ERIC ED498203: Colorado Even Start 2005-2006 Progress Report

2006·0.86 MB·English

by  ERIC

COLORADO EVEN START
2005–2006 PROGRESS REPORT
C O L O R A D O E V E N S T A R T
2 0 0 5 – 2 0 0 6 P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
CONTENTS
Key Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Background of Even Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Research Foundation for Family Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Colorado Family Literacy Consortium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Colorado Family Literacy Training Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
New Funding for Family Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Colorado Even StartPrograms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Evaluation of Colorado Even Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Colorado Statewide Even StartEvaluation Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Colorado Family Literacy State Performance Measures—Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Who participated in Even Startduring 2005–2006? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What was the cost of serving Even Startfamilies in 2005–2006? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
How regularly did families attend Even Startprogramming? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What educational gains did adults in Even Startmake?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What educational gains did children in Even Startachieve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
What parenting goals did Even Startparticipants meet?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Parent Education Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
What self-sufficiency gains did Even Startfamilies accomplish?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Steps Toward the Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
APPENDIX A: Colorado Even Start 2005–2006 Progress Report Data Collection Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
APPENDIX B: Colorado Even Start Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
This report is available online at www.cde.state.co.us/cdecare/evenstart.htm.
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2 0 0 5 – 2 0 0 6 P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
COLORADO EVEN START ● This year, over three-fourths (78%) of primary-grade
children in Even Startwere reading at or above grade
2005–2006 Progress Report level, or demonstrated one year’s growth in literacy
skills within one year. Last year, 76% of kindergart-
Prepared by Beckie Anderson
ners through third-graders met this goal.
for the Colorado Department of Education
● Using a new assessment, the Parent Education Pro-
file, 74% of rated parents demonstrated progress in
Key Findings of the
using language with their children. Almost three-quar-
2005–2006 Progress Report ters of the rated families (73%) placed an increased
priority on learning with their children at home.
An Even Startfamily literacy program is an integrated
adult education, early childhood education, and parent ● Eighty-nine percent of unemployed Even Startpar-
education program that facilitates parents and children ents seeking work, obtained employment this year.
spending time together doing literacy activities. This
Progress Report provides information about the eleven The Background of
(11) Colorado Even Start programs, and the educa-
Even Start
tional and self-sufficiency gains made by the families they
serve. It includes six years of program data collected on The purpose of Even Start, as outlined in federal leg-
the Colorado Family Literacy State Performance Measures. islation, is to help break the intergenerational cycle of
New data is presented on parents’ behavior related to poverty and low literacy by providing a unified family lit-
children’s literacy development. The report concludes eracy program for low-income families. Even Starthas
with a look toward the future for Even Start and fam- three related goals:
ily literacy services in Colorado.
● to help parents improve their literacy or basic edu-
For the past nine years, the Colorado Department of cation skills,
Education has contracted for a statewide evaluation of
● to help parents become full partners in educating their
Colorado Even Startprograms. The following evalua-
children, and
tion findings are highlights from 2005–2006:
● to assist children in reaching their full potential as
● Colorado Even Startprograms met 85% of the tar-
learners.
geted goals contained in the state performance meas-
ures. An analysis of 1997 population surveys conducted by the
United States Census Bureau indicated that over four
● Colorado Even Startprograms served 382 families
million families were eligible for Even Start services,
with 595 children.
when the age of children in the household and the edu-
● Of Even Startparents studying to pass the General cational attainment of the parents were considered.
Educational Development (GED) exam and teen par- Almost two million of these families were living in poverty
ents working toward obtaining a high school diploma, (U.S. Department of Education, No Child Left Behind: A
70% attained their goals this year. This figure is a 15% Desktop Reference, 2002).
increase from last year and the highest percentage in
Even Startis funded through the U.S. Department of
the four years the statistic has been calculated.
Education under the No Child Left Behind Act, Title I.
● The average graduation rate for teen parents in Even Title I is the largest federally funded program designed
Startover the past seven years is 83%. to provide educational services for preschool, elemen-
● The percent of preschoolers in Even Startwho are tary, and secondary students. Even Start, which is Part
enrolled in an additional early childhood education B, Subpart 3 of Title I, is a small program compared to
program has steadily increased over the past five years all other Title I services (Refer to Guidance for the William
from 45% to 81%. F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program: Part B, Sub-
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4
part of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act [ESEA],2003). In Colorado, funding for Even Start
is approximately three percent (3%) of the state’s allo-
cation for Title I.
National funding for Even Start this year totaled $225
million. These funds were allocated to state governments
and distributed to local programs through competitive
grants. In Colorado, Even Startis administered by the
Family Literacy State Coordinator, housed in the Cen-
ter for At-Risk Education at the Colorado Department
of Education.
Research Foundation for
children having more advanced literacy skills in early to
Family Literacy
middle childhood.
Research repeatedly establishes the significance of par-
Sonnenschien and Munsterman (2000) examined read-
ents’ role in the literacy development of their children.
ing interactions to gain insight into the effect of home-
For example, results from a study of Project EASE,
based reading practices on children’s literacy skills in
designed to give parents understanding and activities to
kindergarten and the start of first grade. Observations
help children’s language skills, show this pivotal influence
of 30 five-year-olds from mostly low-income homes
of families. The research demonstrated that children
focused on comments made by parents and the affec-
from homes where parents model and support literacy
tive quality when reading with family members. Authors
and use language similar to classroom discourse more
found that the affective tone of reading together at home
readily master school literacy (Jordan, Snow & Porshe,
was the strongest predictor of children’s motivation for
2000).
reading.
In another study (Ceprano, 2003), parents with low lit-
Each of these studies adds to the research base which
eracy skills were encouraged to participate in sessions
establishes the substantial role of the family in literacy
during which their children were receiving support serv-
development. Well-implemented family literacy programs
ices for reading and writing. Involvement in these ses-
support parents in improving their own literacy skills and
sions provided literacy support for the parents as well
teach them the strategies described in this research.
as giving them strategies to use at home. As a result of
the intervention, the literacy skills of both parents and
Colorado Family Literacy
children improved.
Consortium
Other researchers (Bennett, Weigel & Martin, 2002)
studied parents and their preschool children to gain
The Colorado Family Literacy Consortium was created
understanding about the relationship between the fam-
in 2000 through an Even StartInitiative Grant as a vehi-
ily environment and the children’s language and literacy
cle for building state-level participation and leadership.
skills. Findings showed that children who are not exposed
Even though these grant funds are no longer available,
to activities pertaining to books and reading in the home
the Consortium continues to actively function.
are at greater risk for reading difficulties than children
The goals of the Colorado Family Literacy Consortium
with richer literacy home environments.
are to improve the quality of family literacy programs in
Silven, Pekka & Voeton (2002) conducted a longitudinal
the state through increased accountability measures,
study of 66 families. They found that regular, high qual-
quality training experiences, dissemination of informa-
ity play provided by mothers in the earliest years led to
tion, and collaboration among state agencies.
C O L O R A D O E V E N S T A R T
2 0 0 5 – 2 0 0 6 P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
The Consortium is composed of members representing Colorado Family Literacy
the Center for Effective Parent Involvement in Public
Training Center
Education, Colorado Department of Education (includ-
ing Adult Education & Family Literacy, Colorado Preschool This was the second year in which the Colorado Depart-
Program, Even Start, Library Services, Migrant Educa- ment of Education and the Colorado Family Literacy
tion, Migrant Education Even Start, Prevention Initia- Consortium supported a training site: the Colorado Fam-
tives, and Title I), Colorado Department of Human ily Literacy Training Center. The center advances the
Services (Colorado Works/Temporary Assistance for Consortium’s commitment to provide quality training
Needy Families {TANF}), Colorado Head Start Associ- experiences in the state.
ation, Colorado Parent and Child Foundation, Colorado
The Family Literacy Training Center provides training
Statewide Parent Coalition, Home Instruction for Par-
and technical assistance to those interested in the field
ents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Metropolitan State
of family literacy throughout the state. The Training Cen-
College, Rocky Mountain Parents as Teachers, Urban
ter is sponsored by the Colorado Department of Edu-
Peak, and University of Colorado at Denver.
cation; the Colorado Family Literacy Consortium; Pikes
Peak Even Start; and Colorado Springs School District
Literacy Instruction Authorization
11, Adult & Family Education and Title I.
The Colorado Family Literacy Consortium continues to
During the year, Center staff provided 27 trainings which
facilitate the availability of courses through the Colorado
included 694 people. This is a 50% increase in the num-
Community College Online system. Five courses are
ber of people trained as compared to 2004–2005. Of
being provided: Introduction to Adult Education Instruc-
these participants, 494 attended trainings that were
tion; Planning, Organizing, and Delivering Adult Education
hosted by the Center at its location in Colorado Springs.
Instruction; Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Educa-
In addition, trainings were provided in Alamosa, Boul-
tion; Teaching English as a Second Language to Adult Learn-
der, Cortez, Delta, Denver, Durango, Glenwood Springs,
ers;and Family Literacy in Adult Education.
Golden, Lamar, Leadville, Pueblo and Louisville, Ken-
In addition to the online versions, traditional classroom
tucky.
courses are offered by local community colleges when
The Coordinator of the Training Center conducted train-
there is adequate enrollment. Enrolled students receive
ings for all Even Startstaff on the use of the Parent Edu-
three hours of credit for each class successfully com-
cation Profile—an assessment tool. She also facilitated
pleted. Completion of these five courses leads to receipt
professional development sessions on family literacy serv-
of an authorization in Literacy Instruction, a teaching cre-
ices for adult educators, home visitors, Head Start direc-
dential offered by the Colorado Department of Educa-
tors, and Title I staff. Of the trainings provided, 10 were
tion for adult and family-literacy educators.
rated by participants using a five-point Likert scale. The
An alternative means has been developed to assist edu-
overall average rating was 4.6.
cators in receiving the Literacy Instruction Authorization.
Presentations conducted by Center staff were part of
Applicants submit a portfolio which includes documen-
the “Education Begins at Home” Parents as Teachers
tation of professional teaching experience, coursework
Conference, the National Center for Family Literacy
completed, and training/volunteer experience specific
Annual Conference and Mountain Plains Rendezvous
to adult education and/or family literacy. Members of a
(Adult and Family Literacy Regional Conference).
Portfolio Committee, representing the Consortium and
the Colorado Department of Education, then review the Training Center staff responded to 18 requests for tech-
application in order to grant approval of experience equiv- nical assistance. Resource materials were developed and
alency and/or to review transcripts to determine course provided to multiple programs. The Center also hosted
equivalency, as a substitution for a class required for 16 visits from professionals who observed services at
authorization. Pikes Peak Even Start sites.
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6
The Colorado Family Literacy training cadre consists of Colorado Even Start
family literacy professionals who have completed the
Programs
National Center for Family Literacy’s (NCFL) Certified
Trainer Program. The program prepares participants to The most common type of Even Startprogram in Colo-
conduct NCFL’s Foundations in Family Literacytraining, rado is a center-based program in a location, such as a
which is the base for NCFL’s Impact System for Family school, where families come to participate. A typical ses-
Literacy Professional Development. The three-day Foun- sion includes instruction time for parents in adult basic
dations training provides a research base for understand- education (ABE), General Educational Development
ing and delivering the four (GED) exam preparation,
components of a family literacy English as a Second Language
program (information about the (ESL) classes, or job-skills
National Center for Family Lit- training. Parents also partic-
eracy may be accessed at ipate in parenting education
http://www.famlit.org/). and support activities. Dur-
A Foundations in Family Literacy ing adult education, the chil-
training was offered in Rifle, dren are involved in an early
Colorado in September of 2005. childhood education (ECE)
The 33 attendees included new component. Early childhood
Even Start staff, Title I staff, options range from children
adult educators and other col- learning and interacting in a
laborators. preschool setting to ‘home-
work help’ for children in the
New Funding for primary grades. At some point during the session, chil-
dren and parents come together for literacy activities in
Family Literacy a component referred to as Parent and Child Together
(PACT) time or interactive literacy. This often takes place
This year two types of funds were made available for the
in the early childhood room with some activities initi-
first time for Colorado family literacy services. Both funds
ated by the children. Literacy sessions are usually held
will be utilized during the 2006–2007 program year.
several times a week.
During the spring 2006 legislative session, funding was
Colorado Even Startstaff make regular home visits to
allocated to the existing Family Literacy Education Grant
provide individualized literacy activities that address the
Program (HB02-1303). The bill was passed in 2001 with
unique needs of each family. Home visits are integrated
no state funds. This year representatives voted to assign
with center-based programming and are typically sched-
$200,000 to the grant program. The money will be admin-
uled once a month.
istered by the Colorado Department of Education, Office
of Adult Education and Family Literacy and will be dis- Even Startprograms may serve teen parents enrolled
persed through a competitive grant process to local pro- in high school. Teen parents often take parenting classes
grams. from Even Startpersonnel for high-school credit. PACT
can be part of these classes or part of home visits. Adult
The second allocation of money came from the Title I
education is obtained through the high school courses
office at the Colorado Department of Education. In
in which the teen parent is enrolled.
response to the acute decrease in federal Even Start
funds for 2006–2007 (56% reduction), Title I provided
$301,000 for Colorado Even Startprograms to con-
tinue operation in 2006–2007.
C O L O R A D O E V E N S T A R T
2 0 0 5 – 2 0 0 6 P R O G R E S S R E P O R T
Staff Qualifications Colorado Basic Literacy Act
Even Startstaff members are required to meet quali- In 2004, the Colorado State Legislature revised the Colo-
fications as outlined in federal legislation and further delin- rado Basic Literacy Act, originally enacted in 1996.
eated by state policy. In all cases, programs are According to the requirements of this act, Individual Lit-
encouraged to hire the most highly qualified staff avail- eracy Plans (ILPs) must be formulated jointly by parents,
able. teachers, and administrators for children in the primary
grades (K–3) who are not reading at grade level. Even
Colorado Even Startprogram administrators (usually
Startpersonnel across the state are assisting school dis-
referred to as program coordinators) are required to
tricts with the development of ILPs. When Even Start
have earned a minimum of an associate’s degree; to com-
children are not reading at grade level, Even Startpro-
plete the National Center for Family Literacy’s Even Start
grams become part of the resources delineated in an
Administration Training; to participate in specific ongoing
action plan.
professional development activities, such as national train-
ing and quarterly professional development meetings;
Program Descriptions
and to participate in the statewide evaluation process.
During 2005–2006, the eleven Colorado Even Start
Adult education instructors must have earned a mini-
programs operated sites in Alamosa, Aurora, Boulder,
mum of an associate’s degree and obtained the Colo-
Center, Colorado Springs, Cortez, Delta, Denver,
rado Department of Education’s Literacy Instruction
Durango, Glenwood Springs, Lafayette, Lamar, Leadville,
Authorization. Early childhood instructional staff mem-
Monte Vista and Rifle.
bers must have earned a minimum of an associate’s
degree in early childhood education. Because all Even Aurora Public Schools provided an Even Startprogram
Startearly childhood facilities [child-care centers, fam- for the fifth year. The program served families at the dis-
ily child-care homes, and/or preschools] must be licensed trict’s Early Childhood Center and at the City of Aurora’s
through the Office of Child-Care Services in the Colorado Intergenerational Center. All of the preschool children
Department of Human Services (OCCS/CDHS), individ- assessed at the end of the year made significant progress
ual early childhood staff may substitute OCCS/CDHS in English language development. As a new component,
certification in their specific positions for a college degree. the program had weekly, evening parenting classes for
fathers which reviewed topics covered during the day-
All parent educators must have earned a minimum of an
time sessions and topics that were of interest to the fathers.
associate’s degree. In order to expand the number of
highly qualified, bilingual individuals who are supporting The Boulder Valley Family Literacy Program has received
Even Startfamilies, the Colorado Family Literacy Consor- an Even Startgrant for five years. In alliance with Boul-
tium has set policy that individual home visitors may sub- der County Head Start, the program serves families in
stitute certification through the Home Instructional Program two elementary schools in Lafayette and Boulder. In part-
for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) or Parents as nership with BoulderReads! Reading Buddy Program,
Teachers (PAT) for a college degree. each school age child met with a Reading Buddy for read-
ing age-appropriate books and doing literacy extension
activities. Their main project was a book written and
illustrated by the little buddy, with a little help from the
big buddy. The books were shared with parents at the
end of the session.
Pikes Peak Even Start, the Colorado Springs program,
has received Even Startfunding for ten years. Commu-
nity Partnership for Child Development (Head Start and
the Colorado Preschool Program) collaborates with El
Paso County School Districts 2 and 11 and with the El
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Paso County Department of Human Services to imple-
ment the grant. Through the continued growth of this
collaboration, the program served 31 more families this
year as compared to last year.
The Pinon Project in Cortez has completed its eighth
year of providing Even Startservices. Working in part-
nership with the local adult education program, the Pro-
ject provides Even Startprogramming at the Unlimited
Learning Center (adult education program) and South-
west Open School, a charter alternative high school. Of
the parents served in the adult education program, 73%
obtained a job; 82% of these parents held their job for
six months or longer; and 64% improved their employ-
ment status by obtaining a raise, promotion or better
benefits.
The Delta County Family Literacy Program was opened Colorado Mountain College (CMC), based in Glenwood
as a new Even Startsite this year. The program is a col- Springs, in partnership with Roaring Fork School District
laboration between Delta County School District, Delta RE-1 and Garfield School District RE-2, has operated an
County Adult Literacy Program and Delta County Depart- Even Startprogram for nine years. The principal of one
ment of Human Services. Originally, this was intended of the elementary schools served by Even Start, dur-
to be a planning year for the program. But, when the ing an advisory board meeting, expressed her apprecia-
Department of Human Services personnel heard the plan tion for having families regularly present in the school as
for family-centered education, they began referring fam- a result of Even Start.
ilies. A construction delay at the “Family Learning Cen- Lamar Public Schools provided an Even Startfamily lit-
ter” and the quick start-up of services made for an eracy program for the fourth year in cooperation with
eventful first year! the Prowers County Department of Human Services.
Metropolitan State College of Denver: Families Learn- All the adults in the program with 300 hours or more of
ing Together Even Starthas served families for the past participation made measurable education gains. Similarly,
eight years. This program was awarded a Toyota Family all the school-age children were performing at grade level
Literacy Grant through the National Center for Family by the end of the year.
Literacy. As a result of this highly-sought-after grant and Lake County Public Schools completed its fourth year of
a reorganization at their previous host school, the pro- operating an Even Startprogram in Leadville. In part-
gram relocated to Valdez Elementary. Assistance through nership with the Lake County Public Library, the Even
the grant aided program staff in serving school-age chil- Startprogram serves families at West Park Elementary
dren and implementing school-age interactive literacy and The Center/Pitts Elementary. By adding evening
activities between parents and children. classes and providing hot meals, the program saw a three-
Durango School District 9R completed its fifth year as fold increase in attendance of the families learning Eng-
an Even Startgrantee in cooperation with Fort Lewis lish.
College and the Durango Adult Education Center. Dur- The San Luis Valley Even StartProgram has provided
ing a year with almost all new staff, parents made notable family literacy services for eight years. The Monte Vista
strides. Sixty-seven percent of the parents working School District, in conjunction with the Alamosa cam-
toward earning a GED met their goal. Eighty-six per- pus of Trinidad State Junior College, collaboratively works
cent of the parents studying to learn English made meas- with SLV Welfare Advocates and the Immigrant Resource
urable gains. Center to support this initiative. Program services are
C O L O R A D O E V E N S T A R T