National Even Start Association
 National Even Start Association

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» NESA Update 11/07/08
» Legislative Update – October 2008

The mission of the National Even Start Association is to provide a national voice and vision for Even Start Family Literacy Programs.

Mom and baby read. The National Even Start Association (N.E.S.A.) is a membership organization, comprised of a group of professionals dedicated to supporting high quality services in Even Start Family Literacy programs. N.E.S.A. supports Even Start programs in all 50 states and the territories, Tribal Even Start programs, Migrant Even Start programs and Even Start programs in prisons housing women and children.

The National Even Start Association is committed to supporting sites across the nation in their efforts to provide high quality literacy services for parents and children through:

  • Annual National Conference that brings current researchers and practitioners together
  • Annual academies that focus on the application of current research to Even Start practice
  • Professional development that is focused on the needs of Even Start practitioners
  • Publication of Family Literacy Forum to provide information and resources for Even Start and other family literacy practitioners
  • Support for the development of State Chapters of the National Even Start Association
  • Legislative Updates
  • Networking/Support/Advocacy
The goal of our organization is to:
  1. Ensure the continuity and quality of NESA leadership.
  2. Generate awareness and support for Even Start Family Literacy Programs.
  3. Provide professional services that support quality in Even Start Family Literacy Programs.
  4. Collaborate with other family literacy providers to ensure the quality of Even Start programs.

What is the Even Start Family Literacy Program?

Even Start Family Literacy Programs are school-community partnerships that help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. Even Start is implemented nationally through cooperative projects that build on high-quality existing community resources, creating a new range of services for children, families and adults. Programs help children and families achieve the academic standards set forth by the States and use instructional programs that are based on scientifically- based reading research to

  • enrich language development, extend learning, and support high levels of educational success for children birth to age seven and their parents;
  • provide literacy services of sufficient hours and duration to make sustainable changes in a family;
  • provide integrated instructional services for families, where children and their parents learn together to develop habits of life-long learning; and
  • support families committed to education and to economic independence.