EVEN START
OVERVIEW
Even Start is a family-focused intervention program designed to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and low literacy. The program has three goals: (a) to "help parents improve [family] literacy or basic education skills," (b) to "help parents become full-time partners in educating their children," and (c) to "assist children in reaching their full potential as learners" (U.S. Department of Education, 1998). Even Start components include adult education and literacy, parenting education, early childhood education, and various support services (e.g., transportation, child care, counseling). Experimental evaluations show that participation in Even Start has produced certain modest positive impacts for parents and children. Parents in Even Start were more likely to attain their GED than control parents; however, program parents did not improve literacy, parenting or personal skills.
Compared with their control group peers, Even Start children performed significantly higher on one measure of school readiness; however, other measures of school readiness were not significant. Finally, older Even Start participants (age five at program debut) had significantly fewer behavior problems than the control group participants; this decrease was not found, however, for younger participants (0-4 at program debut).
One randomized evaluation study found no significant differences between control group children, parents, and families and treatment children, parents, and families, respectively, on any measures except one. There was a significant difference in the number of reading materials in the home between the Even Start families and the control families.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Parents and children up to age 8 from low-income
families. Parents must be eligible to participate in an adult education program
under the Adult Education Act
Authorized in 1989, Even Start is a family-focused intervention and has three
core components that address its goals. The first component is adult education
and literacy. Included in this are Adult Basic Education (ABE), English as a
Second Language (ESL) and training for obtaining the General Education
Development (GED) Certificate. The second component is parenting education,
which includes instruction for parents on supporting their child's education.
The third component is early childhood education, which includes direct
intervention to prepare children for school. All Even Start sites are required
to address each of these three core services, however the specific activities
and services in each component is left up to the discretion of the individual
sites. This allows a site to tailor services to the needs of a particular
population and focus on specific outcomes within that population. Even Start
sites are also required to provide some core services through joint sessions
with parents and children.
In addition to the three core components, Even Start sites may provide support
services. These services may include transportation, child care, nutrition
services, screening and referral for chemical dependency, referrals for mental
health and counseling, and job referrals. Even Start also includes an evaluation
component.
Even Start components are coordinated with existing service providers in
communities, when possible, to avoid duplication of services.
· Number of Children/Teens in Program: There are approximately 800 sites
nationwide serving approximately one million parents and children. The average
site serves approximately 54 families.
· Length: Most sites serve families with children from birth through age
8, however sites may choose to narrow their focus to a smaller age range.
· Intensity: Families participating in Even Start are required to
participate in activities in all three components of the program. Each Even
Start program is expected to provide at least 60 hours of adult education, 20
hours of parenting education and 65 hours of early childhood education per
month. On average, parents are involved in 95 hours of adult education and 35
hours of parenting education services per year. Children spend an average of
15.5 hours per month in early childhood education provided by Even Start
programs. A majority of families only participate for one year; less than a
quarter of families participate for more than two years.
· Service Delivery Mode: Varies from site to site.
· Average Program Cost of Federal Funding per Even Start Family:
1989-1990: $5,894
1990-1991: $3,669
1991-1992: $2,503 + $1,352 from sources other than federal funding = $3,855
Projects serving 100 or more families tend to have a federal cost of $1,659 per family, and projects serving 30 or fewer tend to cost $6,312 in federal funds per family. Projects using other agencies for “core” services cost an average of $1,878 per family, while projects without this available cost $5,775 per family on average.
EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM
Three four-year national evaluations of Even Start have been conducted by the
U.S. Department of Education. The first evaluation was conducted from 1989
through 1993, the second from 1993 through 1997, and the third from 1997 through
2001. We will focus on the first and third evaluations because they utilized
random (experimental) assignment (U.S. Department of Education, 1995, 2003).
U.S. Department of Education.
(1995). National evaluation of the Even Start Family Literacy Program: Final
report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Planning and
Evaluation Service.
Evaluated population:
200 program families were from all ten sites while the 100 control families were
from five of the ten sites. Children in the in-depth study ranged in age from
birth through 5 years of age with most children being between ages 3 and 5. The
sample was ethnically diverse; some sites served only black families, some only
white, and others mixed. Hispanics, Native Americans and Afghanis were also
represented in the sample.
Approach: The first evaluation used the National Evaluation Information
System (NEIS), which is used to collect common data from all Even Start sites
(U.S. Department of Education, 1995). These data were used to examine
implementation during Even Start's first four years of operation, as well as
effects on the first two cohorts of participants. The evaluation also included
an in-depth study of ten Even Start sites. This in-depth study included random
assignment of families to treatment and control groups in order to examine the
effects of Even Start on participants.
The NEIS component of the Even Start evaluation included data from 340 sites.
The program implementation evaluation found that the program was serving its
target population of low income, needy families with children less than 8 years
of age. Further, the number of families participating in Even Start increased
over time from 2,500 families served in 76 sites in the 1989-90 school year to
20,000 families served in 340 sites in the 1992-93 school year.
To examine the effect of Even Start on families, the evaluation drew on NEIS
data and in-depth study data. In this summary, we focus on the experimental
findings from the in-depth study, which consisted of ten Even Start sites. In
five of the ten sites, participants were randomly assigned to a control group or
an experimental group; in the other five sites, all of the families participated
in Even Start (so they were all in the experimental group). The Families in the
in-depth study were recruited in the summer and fall of 1991, the program
occurred in 1991 and 1992, and post-test data were collected in the summer of
1992 and spring of 1993.
Results: Some significant effects were found for children. Children in
the Even Start group exhibited higher gains than control participants on the
Preschool Inventory (PSI; a measure of school readiness), however these
differences faded after 18 months. Even Start children were also more likely to
participate in early childhood education programs (including those offered
through Even Start) than control children. The researchers found no significant
differences between children in the Even Start and comparison groups on the
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) or the Child's Emergent Literacy Test. In
the area of parent literacy, a greater percentage of Even Start parents received
their GED when compared to control parents (22.4 percent vs. 5.7 percent).
However, on the reading survey component of the Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment System (CASAS; a measure of adult functional literacy in reading),
program parents did not show significant differences from control parents.
Likewise, there were no significant difference between program and control
participants on measures of parental reading and writing behaviors in the home.
On measures of parenting skills, Even Start participants did not experience
differences when compared to control participants. The evaluation found no
significant differences on measures of parents' personal skills (e.g., sense of
well-being, sense of control over life), parent-child reading behavior, or
parental educational expectations of children. In regard to the home learning
environment, only one measure indicated a significant difference: Even Start
parents reported significantly higher numbers of reading materials in the home
than control participants.
Overall, the results were mixed. It should be noted that there was substantial
variation in level of program intensity and in the degree of family involvement.
U.S. Department of Education. (2003). Third national Even Start evaluation: Program impacts and implications for improvement. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Planning and Evaluation Service.
Evaluated population: The Experimental Design Study (EDS) sample
consisted of 463 families; about two-thirds of the sample (309 families) was
randomly assigned to an experimental group and one-third (154 families) to a
control group. Children in the program were between birth and 5 years of age
with a majority of children between 3 and 5 years of age.
Approach: Similar to the first national evaluation of Even Start, the
third national evaluation had two components (U.S. Department of Education,
2003). The first was data collected through the Even Start Performance
Information Reporting System (ESPIRS), which collects common data from all Even
Start sites. The second component was the Experimental Design Study (EDS). In
this summary, we focus on findings from the EDS, which included 18 sites. These
sites were not representative of the Even Start population because Hispanic
families in urban areas were over-represented. Participants in the experimental
group began the Even Start program immediately while participants in the control
group were not allowed to begin the Even Start program for one year. Data were
collected at pre-intervention, post-intervention one year later, and in a
one-year follow-up. Results of the one-year follow-up have not been released.
Results: Results of the study showed very few significant differences
between the experimental and control groups. On measures of literacy,
experimental group parents and children did not show significantly better
performance than control group parents and children. Further, teacher ratings of
children's social skills did not differ significantly between the control and
experimental groups. There were also no differences in school records in terms
of tardiness, absences or special education placement. The only significant
difference between the control and experimental groups were teacher ratings of
behavior problems using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). Teachers rated
elementary school age experimental group children as having fewer behavior
problems than control group children. However, this difference was not
significant for preschool children, who were rated using the SSRS by preschool
teachers.
St. Pierre, R. G., Swartz, J. P., Murray, S., & Deck, D. (1996). Improving Family Literacy: Findings from the National Even Start Evaluation. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates Inc.
Evaluated Population: Information on the evaluated population was not provided for the In-Depth Study. The description of the evaluated population comes from the National Evaluation Information System (NEIS), and may be slightly different from participants in the In-Depth Study.
For the adults in the program, 79% did not complete high school, 66% have a total annual income under $10,000, the average adult enters the program with the literacy skills of a high school student, 46% earn their primary source of income through job wages and 49% pull their primary source of income from government assistance. Of the adults, 40% are white, 26% black, 22% Hispanic, 4% Native American, and 8% Asian or pacific islander. English is the primary language of 66% of the adults and Spanish is for 26% of the adults.
For the children in the program, the average pretest vocabulary score fell at the 9th percentile, which is very low. Half of families were couples with children, 37% were in single parent families, 13% had another living arrangement. Among the children, 70% were assessed as having a disability.
Approach: This paper analyzed data from two data collection efforts: the In-Depth Study and the National Evaluation Information System (NEIS). The In-Depth Study collected data from families in five projects. The 200 families were randomly assigned to be either in Even Start or a control group. Data were collected just before beginning the program, when the children where about four, at nine months after entering the program, and at 18 months after entering the program. The NEIS is an annual survey of the program, not randomized, and includes all projects. The data are only about program participants.
The description of this paper focuses on the In-Depth Study findings.
The datasets measured school readiness skills, vocabulary, whether the parent has obtained a GED, parent literacy, parent expectations of their child and parenting skills.
Results: There was a significant difference in the number of reading materials in the home between the Even Start families and the control families.
There was no significant difference between the Even Start children and the control group children on the following: gains in vocabulary; change in literacy scores; how a parent and child interact while reading a book together; on expectations of their children to graduate from high school. For the family itself, there were no significant differences between the Even Start families and the control families on perceived social support, family resources, income, income sources, and employment status.
SOURCES FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Link to program curriculum: http://www.evenstart.org/index.shtml
References:
St. Pierre, R. G., Swartz, J. P., Murray, S., & Deck, D. (1996). Improving Family Literacy: Findings from the National Even Start Evaluation. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates Inc.
U.S. Department of Education. (1993). National evaluation of the Even Start
Family Literacy Program: Report on effectiveness. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Policy and Planning.
U.S. Department of Education. (1995). National evaluation of the Even Start
Family Literacy Program: Final report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Education, Planning and Evaluation Service.
U.S. Department of Education. (1998). Even Start: Evidence from the past and
a look to the future. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Planning
and Evaluation Service.
U.S. Department of Education. (2003). Third national Even Start evaluation:
Program impacts and implications for improvement. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Education, Planning and Evaluation Service.
Wasik, B.H. (2003, April). Family literacy interventions. Paper presented
at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa,
FL.
Program also discussed in the following Child Trends publication(s):
Child Trends. (2001). School readiness: Helping communities get children
ready for school and schools ready for children (Research brief).
Washington, DC: Child Trends.
Halle, T., Zaff, J., Calkins, J., & Margie, N. G. (2000). Background for
community-level work on school readiness: A review of definitions, assessments,
and investment strategies. Part II: Reviewing the literature on contributing
factors to school readiness. Washington, DC: Child Trends, Inc.
SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 0-5 / Program age ranges in the Guide: 0-5
Program components: child care/early childhood education, clinic/provider-based, parent or family component
Measured outcomes: education/cognitive, behavioral problems
KEYWORDS: Early Childhood (0-5),
Infants (0-12 months), Toddlers (12-36 months), Children (3-11), High-Risk,
Clinic-based, Home-based, African American or Black, Caucasian or White,
Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Child Care, Early
Childhood Education, Skills Training, Counseling/Therapy, Education, Educational
Expectations, Academic Achievement
Program information last updated 5/22/09