Federal Programs in Charlotte County
Even Start Family Literacy Program
What is the Even Start Family Literacy Program?
The federally funded Florida Even Start program utilizes a family-centered education model that improves the academic achievement of young children and the literacy skills of their parents in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and illiteracy. Florida Even Start programs seek out and serve the families that are the most economically disadvantaged and have the lowest levels of adult literacy in the state.
Florida Even Start integrates all of the following activities:
- Training for parents on how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children.
- Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children that transfer educational values/concepts into the home.
- Adult education/ESL that leads to a high school diploma/GED, better jobs and to economic self-sufficiency.
- Age-appropriate early childhood and preschool education to prepare children for school success and life long learning.
Florida’s Even Start Family Literacy funds are currently being used to provide year-round instructional activities that utilize scientifically-based reading research and include enrichment services during the summer months.
How do Families Participate in the Even Start Family Literacy Program?
To be eligible, a family must be at or near the Federal Poverty Level, have at least one parent who either needs a GED/high school diploma or has not yet mastered English, and have at least one child under the age of 8. For more information contact Debi Bell at 575-5470.