) Even Start program in Boston, Massachusetts, Pauline O'Leary, ABCD's Even Start Coordinator, says that her work is guided by her belief that "community based education is a powerful tool to bring about change in a neighborhood. And the Even Start model can be a powerful tool to bring about change in the family." In their Even Start program, parents experience how their children learn and master skills that support their children's learning and creative play at home. ABCD feels that the more adults experience and share in the joy of their children's learning, the more eagerly they will stay involved with their children's education.
Whether your Head Start agency is school or community based, Even Start may provide your program with a framework for enhancing services to families. For more information, contact your State Education Office. Ask to be put in touch with the LEA that administers Even Start in your area.