A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

National Evaluation of The Even Start Family Literacy Program: 1998

Chapter 1

Program Growth: First Eight Years

Even Start has grown steadily since it began in 1989-90 with seventy-six projects serving approximately 2,500 families. Eight years later, in 1996-97, approximately 34,400 families participated in 637 projects (Exhibit 1.1).

Exhibit 1.1: Number of Even Start Projects and Participating Families Since Program Inception

Program Year

Number of Projects Operating

Number of Participating Families

1989-90

76

2,450

1990-91

122

6,600

1991-92

239

14,900

1992-93

340

20,800*

1993-94

490

29,400*

1994-95

513

27,200

1995-96

576

31,500

1996-97

637

34,400

Note: * In Program Year 1992-93, participant data were available from 270 of 340 projects operating. In Program Year 1993-94, no participant data were collected. The numbers of participating families for these program years are estimates based on an average of 60 families per project, the average that has remained stable through most program years.

Exhibit reads: In 1996-97, 637 Even Start projects were in operation, serving approximately 34,400 families.

Throughout the duration of the second evaluation, Even Start projects were located in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A large percentage of projects (39 percent in 1996-97) was in the South, followed by approximately 20 percent each in the Midwest and the West, and 17 percent in the Northeast. (Exhibit 1.2 displays the locations of all Even Start projects in 1996-97, with bold lines delineating the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West regions.) The distribution of local projects relates, at least in part, to the relative proportions of low-income children within a given state. Even Start funding is based on each state's share of Title I LEA grants which are allocated primarily based on the number of school children from low-income families. The distribution of projects within each state must be representative of urban and rural areas in the state.

Exhibit 1.2: Locations of Even Start Projects in 1996-97

U.S. map showing locations of Even Start projects

Note: In 1996-97, the Northeast region included 104 projects located in: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The South region included 249 projects located in: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Midwist region included 145 projects located in: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The West region included 139 projects located in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washingtion, and Wyoming.

-###-


[Part 2:The Even Start Program: Legislation and Administration]
[Part 4: Principal Components of the Even Start Approach]