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Even Start program focuses on family strengthsBy Anne Byers |
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February 1, 1996 From the Rural Adult Education FORUM In the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas, the Unified School Districts 383/475 of Manhattan/Ogden and Geary County reach over 200 families a year through their cooperative Even Start program. The program is one of two programs which have been validated by the National Family Literacy project. "I think that our Even Start program is so successful because we focus on family strengths rather than deficits," says Barbara Tierney, Even Start Project Director. Tierney sees establishing positive attitudes and two-way communication between educational agencies and institutions and families as one of the program's greatest challenges. "We feel that families truly want what is best for their children, but might not have the information and resources available to them. The strengths approach works for us or we wouldn't be able to serve the number of families that we do." The program contains the four basic components of family literacy programs: adult education, early childhood education, parent education, and parent and child time together. The primarily home- based program uses children's literature and reading aloud as the focus of all four components. "Basically it is a family reading program where our focus is to get parents and children reading together," says Tierney. Themed units built around children's books are used for individualized family instruction. The units focus on a number of topics, including the importance of reading aloud and creating a literate home environment; choosing literature appropriate for different developmental and literacy levels; using libraries and accessing information; using the television as a stimulus to reading, language, and problem solving; promoting positive attitudes and self-esteem; and providing health and wellness information. Tierney credits the curriculum with much of the program's success. "Everybody loves beautiful picture books, and that's the hook," says Tierney. "A lot of our families don't have the resources to buy books. We have cabinets full of nice paperback books that we distribute to families." The large outreach program serves families in two counties and four communities. By linking with other service providers in the area, the program is able to enhance and expand upon existing services. Taking a systems approach, the program has aligned its vision and mission with federal Even Start guidelines, the National Goals for Education, state Quality Performance Assessment (QPA) indicators, and district mission statement and goals.
"In other words, we don't have our own set of goals and objectives," says Tierney. "We have taken the school districts' goals and objectives and connected ours in with them. We've done that with the school districts' goals, and then how that connects with Goals 2000, and how that connects with the QPA process, and how that even connects with different agencies' mission statements." USD 383/475 Even Start partners include Kansas State University; Manhattan Area Technical Center; Riley County Extension; USD 383 and 475 Adult Education, Chapter 1, Parents as Teachers, Special Services, and Head Start; Riley County Health Department; Flint Hills Job Corps; Military Wives; Riley and Geary County Social Service Agencies; the Coalition of Parent Educators; and the Interagency Coordinating Councils for Riley and Geary County Families. "We link up with the agencies that provide adult education and early childhood components, and what we provide are the family reading workshops and home visitsþso it looks a little different depending on which agency you connect with," says Tierney. "In Junction City, we connect with their adult learning center and Head Start. What we do here at the elementary school in Ogden is very different than what we do with the Job Corps." Through its partnership with Ogden Elementary School, Even Start provides parent resources and programs, library access and computer access. By working with K-2 teachers, Even Start provides a home- school connections through parent and child activities, curriculum connections, and home visits. Home visits are essential to the program's outreach efforts, providing flexibility in how families access the program. "Home visitors are very fundamental in that we can do outreach to families and not expect them to show up at one place, at one time, to attend a one-shot program," says Tierney. "Our six home visitors are definitely the lifeline of our program because they act as each family's personal advocate. They can provide an array of choices for the family if they are in need of additional resources." Many of the families served by Even Start are in crisis. They are often in need of housing and jobs. The program uses a warm, nurturing approach to strengthen families and improve literacy skills. "We nurture families and provide nurturing models," says Tierney. "We play with families. We utilize books. We give parents permission to enjoy their children, play with their children, and read with their children." For more information, contact Barbara Tierney, Project Director, Even Start, Ogden Elementary School, 210 Elm Street, Box L, Ogden, KS 66517, phone (913) 587-2080. The Rural Adult Education FORUM is published by the Rural Clearinghouse for Lifelong Education and Development six times each year to disseminate news and information of interest to rural practitioners and providers. This article may be freely distributed as long as this notice remains intact. Rural Clearinghouse for Lifelong Education and Development
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If you are interested in additional information, or would like to set up a Families Worldwide Chapter in your community, please feel free to contact us via e-mail. Families Worldwide |
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