Even Start

Authorized through through the Literacy Involves Families Together (LIFT) Act of 2000 and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Even Start is an education program for low-income families that is designed to improve the academic achievement of young children and their parents, especially in the area of reading. Even Start offers promise for helping to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and low literacy by combining four core components:

• Early childhood education
• Adult literacy (adult basic and secondary-level education and/or instruction for English language learners)
• Parenting education
• Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children.

Even Start supports family literacy services for parents with low literacy skills or who have limited English proficiency, and their children, primarily birth through age seven, and has three related goals:

• To help parents improve their literacy or basic educational skills;
• To help parents become full partners in educating their children; and
• To assist children in reaching their full potential as learners.

Wyoming is home to six Even Start centers. They are located in Cheyenne, Gillette, Sheridan, Thermopolis, Torrington and Worland. The centers are supported by a combination of state and federal funds. The Wyoming Community College Commission, in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Education administers the program. Four of the centers (Cheyenne, Thermopolis, Torrington and Worland) are affiliated with the non-profit organization, NOWCAP of Wyoming. Sheridan Even Start is associated with a private foundation, and Gillette with Campbell County School District.

Commonly Requested forms:

Monthly Draw Down Request	Quarterly Matching Funds Report
Continuing Applications 2008 -2009	2008 ABE & Even Start Conference