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| # Chapter 3: Services and Activities in the 18 EDS Projects           |
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This chapter describes the services and activities provided in the 18
Even Start projects that participated in the Experimental Design Study
(EDS). It examines the ways in which the EDS projects organized and
offered their services. The information is based on two-day site visits
conducted in the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 program years. The visits
included interviews with staff from Even Start and collaborating
agencies, observations of early childhood and adult education classes,
and interviews about program costs. Key findings from this chapter are:

-   In the 18 EDS projects, adult education was generally center-based,
    co-located with early childhood education services, and provided by
    staff from collaborating agencies.

-   In the 18 EDS projects, parenting education was provided through
    parenting classes, home visits and PACT time. Parenting education
    had a dual focus on literacy issues as well as on life skills
    information (e.g., transportation, nutrition, health).

-   Thirteen of the 18 EDS projects provided their own early childhood
    education, either co-located with adult education classes or nearby.

-   Based on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), early
    childhood education classrooms observed in the EDS were comparable
    in overall quality to Head Start classrooms. In spite of this, half
    of the early childhood classrooms scored below 5.0 on the ECERS.
    Staff-child interactions were generally positive and
    age-appropriate; however, language and reasoning skills were not
    frequently encouraged by the staff.

-   Most Even Start classrooms in the EDS had books displayed and
    available for children to use, and all had a library or reading
    corner or area. In all the classrooms, there was a specific area set
    aside for book reading, the books were appropriate for a range of
    reading levels. Nearly 90 percent of the classrooms had a distinct
    area set up for writing, stocked with paper and writing tools.
    Compared with Head Start, Even Start classrooms had fewer books
    available to children, and were less likely to have writing areas
    and tools for writing or displays of children's written work.

-   The EDS projects spent 55 percent of their federal Even Start funds
    on instructional services: 34 percent for early childhood education,
    12 percent for adult education, and nine percent for parenting
    education. An additional nine percent was spent on support services.
    Thus, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the EDS projects\' federal
    funds were spent on the direct provision of services. Remaining
    federal funds were spent for program administration and coordination
    (20 percent), evaluation (six percent), case management and
    recruiting (four percent), and a variety of other functions (six
    percent).

## Selecting Projects for the EDS

The 18 EDS projects are not a nationally representative sample of all
Even Start projects. Instead, they were selected purposively based on
the following criteria. First, the project had to minimally meet Even
Start's legislative requirements. The EDS was to be conducted in
projects that were operating as intended in the Even Start legislation.
For example, each project needed to offer all core services, recruit the
neediest families, provide home visits to families as well as some time
for the parent and child to learn together, and operate on a year-round
basis.

Second, the project had to provide either moderate or high intensity
services, relative to the population of Even Start projects.
Center-based projects needed to offer at least 13 hours per month of
early childhood education at the preschool level, nine hours per month
of adult education and five hours per month of parenting education. In
this way, projects providing only minimal services were excluded from
the EDS. An exception to these levels was made for home-based projects,
which offer more individualized but less intense services than
center-based programs (one home-based project was included in the EDS).

Third, the project had to have the capacity to recruit at least 30 new
families and be willing to randomly assign 20 families to Even Start and
10 to a control group. To meet the requirements of the research design,
projects needed to have an adequate pool of eligible families, the space
to serve new families and the willingness to allow the families to be
assigned randomly to the program or a control group.

Information about the extent to which projects met these criteria was
taken from ESPIRS data and verified first by telephone calls and then by
site visits. In addition, projects were characterized by geographic
area, location in an urban or rural community and proportion of Hispanic
ESL families served. The sampling and site selection process was divided
across two program years \-- 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. Eleven projects
began the study in fall 1999 and another seven projects began the study
in fall 2000.

## Overview of EDS Project Operations

The 18 EDS projects are distributed across 14 states in all regions of
the country. Five projects were relatively new and had been in operation
only two years at the time of the site visits, while four projects had
been in operation in some capacity for more than eight years[^1]
(Exhibit 3.1). The majority of the projects are in urban areas and
provide services predominantly to Hispanic ESL families. Seventy-five
percent of the families in the EDS identified themselves as Hispanic or
Latino, compared with 46 percent in Even Start projects nationally.
Further, 83 percent of the EDS projects are in urban areas, compared
with 55 percent of Even Start projects nationally. Thus, compared with
the Even Start population, the 18 EDS projects over-represent projects
that serve ESL Hispanic families in urban areas. While such
over-representation means that care should be taken in applying the
findings to Even Start projects as a whole, almost 50 percent of the
families served by Even Start are Hispanic and about 50 percent of the
projects are in urban areas. Hence, the EDS findings do apply to an
important and growing part of the Even Start population. A brief sketch
of the key components of each EDS project is given below.

**Decatur, AL.** This Even Start project served 35 families, primarily
with children under four years of age. The project was in the middle of
its second grant cycle at the time of the site visit and maintained an
active waiting list. Early childhood education classes were offered for
children in three separate classrooms: birth to two years, two to three
years, and three to four years. Parents were offered ESL or GED
preparation during the same time as the children's program, from 8:30
a.m. until noon, four days a week. Principal community collaborators
included Athens University and Calhoun Community College. Parent-child
time was scheduled twice a week and parenting classes, led either by the
director or by a collaborator, took place the other two days. The whole
family participated in home visits. During the summer, there was a
similar, although somewhat less structured, four-week program and more
family activities.

**Phoenix, AZ.** This project is part of the Isaac School District
preschool program which first received an Even Start grant in 1989. It
is located on the same urban campus as several other state and federally
funded preschool programs. About 120 families participated and received
integrated parenting education, adult education and early childhood
education on a year-round basis. Services match the school district
calendar and follow a "nine-week on, two-week off" model. A five-week
summer break occurs in June and July. The parenting education component
included two hours of class time per week, parent-child time in the
early childhood classroom and monthly home visits. The adult education
component consisted of two 2.5 hour classes per week. Even Start
children ranged in age from three to eight years; the greatest
proportion of children were preschool-age and participated four mornings
a week, Monday through Thursday, for four hours.

**Montclair, CA.** The project in the Montclair--Ontario School District
built on existing pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes in three
elementary schools. Each of the three sites had the capacity for 25 Even
Start families. Even Start participants did not have separate classes.
Rather, they were integrated into existing adult and child programs at
the three schools. Four- and five-year-olds attended pre-K and
kindergarten at the schools. Younger children received home visits.
Adult education, primarily ESL, was taught at the elementary schools by
staff from the local adult education center. Parenting education classes
were offered twice a month, and parents were required to volunteer in
their child's classroom at least twice a month. Each family received two
home visits per month in which activities are coordinated with those in
the early childhood classroom. The Montclair-Ontario district in which
the project operates has year-round school.

**Carrollton, GA.** This Even Start project is part of a comprehensive
approach to services offered by the Carroll County Parenting Program and
jointly sponsored by the county's Board of Education and the Department
of Family and Child Services. The project, which received its first Even
Start grant in 1994-95, had the capacity to serve 65 families. The
project focused on teen mothers who were at risk of dropping out of high
school and was designed to help them complete a high school diploma.
Project staff worked with high school counselors to coordinate services
for parents. The project provided ABE and GED preparation classes for
teen mothers who dropped out of high school. Four-year-old children
participated in the state's universal pre-K program; five-year-olds were
enrolled in public kindergartens. Children under age four were grouped
by age into four classrooms at a child care center adjacent to the high
school. A two-hour parenting group was conducted weekly during
lunchtime. Home visits, using the Parents as Teachers curriculum, took
place one to six times a month, depending on the needs of individual
families. During the summer, early childhood, parenting education, home
visits and GED classes continued on the same schedule; in addition,
during the summer of 1999, project staff offered a one-month seminar on
parenting and life skills that was attended by about 20 parents.

**Godfrey, IL.** This project, administered by the Lewis and Clark
Community College, is located in a strip mall that also houses Family
and Community Services (FCS), a local agency that operates an early
childhood program. Even Start children attended Head Start, Early Head
Start or a early childhood program operated by FCS. Even Start provided
on-site GED classes four days a week from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., home
visits twice a month, a half-hour of parent-child activities four days a
week and weekly parent groups. A counselor from FCS was on site once a
week and was available to meet with Even Start parents upon request. The
project, in its fourth year of operation at the time of the site visit,
served about 20 families and children from birth through age seven. The
staff has operated a family literacy program in collaboration with a
local Head Start program and the local community college since 1991.
Services were offered year-round, with a program for school-age siblings
and field trips during the summer.

**Wichita, KS.** Located in the Little Early Childhood Education Center,
this project is an integrated part of the school district's early
childhood education program which first received an Even Start grant in
1989. The project served about 35 families at a time, with children from
birth to five years of age. For older children and other family members,
the project offered an array of after-school activities, special events
and home visits. Parents and preschool children attended Even Start
seven hours a day, four days a week. For parents, 16 hours a week were
spent in adult education classes, four hours of which were spent working
independently on academic studies in the project's computer lab. Two
hours per week were spent in the computer lab learning job skills. Four
hours per week were set aside for parenting classes and two hours for
parent-child time. Each family received five or six home visits during
the school year. The first Friday of each month was reserved for staff
meetings; home visits took place on the remaining Fridays. Class time
was unchanged during the summer except for a month's vacation in August.

**Kansas City, KS.** The Even Start/TEACH Family Literacy Project is
part of the Kansas City School District and served 23 families, with
children three to eight years of age. At the time of the site visit, the
adult education, early childhood and parenting components were located
at the M.E. Pearson Elementary School. In January 2001, they moved a few
blocks to larger space in the Lowell Elementary School. ESL classes ran
for two hours in the morning and GED classes ran for two hours in the
afternoon, four days per week. Child classes followed the same schedule
as adult education, and both operated throughout the August-June school
year. At the end of morning and afternoon adult education classes,
parents and children came together for joint activities. Parenting
education classes took place weekly for an hour; home visits occurred
primarily in the summer along with Reading is Fundamental parties and
field trips. Other services included bus passes for transportation to
and from classes offered through the Kansas City Public Housing Office
and translators provided as needed through the KCK School District.

**Shelbyville, KY.** The Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC), 13
school districts in the northwest corner of Kentucky, is the fiscal
agent for the Shelbyville, KY Migrant Education Even Start (MEES)
project. The area served by the project spans about 120 miles and is
divided into four administrative regions, each with a coordinating
teacher and project staff. The project, coordinated by a director and
her staff at the OVEC office, was at the end of its second grant cycle
at the time of the site visit. Full capacity for the project is 75
families. Early childhood classrooms served children from birth to five
years of age and used the *High/Scope* curriculum. The adult education
program consisted of ESL lessons, administered by the MEES staff, which
incorporated life skills as well as pre-GED training. Most adult
education activities also incorporated parenting topics. Parents and
children began their day with a meal together and up to 30 minutes of
parent-child activities. The project switched from a home-based to a
center-based program in the fall of 1999. The frequency of home visits
varied by region.

**Bloomington, MN.** This project is administered by the Bloomington
School District's Community Education Division in collaboration with the
local public health department. At the time of the site visit, the
project was in its third year of operation, building on a previous
eight-year family literacy program that had operated with the same
director. The project is housed in the F. Wilson Pond Family Center
where Even Start has its own infant, toddler and preschool classrooms
and an administrative office, and shares two adult education classrooms
with the district's other parenting and adult education programs.
Families attended the program from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through
Thursday. The majority of adults were learning ESL. Each day, parents
and children attended separate classes from 9:00 a.m. to noon, then met
for parent-child activities from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30p.m., followed by
lunch. Project staff conducted monthly home visits. Support services
included transportation to and from the center by van, breakfast for
children, and lunch for parents and children. At the time of the site
visit, the project was serving 22 mothers and 32 children. A somewhat
shorter summer program ran for six weeks during June and July and
incorporated one field trip per month and more time outside.

**Mountain Grove, MO.** In operation since July 1998, this project is
located in the Family Education Center, a ranch-style duplex renovated
and maintained by the city. One side of the structure houses the Even
Start administrative offices and early childhood classrooms while the
other side houses the Adult Learning Center's GED/ABE class, supported
by the Division of Family Services. Parents and children attended Monday
through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Core services consisted of
daily parenting education classes, early childhood education provided in
either an infant/toddler or preschool classroom, a GED/ABE class, parent
and child together time and monthly home visits provided by a family
educator using the *Parents as Teachers* curriculum. While the focus of
the project was on children birth to five years of age, older siblings
were included during school vacations. At the time of the site visit,
eight families were enrolled, with eight children in the infant/toddler
class and six in the preschool class. The project offered a number of
support services, including transportation to and from the project,
breakfast for the children and lunch for both children and parents.

**Syracuse, NY.** This home-based project in Onondaga County is a
partnership between the Consortium for Children's Services, which
provides the early childhood education and parenting education, and the
Board of Cooperative Education Services that provides adult education
services. Early childhood education and parenting education were
provided by a family educator during 90-minute weekly home visits. The
project collaborated with Head Start and public preschool programs for
children age three or older. Adult education services included (1) home
tutoring for parents with less than an eighth grade reading level, where
parents received weekly home visits and a packet of instructional
materials that they were expected to work on one hour a day; (2) home
study for parents with more than an eighth grade reading level, where
parents received home visits every other week and materials geared
toward preparing for the GED test that parents are expected to work on
six hours a week; and (3) formal GED classroom instruction. At the time
of the site visit, the project was serving 51 families and about 100
children, most of whom were less than four years old.

**Oklahoma City, OK.** This project, part of the Oklahoma City School
District, has been in operation since 1990. The original site is now a
mentoring site, and there are three newer satellite sites. Two of the
four sites are located in Title I schools and two are in neighborhood
churches. The original mentoring site, which is also the largest site
serving about half of the total enrollment, is now supported by Title I
funds; the three other sites are supported by Even Start funds. The
project served approximately 120 families and 140 children. About
one-third of the children were less than two years old and the rest were
between two and five years of age. In three of the four sites, where
families are recent immigrants from Mexico, adult education focused on
ESL instruction and GED preparation conducted in Spanish. In the other
site, most adults participated in GED classes in English. Early
childhood education was provided at the same time as adult education
classes. Parent education included a weekly one-hour parenting class
taught by the adult education teacher; weekly play groups for parents
and children; and weekly home visits. The project continued in the
summer on a reduced schedule---about one-third of the families
participated and the focus was on parenting education.

**Reading, PA.** This project, also growing out of one of the original
Even Start grantees, is administered by the Reading Area Community
College (RACC) and offered early childhood education classes, GED and
ESL adult education, parenting sessions and parent-child activities at
RACC and a local church. The project primarily served Hispanic families
with adults attending ESL classes. The early childhood component
included children 18 months to seven years of age, using part of the
*High/Scope Curriculum* and *Assured Readiness for Learning*. Adult
education was taught by RACC staff. The project provided monthly home
visits, transportation to and from all classes, childcare for younger
siblings and some older siblings, and translation services if needed. At
the time of the site visit, 41 families were enrolled. The project
operated a summer program for adults and children at the church site,
where two days a week were spent in classes, one day at the library and
one day for an educational field trip.

**Austin, TX (ASPIRE).** This project is run by a non-profit
organization, Communities in Schools, which operates a number of
educational programs throughout central Texas. Even Start had classroom
space in an elementary school, on a campus that encompasses at least a
dozen portable classroom buildings, and in a church site across the
street. There were typically 40 to 45 families enrolled at any given
time, mostly recent immigrants from Mexico. The project offered infant
and toddler classes for children under age three; children older than
three attended either Head Start or the district preschool. The project
collaborated with HIPPY and Parents as Teachers for home visits and some
parenting groups, used Even Start staff to provide ESL instruction, and
collaborated with a local community college for GED preparation.

**Austin, TX (AVANCE).** Run by AVANCE, a private, non-profit,
community-based organization serving Hispanic communities in the
Southwest, this project operated early childhood and adult education
classes at two sites, the Allan and Palm elementary schools, in the
city's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. At the time of the site visit,
the project served approximately 60 families. Parents and children
attended classes two days a week for four hours a day. Parenting
education was a strong focus, with an hour-long parenting education
class each day and one home visit per month. Early childhood classes
were held for children from birth to four years of age in a former
elementary school classroom, which was divided by bookshelves into space
for infants up to 18 months and children 18 to 48 months of age. The
AVANCE parenting units provided the context for the early childhood
classroom activities. Older children and other adult family members were
involved in monthly home visits and scheduled special events. During the
summer, the project operated on a reduced two-hour per day schedule.

**Houston, TX.** This project is in its second grant cycle, and most
staff members have been with the project since its inception. Even Start
provided bilingual activities for the 50 enrolled families and operated
four days per week in an elementary school. There were two morning
childcare rooms: one for children 14 months to 2.5 years, the second for
children 2.5 to four years. In the afternoon, the older group went to
Children's House, a preschool led by a teacher from a local Montessori
program. Most adults attended ESL classes at the elementary school at
the same time that their children were in childcare or preschool. GED
classes and an evening ESL class were offered at the Houston Learning
Center, a few miles from the school. Parent activities included a
mother/baby class offered once a week for mothers with children from two
to 14 months old, weekly parent-child activities on the one day that
childcare and preschool were not offered, weekly parenting classes, and
home visits at least twice a month. The project operated an after-school
program for school-aged children one afternoon a week.

**San Angelo, TX.** This project operated at three of the district's
elementary schools. Over the course of the school year, about 70
families were enrolled across the three sites. At each site, adult
education classes, including ESL and pre-GED preparation, were taught by
teachers from Coop-42, a 29-county collaborative that provided adult
education in the community for more than 30 years. An early childhood
program operated concurrently with adult education, five mornings a week
from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., for children between nine months and four
years of age. Parenting education included a one-hour segment of the
adult education class one morning a week, daily parent-child time held
at the conclusion of class time each day, and monthly home visits.
During the summer, the project ran two days a week instead of five to
allow time for staff vacations, program planning and professional
development. Project activities continued year-round except for a
three-week summer vacation.

**Norfolk, VA.** All center-based services for this project took place
at the Berkeley Campostella Center, an elementary school and an early
childhood center that was open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays.
Nearly 250 three- and four-year-old children from low-income families
attended preschool daily at the center. About 45 families were enrolled
in Even Start, and their preschool children were part of the center\'s
program; children under age three attended separate Even Start classes.
Parents who were not employed during the day attended adult education
classes held at the same time as the children's program, with time set
aside for parenting group discussions and work preparation activities.
For parents who worked during the day, an evening GED preparation class
at the Norfolk Adult and Vocational Education Program was taught by the
same teacher who led Even Start classes during the day. Every family in
the project received at least one home visit per month, more frequently
if special needs arose. Participants received an array of support
services including transportation; before- and after-school childcare
(for working parents); health services; daily breakfast and lunch for
parents and children; and speech, hearing, and vision screenings as well
as dental check-ups for children.

## How EDS Even Start Projects Implement the Program Elements and Other Key Program Features

This section presents qualitative information examining the ways in
which the 18 EDS projects implement Even Start's program elements. These
data were gathered during site visits conducted in the 1999-2000 and
2000-2001 program years. The discussion differs from the presentation in
Chapter 2, where we presented statistical summaries describing the
universe of Even Start projects.

### Identify and Recruit Families

While nearly all EDS projects began recruiting with an initial effort in
the late summer or early fall, recruiting generally continued on a
year-round basis. In this way, projects ensured that they had full
classes of both children and adults at the beginning of each new school
year. Most projects involved all early childhood education and parenting
education staff in recruiting, although a few used just administrative
staff, such as the coordinator or case managers.

Projects used a variety of recruiting techniques including distributing
fliers and brochures, placing public service announcements on Spanish
radio, running newspaper ads and referrals from community social service
agencies. Many Even Start staff made presentations at events such as
kindergarten registration, PTA meetings, local church meetings,
community events and fairs, and housing project forums. Some projects
provided opportunities for visits or tours of the program in operation.
Four EDS projects relied heavily on "word of mouth" to find new families
similar to those they are currently serving; these projects were all in
their second or third Even Start grant, and presumably well-known in the
community. Ten other projects used word of mouth in conjunction with
other recruitment techniques.

There are two ways to think about recruiting the neediest families. One
way is to ensure that participants are the neediest *among those who
apply* to participate. Most projects screened applicants for social and
emotional risk factors in addition to testing for skill levels (see next
section). Several developed screening inventories and selection forms
which generated a rating or score to determine which families were most
at risk within the applicant pool. For example, the project in Phoenix,
AZ had a three-page screening questionnaire, completed during a home
visit, that asked about a family\'s income, education, employment and a
number of other need characteristics, in addition to their willingness
to participate in the core services. Applicants who had the highest need
score and were willing to participate in all instructional components
were considered to be top candidates. Similarly, in Shelbyville, KY,
families were given points for residency in a local housing development
or Title I attendance area, recent immigrant or limited English
proficiency, parents\' lack of a high school diploma, low household
income, teen and/or single parent status, and commitment to full program
participation.

The second way to recruit those most in need is to identify the neediest
families *from the community at large*. Many projects aimed to
accomplish this by seeking referrals from social service agencies, such
as welfare offices or school departments (e.g., adult education, early
intervention). Twelve of the EDS projects used such referrals as one of
their recruitment strategies, and a few relied on this approach as their
primary recruitment method. For example, the project in Norfolk, VA
focused on residents from public housing authority buildings and
determined need based on parents' education level, age, income and
number of children. Some Even Start projects asked families about their
receipt of public assistance such as WIC, food stamps, and Medicaid, or
the children's eligibility for free- or reduced-price school lunch.

Less frequently, projects collected data to identify those most in need.
One example of this is AVANCE in Austin, TX where, in preparation for
their Even Start application, staff reviewed a neighborhood needs
assessment conducted by the local Community Action Network. From this
report, they identified neighborhoods by zip code where residents were
rated as having limited English proficiency, a median income less than
half the county average, and where more than half of the elementary
school children failed the Texas basic skills test. Even Start staff
then went in teams to knock on doors and recruit families from these
neighborhoods. Staff from the Kansas City project also went door-to-door
in low-income neighborhood surrounding the elementary school where Even
Start was located.

Fewer than half of the EDS projects had waiting lists. Most frequently,
families were turned away or put on a waiting list because the early
childhood classrooms were full. Only in rare cases were families
excluded from the project because they were ineligible or not the most
in need.

### Screen and Prepare Families

All of the EDS projects reported having a system for screening adults
and children using a variety of standardized tests and rating systems.
For adults these tests were typically the Tests of Adult Basic Education
(TABE), Basic English Skills Test (BEST), Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment System (CASAS), or Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL). Children were most frequently assessed with the Denver
Development Screening Test or the child measures that have been used in
the national Even Start evaluation: Preschool Language Skills (PLS3),
Preschool Inventory (PSI) or Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT).
Some projects completed a medical history for the parent and child,
completed a child health screening, or conducted a special needs or
early intervention assessment for each child.

Even Start projects used a variety of enrollment strategies, ranging
from intake interviews to large group meetings. Whatever the format,
most projects used the enrollment interview or meeting to describe the
Even Start program and its policies, such as minimum attendance
criteria, expectations for length of enrollment and termination
policies. Following the initial informational meeting, an official
application was completed by potential participants, usually working
with an Even Start staff member. Beyond the initial enrollment meetings,
some projects visited each family while others held special events and
classroom tours. The Wichita, KS project had a two-week orientation at
the end of August. Even Start staff described each component of the
program, project rules and expectations; administered assessment tests
for placement purposes; and introduced a calendar planner designed to
help families learn organization skills. At the end of the two-week
orientation, after all paperwork was completed, the staff social worker
made a home visit to each family. Staff in Wichita believed that this
comprehensive approach to enrollment ensured that families understood
the commitment involved in participation and helped to keep their
dropout rate to only one or two families a year.

While not all projects had as long an orientation period as Wichita's,
10 EDS projects had a trial or probation period during which Even Start
staff assessed a family\'s commitment to the project and families had
the chance to learn about project services and requirements. In most
projects, these were not formal probation periods where parents were put
on notice about their possible termination. Rather, they were extended
enrollment periods during which families learned about the project,
completed in-take forms, and, in some cases, participated in project
services. Some projects purposefully extended the time needed to
complete the enrollment process to be sure that families understood all
requirements. The typical length of the probation period was two to four
weeks, although one project had a three-month probation period.

Ten EDS projects required participants to sign a contract or
participation agreement prior to enrollment. The contracts usually
specified the project's enrollment requirements including participation
in all instructional services, attendance policies and expectations
about length of participation. For example, some projects asked families
for a one-year commitment. The contract ensured that parents understood
expectations and agreed to meet minimal requirements.

EDS projects had an average 25 percent dropout rate (reported by project
staff) between initial screening/recruitment and enrollment. The numbers
varied widely among projects, however, from as few as one or two
families to as many as 75 percent of applicants. Reasons commonly cited
for this early attrition were that the parent got a job with a
conflicting schedule, the family misunderstood program expectations and
time commitment, the family moved, or the family was either experiencing
some sort of crisis or the mother was ill or pregnant. Less frequently,
projects encountered objections from a family member to having young
children or a spouse in school. Occasionally, staff simply could not
find a family who had been referred by a social service agency (e.g.,
families without a telephone or those who are homeless).

After enrollment and any probation period, the average dropout rate in
EDS projects was only about 15 percent. In about half of the projects,
the dropout rate was 10 percent or less; however, it was 50 percent in
one project and 25 to 30 percent in three other projects. Some families
left the program on their own, for the same reasons cited above for
early attrition---the parent got a job or the family misunderstood the
time commitment or program expectations. Families sometimes were let go
by the project, most often because of poor attendance. Projects were
reluctant to drop families, but want to enable interested families to
participate.

Maintaining attendance was emphasized by most EDS projects. Many used
incentives to engage families in program activities such as parents'
night out, family nights, holiday parties, picnics and field trips. The
Godfrey, IL project held a pizza party if all of the parents attended
both of the parent-teacher conferences. Projects also held special
monthly incentive events for those with good attendance, or gave out
attendance coupons or program certificates that could be used for
purchases at local stores or from supplies maintained by the Even Start
project. For example, Carrollton, GA had an incentive program called
"Baby Bucks." Parents received special coupons for accomplishing goals
such as bringing in their child's immunization forms, reading to their
children and making good grades in high school. Once a month, the center
opened the Baby Bucks Store, where students could trade coupons for
educational and child care materials (e.g., baby products, school
supplies, children's books). The project obtained merchandise for the
Baby Buck Store from local merchants and community organizations.

### Provide Support Services and Flexible Scheduling

Each center-based EDS project offered early childhood classes that met
at the same time as adult education classes. This scheduling overlap
provided an enriching experience for children, while enabling parents to
attend adult education classes. Five projects offered adult education
during the evening or the opportunity to join community adult education
classes held at night. Childcare was less likely to be available for
evening classes, when young children might be at home with another
relative or asleep. However, the Shelbyville, KY project provided early
childhood classes during early evening adult education classes. Projects
made other accommodations for working parents. For example, the Decatur,
AL project allowed working parents to attend classes two days/week and
required parents without a job to attend four days/week. In addition to
childcare, the most frequent support services were transportation and
meals for parents and children, typically provided by the cooperating
local school district. Transportation to was provided for parents and
children in eight EDS projects.

### Provide High-Quality, Intensive Instructional Programs

Each Even Start project was mandated to provide high-quality
instructional services, of sufficient intensity to lead to positive
outcomes for families. Beyond this, the legislation in place at the time
of this study did not specify what was meant by quality or intensity.

**Adult Education.** Seventeen EDS projects provided center-based adult
education. The one exception was Syracuse, NY where Even Start was
home-based and the majority of services were provided during weekly or
biweekly home visits. During home visits, an adult educator worked
individually with a parent on reading and math exercises and gives
assignments for the parent to complete before the next visit. In most
other projects, the adult participant, typically the mother, attended
classes at the same time as Even Start children, generally during the
day. A summary of the adult education provided in the 18 EDS projects is
given in Exhibit 3.2.

Adult education classes were often located at the same facility as early
childhood education classes. All EDS projects offered adults a choice of
classes, including GED, adult basic education, and ESL, depending on
their initial academic skill level and English language proficiency. In
most cases, the ABE/GED classes included students at a variety of
ability levels ranging from basic to high. In contrast, ESL classes
tended to be limited to students at the same proficiency level (e.g.,
basic/introductory or intermediate/advanced). Several EDS projects
offered classes on career or job-related skills as part of adult
education (e.g., word processing, writing resumes and business letters,
appropriate behavior and dress for a job interview and the workplace).
For example, the Wichita, KS project, in collaboration with a local
employer, developed a career education program called "School to
Career," that was designed to meet job requirements at its manufacturing
facilities and those of other local employers.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An ESL Class in San Angelo, TX**                                    |
|                                                                       |
| In a small classroom, 11 students sit at three tables arranged in a U |
| shape. Near the end of the class, the teacher introduces a new game.  |
| He hands out three flashcards to each student. Each card has a        |
| different part of speech printed on it in English. The teacher        |
| explains that students must pin the cards to the bulletin board at    |
| the front of the class, cooperating to combine the words into six     |
| complete sentences. He put up the first word of each sentence. The    |
| rule is that students must use all of their cards. They begin slowly, |
| but the game begins to gain momentum as students start rearranging    |
| their initial attempts to form sentences that use all of the words.   |
| There is a lot of cooperation among students and encouragement from   |
| the teacher. All of the students stay engaged, laughing and chatting, |
| and clearly enjoying the game. The sentences that they produced are   |
| grammatically correct and creative: "This mud is in the shoe," "The   |
| circus is good for you," and "I am at the dance."                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Adult education was the component where EDS projects most often relied
on existing services and personnel. As Exhibit 3.2 shows, in all but two
of the projects, adult education teaching staff were associated with a
community college or other local adult education agency. In some cases,
the adult education agency was the Even Start grantee (Reading, PA,
Godfrey, IL, Kansas City, KS), and staff salaries were paid through the
Even Start grant. However, in most other EDS projects, adult education
salaries were an in-kind contribution from the collaborating agency or a
combination of Even Start and collaborator funds. One exception was the
project in Norfolk, VA, where Even Start children attended a district
preschool funded with Title I and state funds, and adult education was
added for a subset of families under the Even Start grant. In most of
the EDS projects, adult education classes were held at the Even Start
facility. Occasionally, Even Start participants joined other community
classes, off-site, for adult education programs. This was especially
true for evening classes or for more advanced students.

Welfare reform affected the EDS projects, particularly the intensity of
adult education services. The projects in Oklahoma City, OK and Reading,
PA increased class time so that adult education would meet the state's
school/training requirement. The Mountain Grove, MO and Kansas City, KS
projects already met the state requirements for workers receiving TANF
or transitional assistance. In several projects, Even Start hours do not
meet the state minimum hours requirement set by TANF, but these projects
served mostly ESL students who were not on welfare. One project director
noted that welfare families who need to meet education requirements
might be less likely to enroll in Even Start if the hours are below TANF
standards.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **A GED Class in Carrollton, GA**                                     |
|                                                                       |
| This GED class is conducted in a large mobile trailer divided into    |
| two large rooms. It is 11 a.m. on Monday and four teen parents sit    |
| around a large table. The teacher explains that the group will work   |
| on math using a pumpkin pie recipe, which she distributes to the      |
| students and reads aloud. She incorporates general information into   |
| the discussion, such as what "tsp" stands for, how long powdered      |
| spices last, and differences between evaporated and condensed milk.   |
| The teacher then explains that the class will multiply and divide the |
| ingredients listed on the recipe. She asks, "How much sugar do we     |
| need for half of the recipe?" Students respond, and the teacher       |
| writes the answers on a white board. After about 15 minutes, the      |
| teacher directs students to figure out the halved ingredients for the |
| rest of the recipe. While students work individually on the           |
| fractions, the teacher walks around the table looking over the        |
| students' work. She also talks about how to read food labels on cans  |
| and the relationship between nutrition and good health. After         |
| students have written the fractions on a white board, they pick out a |
| prize for finishing the task. The prizes, which the teacher brought   |
| to class, include bottles of baby shampoo, boxes of baby cereal and   |
| coupons for baby products.                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Adult Education Instructional Materials.** Adult education classes
used a variety of materials to teach adults English, improve reading
skills and prepare adults for the GED. In all of the ABE/GED classes and
most of the ESL classes observed, there were textbooks, other books
(e.g., works of fiction) and workbooks (Exhibit 3.3). All of the ABE and
GED classes used commercial textbooks and workbooks. Examples included
Steck-Vaughn's PreGED and GED books and workbooks; Contemporary's
*Math,* *Number Power*, and *Communication Skills that Work*; and
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill's *Essential Mathematics for Life*, *English
Workout,* and *Language Arts for the Workplace*. The majority of
classrooms also had reference materials, such as dictionaries and
encyclopedias, and other reading materials, such as magazines.

The textbooks that were observed in ESL classrooms in the EDS sites
included Laubach's *Way to Reading Skills,* VISTAS: *An Interactive
Course in English, Real Life English, Side by Side, Reading for Today,
Step by Step,* and *Cross Roads Café.* However, in several other
classrooms, the ESL instructors did not use a formal text, but rather
used everyday materials such as fliers from the local grocery store,
magazines and the "family pages" from the newspaper. In addition, ESL
classrooms had curriculum materials developed by the teachers, such as
flashcards, games and math problems.

Computers were visible in 63 percent of the ESL classes. Students used
software programs such as *Let's Talk English* and *Triple Play Plus,*
although, in general, individual work on the computer was not that
common in the ESL classes observed. In contrast, all of the ABE and GED
classes observed during the site visits had computers available for
students, either in the adult education classroom or in a computer lab
nearby. The computer programs in use included *US Basics, INVEST,
Playtell* and *Passkey.* In Bloomington, MN, the adult education teacher
incorporated the computer into assignments that involve multiple skills,
such as a geography lesson to research a country on the Internet and
then write a letter to the country's embassy for further information.
Students practiced skills in a computer lab or separate class session.
For example, in Austin, TX, computer instruction took place on Friday
mornings; in Godfrey, IL, students spent two hours on two or three
afternoons in the computer room.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An Advanced ESL Class in Reading, PA**                              |
|                                                                       |
| This advanced ESL class is held in a spacious classroom at a local    |
| church. Five tables and chairs are in the middle of the room. The     |
| room contains several blackboards, a crib, a computer, a small piano  |
| and children's toys. About 13 students are present, both Even Start   |
| and community members.                                                |
|                                                                       |
| During the class, the instructor introduces a math game in which she  |
| passes out 10 playing cards to each student. The goal is for the      |
| students to come up with the highest number from their combination of |
| cards. For example, if a student received one 5, three 3s, four 2s    |
| and three 8s, the highest value of their hand would be                |
| 88,853,332,222. As each student calls out the value of their cards,   |
| the instructor writes them on the board. Students with the highest    |
| values win candy. Following the math game, the instructor passed out  |
| a worksheet with caricature-type pictures of idioms (e.g., "up to his |
| ears in work") and asks the students to explain what the idioms mean. |
| Next, the students break into three small groups to work on different |
| reading/writing activities, such as comprehension exercises using a   |
| worksheet with a short story and questions, or listening to a story   |
| on tape and answering questions.                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Quality of Adult Education Instructional Services.** As part of the
site visits, observations were conducted in adult education classrooms.
An effort was made, wherever possible, to visit both an ABE/GED
preparation class and an ESL class at each site. Across the 18 EDS
projects, observations were conducted in 10 ABE or GED classes and 16
ESL classes. During each observation, the classroom instruction was
rated on four dimensions:[^2]

-   ***Pace*** of instructional activities and teacher/student
    interactions (e.g., the class starts on time, no "down time" during
    class, students engage in different tasks during the class,
    activities stay focused on instructional tasks, teacher uses many
    instructional approaches).

-   ***Energy*** or enthusiasm of the instructor (e.g., engages in a
    steady flow of interactions with learners, moves about the
    classroom, monitors small group and individual activities).

-   ***Engagement*** in the instructional activities by learners (e.g.,
    asks questions, answers instructor's questions, all students are
    involved, practice skills learned).

-   Extent and appropriateness of ***Feedback*** from the instructor to
    learners (e.g., provides praise, asks/answers questions, checks
    understanding before moving ahead).

On average, the pace and energy of the teacher were higher in ESL than
in ABE/GED classrooms (Exhibit 3.4). Further, the 10 ABE/GED classes
were rated on pace as either low or moderate, while 15 of the 16 ESL
classes were rated as either moderate or high. These differences on pace
and energy reflect the tendency for GED classes to focus on workbooks,
text and individualized student work, compared with ESL classes where
activities were more likely to involve the entire class and include
games and other fast-paced exercises. ABE/GED and ESL classes were rated
as quite similar on feedback and engagement among students. Although
engagement was rated slightly higher in ESL classes than ABE/GED, a mix
of classes of each type were rated as moderate or high on these
dimensions. The average rating of feedback to students was the same in
each type of classroom.

**Parenting Education and Parent-Child Activities.** In all except the
one home-based project, parenting education was provided through
multiple service delivery modes including group parenting classes held
on a regularly scheduled basis, individualized parenting education
conducted during monthly home visits, and PACT time, usually a part of
the early childhood education classes. Formal parenting education
classes most often provided instruction and information in two broad
topic areas: (1) parenting skills (e.g., communicating with children,
fostering language development, providing verbal stimulation), and (2)
life skills information (e.g., local transportation services,
anger/stress management, income tax information, immigration laws, and
health issues). A summary of center-based parenting education and
parent-child activities in the 18 EDS projects is given in Exhibit 3.5.

Typical parenting education classes were held at least weekly and were
run by the Even Start coordinator or early childhood education teachers.
Most projects used published curricula in their parenting education
classes. Nearly three-quarters used *Parents as Teachers*, a nationwide
parent education and family support network. The program includes
materials for home visits and group meetings that encourage child
development and positive parent-child interactions for parents of
children up to age five. The projects in Phoenix, Kansas City, Wichita
and San Angelo used *Successful Parenting,* a six-week video series
available from Active Parenting Publishers, which presents information
on topics such as self-esteem, discipline, communication within the
family, and successful parent-teacher conferences. Parenting education
in Bloomington, MN incorporated a violence-prevention program, *Second
Step*, that teaches empathy, identification of emotions, impulse control
and problem solving. Other curricula used in the EDS projects included
*HIPPY*, High/Scope's *Parenting Presentations, Systematic Training for
Effective Parenting (STEP), Practical Parent Education* and AVANCE's
27-week *Parenting Curriculum.* Many of these curricula focus on child
development and parent-child communication. Their goal is to help
parents understand children's capabilities at different ages so that
parents can provide activities to support development and engage in
positive parent-child interactions.

Even Start projects used materials and activities in parent groups to
support child development, early literacy and positive relationships
with schools. Parenting groups were used to help parents talk about the
importance of play for children and to go over activities that parents
can do with their children at home. The importance of literacy for both
parents and children was stressed in parenting education in a number of
ways. In Mountain Grove, MO parents and staff made books for children
using pictures from magazines. In Montclair, CA parents kept journals to
present topics for class discussions. In Phoenix, AZ parents read
children's books together, ordered discounted children's books for home,
and read parenting magazines in English (*Parent & Child)* and Spanish
*(Parent)*, which parents kept.

Parenting education incorporated many special topics of interest to
parents. At the beginning of the school year in some projects, staff
conducted a needs assessment to determine what parents want to learn in
parenting classes. In other projects, parenting classes addressed topics
related to raising children that are chosen by the Even Start staff. In
one project, police officers spoke to parents about safety issues, as
well as the child identification process and finger printing. In other
projects, local health service personnel made presentations about
community health services, providing information topics such as
childhood immunizations, birth control, spousal abuse, and breast
cancer. At one project, a Homemaker Extension agent talked about sewing,
nutrition, and cooking and in another Even Start, a Red Cross
representative spoke about the Heimlich maneuver and CPR, as well as
other community services available from the Red Cross. A few projects
held parent enrichment activities run by the Visiting Nurse Association.
For example, in Decatur, AL, weekly parent meetings run by the Nurses
Association or the Extension Service covered topics such as health,
nutrition and money management.

The Carrolton, GA project started a parenting education activity called
"Monday Madness." This was initiated because the teen mothers (who
attended high schools scattered widely across the county) wanted more
opportunity to get together with one another in order to share their own
stories and discuss issues of parenting, such as child behavior
management, nutrition and health. The teens were bussed to the early
childhood education center after school on Mondays and participated from
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in a group discussion on topics such as child
behavior management, promoting child development, nutrition, prenatal
care and understanding pediatrician's instructions.

Parent-child activities that take place in centers are often called
Parents and Children Together (PACT) time and were typically held during
early childhood education classes, at either the beginning or end of
regularly scheduled activities. Generally, PACT time took place more
than once a week. At some projects, activities included arts and crafts
or making toys (e.g., finger puppets, bean bag socks) or books, as well
as story reading and group singing. At other projects, PACT time was
less structured and is a time where children or mothers chose the
activity to do together in the child's classroom. In Bloomington, MN,
parent-child activities had a different focus each day, including
mothers reading to their children (and getting one book a month to
keep), teachers reading to the group of mothers and children, making
food or play materials together, and playing active games in the
center's gym.

Another model for PACT time is for parents to volunteer in their child's
classroom. This is generally on a less frequent basis. For example, in
Phoenix, AZ and Montclair, CA parents volunteered in classrooms twice a
month. In Montclair, as well as in the ASPIRE project in Austin, parents
volunteered in elementary school classrooms that their children
attended.

PACT time in many EDS projects emphasized literacy skills, both those of
the adult and the child. In AVANCE/Austin, TX each weekly parenting
lesson included a toy-making activity. Parents received a "Possibilities
Sheet" for each toy, which has a Language Labeling section listing
nouns, verbs, adjectives, spatial relations and comprehension. The
parent was taught how to use the toy at home to encourage her child's
verbal development. In Reading, PA one day a week during PACT time
teachers role played for parents how to read to their children. Home
visits in Syracuse, NY also included teachers modeling how to read to
children.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **PACT Time in An ECE Classroom in Austin, TX**                       |
|                                                                       |
| At PACT time, seven mothers come into the toddler room from the adult |
| education classroom. The mothers pair up with their children and      |
| follow them to different learning centers. The large reading area has |
| two comfortable chairs on a big rug and a number of large pillows;    |
| two mother-child pairs settle into the reading area right away. Two   |
| other pairs go to painting/crafts where the activity involves using   |
| water, food-coloring, and cornstarch to make paint, and pine needles  |
| held together with rubber bands as the paint brushes, as part of this |
| month's theme, "Trees Around Us." Other pairs go to the               |
| mini-classroom with a child-size blackboard, to the puzzle area, and  |
| to the Legos/block area. Every parent-child pair moves to at least    |
| one other activity during the 45-minute time block, and every pair    |
| stops at the reading center.                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Early Childhood Education.** Thirteen EDS projects provided their own
early childhood education classes for preschool children, either in the
same building as the adult education classes or one nearby, generally
provided by the collaborating school district. In the other five
projects, children attended other programs in the community, such as
Head Start, Early Head Start, or the district preschool. All EDS
projects provided children with at least two hours a day of classroom
experience, with most offering three or four hours, four or five days a
week. Two of the projects offered all-day classes. Where space allowed,
children were divided into age-related groups, such as infants through
18 months, toddlers 18 to 36 months, and children 36 to 60 months. A
summary of early childhood education activities in the 18 EDS projects
is given in Exhibit 3.6. Brief descriptions of several early childhood
classrooms are interspersed with the text in this section to illustrate
the types of activities for children in these classrooms.

**Early Childhood Education Curriculum and Instructional Methods.** A
third of the projects that provided their own early childhood classes
incorporated all or some elements from the *High/Scope* curriculum,
which encourages active learning where children plan, carry out and
reflect on activities in the classroom in a "plan-do-review" sequence
throughout the day. A few projects used the *Creative Curriculum* that
provides ideas for teachers to foster social/emotional development in
young children. The project in Houston sent preschool children to a
Montessori program each afternoon, where children are free to choose
activities and work independently or in small groups with the teacher
responding to children's requests for assistance.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An Early Childhood Classroom in Norfolk, VA**                       |
|                                                                       |
| It is 10 a.m. in a pre-K classroom of 16 four-year-olds. This is one  |
| of 14 classrooms in a model preschool program funded by Title I and   |
| state funds, located in a public housing area of Norfolk. The         |
| children are gathered around the teacher (a young, energetic          |
| African-American male) and a teaching assistant, all sitting          |
| comfortably on the floor for "song time." The first song is "If       |
| You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands," sung in Spanish. All  |
| the children are English-speaking African-Americans, but know the     |
| Spanish words perfectly and sing with enthusiasm and enjoyment. For   |
| the next five minutes, the teacher asks each child in turn to select  |
| the next song for the group to sing.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| After song time, the teacher moves quickly into practicing the days   |
| of the week and months of the year. This involves knowing the days    |
| and months in order, as well as spelling them and reading the numbers |
| from one to 30 on a calendar. This exercise combines the whole group  |
| reciting or reading, as well as children answering the teacher's      |
| questions individually.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| After a counting game and 30 minutes of free play, the teacher starts |
| singing "It's time to put your things away". Children sing with the   |
| teacher as they busily clean up. The cleaning routine is familiar to  |
| the children; they not only put things back into proper cubbies,      |
| shelves, etc., but also straighten out chairs and wipe tables with    |
| wet paper towels, with minimal direction from the teachers. Then it   |
| is "quiet time" where children sit down and rest their heads on the   |
| table and, when asked by the teacher, tell what they did during free  |
| time or answer questions (e.g., how many girls are at the table, what |
| day it is). At 11:30 a.m., the children line up at the door to go to  |
| the cafeteria for lunch.                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An Early Childhood Classroom in Bloomington, MN**                   |
|                                                                       |
| The 12 children gradually arrive with their parents at the indoor gym |
| where they start each day. The teacher and classroom aide greet the   |
| parents and children, talking briefly about the events of the morning |
| or previous day. The teacher encourages creative movement and play,   |
| and music is on for much of the time. At one point, a tape of Spanish |
| songs is played while the children dance and pretend with colorful    |
| scarves. After time in the gym, the group walks to a classroom in     |
| another part of the building. It is raining hard outside and some of  |
| the children are interested in watching the rain and listening to it  |
| fall on the roof. The teacher decides to use the occasion to talk     |
| about the rain and have a special snack. The children are given fruit |
| Popsicles and sit on the floor close to a glass door to watch the     |
| rain. The teacher talks about the rain, they watch the water splash   |
| into puddles, and sing a song about the rain. When the Popsicles are  |
| finished, the children walk to their classroom for a period of free   |
| play.                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

In projects that did not use published curricula, teachers developed
lesson plans and incorporated activities from many sources. Classrooms
were often theme-based, using activities and lessons to tie the current
programmatic theme into daily or weekly schedules. For example, in San
Angelo, TX, the early childhood classes for infants up to four-year-olds
were organized around themes such as the season, development issues
(e.g., self-esteem), or the world around us (e.g., the environment,
transportation). Materials were changed frequently to provide new
stimulation and support classroom themes. Most classrooms had free play,
group or circle time and art activities. Children in most Even Start
classrooms engaged in activities to encourage literacy, such as story
time or group reading, dramatic play based on fiction stories and
reading books during PACT time. Other literacy activities observed were
teachers writing down children's ideas, rebus writing games, show and
tell, experience charts and object identification.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An Early Childhood Classroom in San Angelo, TX**                    |
|                                                                       |
| The classroom for children from nine months to four years of age has  |
| clearly-labeled activity centers and is taught by a lead teacher, an  |
| aide, and a foster grandfather volunteer. Because of the large age    |
| range among children in the room, free play predominates as the       |
| teachers circulate to help children with their activities. Several    |
| times during the morning, the lead teacher gathers a small group of   |
| children together in the book area to read a story. Before beginning  |
| the story, the teacher has each child put on a small *Superman* cape  |
| that she calls the "reading cape." This helps the children stay on    |
| task, listening carefully to the story and sitting quietly. As new    |
| children wander over to hear what she is reading, she stops briefly   |
| while each is helped on with a cape before continuing with the story. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **An Early Childhood Classroom in Austin, TX**                        |
|                                                                       |
| Children in the 18 to 48 month group are learning colors in English   |
| and Spanish. The class has a colorfully decorated small "car" made    |
| from a large cardboard box, which is open on the top and bottom, and  |
| has a set of cloth straps attached to the top opening. There is a     |
| coordinating "traffic light" also made from recycled cardboard        |
| materials designed to be used with the car. One of the teacher aides  |
| puts the straps of the car over the shoulders of a young boy. Asking  |
| the boy to do what she says, she "controls" his activity using the    |
| changing traffic light sequences to teach red, yellow and green       |
| colors, as well as the concepts of stop, go, go quickly, or slow      |
| down. She uses both English and Spanish words for all concepts,       |
| changing intermittently between the two languages. Seeing that the    |
| boy is having fun and laughing with the teacher, a second child comes |
| over to join them. The teacher lets the little girl change the        |
| traffic light to direct the actions of the boy wearing the car. After |
| a short time, the children change places. Throughout the activity,    |
| the teacher continues to reinforce the names of the colors and the    |
| motion concepts, speaking to the children alternately in English and  |
| Spanish.                                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Quality of Early Childhood Education Services.** At least one early
childhood classroom in each EDS project was observed for approximately
three hours during the site visit. In most cases, observations were
conducted during morning hours. Two measures of classroom quality were
completed by the site visitors: the ECERS-R and the Literacy Checklist.

The *Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale* Revised Edition (ECERS-R;
Harms, Clifford & Cryer, 1998) is a revision of the ECERS, the original
measure in a family of quality rating scales that has been widely used
for a number of years. This 43-item scale is a rating of the quality of
center care for children two to six years of age. There are seven
subscales:

-   Space and furnishings (e.g., adequacy of indoor space for play,
    furnishings for play and learning, space for gross motor play,
    display of children's work).

-   Personal care routines for children (e.g., greeting/departing,
    health & safety practices).

-   Language-reasoning experiences (e.g., availability of books,
    encouraging children to communicate, using language to develop
    reasoning skills).

-   Activities (e.g., materials available to encourage fine motor
    development, art, music/movement, blocks and other manipulatives,
    sensory play such as sand and water, dramatic play, nature/science,
    math).

-   Interaction (e.g., supervision of children, discipline, staff-child
    interactions).

-   Program structure (e.g., variety of activities, availability of free
    play, group time).

-   Parents and staff (e.g., information sharing with parents,
    provisions for personal and professional needs of staff, staff
    interaction, staff supervision.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| An Early Childhood Classroom in Shelbyville, KY                       |
|                                                                       |
| It is 10:30 a.m. and the seven children in attendance have had        |
| breakfast and a parent-child joint activity. In one room, a teacher   |
| is engaged with two girls who are using an instructional software     |
| program on the computer. The teacher reads from the cues on the       |
| computer screen to ask the girls questions, such as: "What is this    |
| animal?" and "What does this animal eat?" Two boys are "drumming" on  |
| various objects with sticks. Three teachers unfold a cloth parachute  |
| almost as large as the room, put paper stars in the middle and start  |
| making waves with the material. Initially, only one child joins the   |
| teachers, then two other children participate. At 10:50, a bilingual  |
| assistant teacher reads a book in Spanish about a gingerbread man.    |
| Two girls listen to the book, while two others continue to work on    |
| the computer and the two boys play with foam blocks. After finishing  |
| the book, the assistant gives each child a gingerbread man cookie and |
| prepares a gingerbread man coloring booklet for parents to make at    |
| home.                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Items are rated on a scale where 1 = inadequate, 3 = minimal, 5 = good
and 7 = excellent. The average ECERS score for EDS projects is 4.88,
slightly below a rating of "good" (Exhibit 3.7). Half of the classrooms
had total scores of 5.0 or higher, indicating that the overall level of
care in these classrooms is "good" or better. The other half had scores
below 5.0, indicating minimal to good quality care. No classroom had a
score of 3.0 or lower (minimal or inadequate).

Subscale scores (see Exhibit 3.7) varied across classrooms. Three
subscales (space/furnishings, personal care, and interaction) had
average scores of 5.0 or greater, indicating "good" or better quality.
The highest score was on the Interaction subscale (average of 5.7)
indicating that staff in most EDS early childhood classrooms did a good
job of supervising and encouraging children, used non-punitive
discipline methods, and responded to children in a supportive and
respectful manner. These are important characteristics to build positive
relationships with children and guide them in adjusting to the social
and behavioral rules of school.

On the remaining subscales, average scores are between 4.0 and 5.0,
indicating minimal to good quality. Among these, the Activities subscale
had an average score of 4.35, the lowest ECERS subscale for the EDS
classrooms. This subscale assesses the variety of materials and
activities available to children in the classroom, including fine motor,
art, music/movement, blocks, sand/water, dramatic play, nature/science,
math/number, and video/computer (if none present, this item does not
affect the subscale score). In addition, the degree to which materials
and activities promote diversity is rated. Many EDS classrooms had
scores less than 5.0 on the nature/science item, indicating that some
nature and science was incorporated into the classroom but not more than
one type (e.g., may have a pet or plants, but not manipulatives such as
magnets, magnifying glasses, etc) and not on a regular basis (e.g.,
talking about everyday events such as weather, birds, insects to learn
about science). The music/movement item was another area where many EDS
classrooms scored in the "minimal" range; these classrooms may have
included music, but not movement (e.g., acting out movement to songs or
rhymes) or music materials may not have been accessible to the children
(e.g., simple instruments, tape player). A number of EDS classrooms did
not provide opportunities for sand or water play.

On the remaining subscales, average scores were between 4.0 and 5.0,
indicating minimal to good quality. The Language-Reasoning subscale is a
measure of the books available for children, as well as the
communication and language skills that are used and encouraged in the
classroom. This subscale is of particular relevance to classrooms that
are part of a family literacy program. The average score on this
subscale is 4.75. Half of the classrooms were rated as "good" quality or
better on this subscale, eight of the classrooms scored between minimal
and good; and one was rated below 3.0 ("minimal"). Classrooms that
scored below 5.0 on the Language-Reasoning subscale tended to have
higher scores on the book item than on the other three language items in
the subscale. In these low-scoring classrooms, the item assessing the
use of language to develop reasoning skills was rated far below the
other three items in this subscale.

To illustrate the difference between classrooms that score high and low
on the Language-Reasoning subscale, a class receiving a score of 6.0
would tend to include the following activities as listed on the ECERS-R
scoring form:

-   **Books and Pictures:** There is a wide selection of books in the
    classroom accessible for a substantial portion of the day, staff
    read books to children informally (e.g., during free play, as an
    extension of an activity).

-   **Encouraging Children to Communicate:** Communication takes place
    during free play and group time, there are dramatic play materials
    (e.g., small figures and animals in the block area) to encourage
    communication, staff balance listening and talking.

-   **Using Language to Develop Reasoning Skills:** Staff talk about
    logical relationships while children play with materials (e.g., sort
    by shape/color, similarities and differences), children are
    encouraged to explain reasoning, concepts respond to children's
    interests or need to solve a problem (e.g., talk children through
    balancing a tall block building).

-   **Informal Use of Language:** Staff encourage communication among
    children, staff present information to expand on children's ideas,
    children are asked questions to expand on their answers, staff have
    individual conversations with most children.

In contrast, a classroom that scored 3.0 on the Language-Reasoning
subscale may well have a good selection of books, however staff do not
read to children informally (e.g., they read to children only during
circle time), there is not as much communication and conversation during
both free play and group time, staff do not expand on information or
ideas presented by children, and there is less of a balance between
staff listening and talking to children. The largest differences between
these two types of classrooms (classrooms that score high vs. low on the
Language-Reasoning subscale), and the ones bringing down the subscale
score, are that staff in lower-scoring classrooms are less likely to
talk with children about logical relationships, and they do not
capitalize on children's curiosity about cause and effect or point out
differences in size, shape, and numbers of objects as children play.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## An Early Childhood Classroom in Decatur, AL                        |
|                                                                       |
| Holiday music plays in the background, as ten children work together  |
| to make a life-size snowman out of construction paper. The teacher    |
| shows the children where to glue the various pieces, and they enjoy   |
| gluing "snowflakes" onto the snowman. After about 20 minutes, a       |
| volunteer arrives to read stories to the class, as happens twice a    |
| week. The children pile into the cozy corner as the volunteer reads   |
| the book she brought with her, interrupting the story quite often to  |
| ask the children questions. After the story is finished, the children |
| return to working on the snowman. Then they help the teacher clean up |
| the extra paper and supplies. In the time remaining before lunch, the |
| teacher plays a record with *London Bridge* and *Ring around the      |
| Rosy* and sings and plays with the children.                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ######### An Early Childhood Classroom in Wichita, KS                 |
|                                                                       |
| Early childhood education at the Wichita Even Start takes place in    |
| three classrooms at the Little Early Childhood Education Center.      |
| There are 12 children in the pre-K classroom in addition to a teacher |
| and two parent volunteers. The walls are decorated with several       |
| colorful alphabet charts, each with a different theme. A writing      |
| center contains a variety of writing implements, paper and templates  |
| for forming letters. An entire bulletin board is devoted to the       |
| "letter of the week." J is last week's letter. The board is covered   |
| with many copies of the letter J that have been decorated by the      |
| children with small plastic jacks.                                    |
|                                                                       |
| During group time, the teacher introduces K, the new letter for the   |
| week. She talks to the children about familiar objects and words that |
| begin with K. She notes that it was difficult to find a small item to |
| decorate their letters, but that she has decided to use popcorn       |
| "kernels." She asks the children to think about other things they may |
| know that begin with the letter K. Suddenly, one little girl jumps up |
| and says, "Me!" Her name is Karina and she knows that her name starts |
| with the letter K. There are lots of laughs and smiles from the other |
| children and praise from the teacher. Afterwards, the children break  |
| into small groups to work on decorating their K letters with popcorn  |
| kernels.                                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The ECERS-R and its predecessor, the ECERS, have been used in many
studies of the quality of early childhood classrooms. Exhibit 3.8 lists
the total ECERS scores for several studies of childcare and early
childhood programs for diverse populations. Even Start classrooms
observed in the EDS are comparable in overall quality to Head Start
classrooms, and are rated somewhat higher than other types of early
childhood classrooms. In particular, the Head Start FACES study used the
ECERS in 403 classrooms, with an average rating of 4.9.

The Observational Study of Early Childhood Programs rated 39 Head Start
classrooms (average rating of 4.9), 42 childcare classrooms (average
rating of 4.2), and 38 school-based preschool programs (average rating
of 4.5). The Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes Study, completed in the
mid-1990s, measured the quality of childcare centers in four states. The
average total score in each of these four states ranged from 3.82 to
4.49 all lower than the average total score in the EDS classrooms.

The *Literacy Checklist* is a measure of the classroom materials and
space that are devoted to books and writing, developed by David
Dickinson and his colleagues for studies of Head Start classrooms. Most
Even Start classrooms in the EDS have books displayed and available for
children to use, and all have a library or reading corner or area. In
all of the classrooms, there is a specific area set aside only for book
reading (Exhibit 3.9), and the books are appropriate for a range of
reading levels. In almost half of the classrooms, books are available in
at least one other part of the classroom such as in a dramatic play or
blocks area. However, most classrooms do not have books available in
numerous places in the room.

Nearly 90 percent of the rooms have a distinct area set up for writing,
stocked with paper and writing tools. However, fewer than half of the
classrooms have templates or other tools to help children form letters.
Evidence of writing around the room is less typical. There are many
rooms with no examples of children's writing or dictations on display,
and few rooms have writing tools or props in multiple areas of the room
(e.g., note pads in dramatic play area).

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## An Early Childhood Classroom in Montclair, CA                      |
|                                                                       |
| After a morning circle and some free time outside, the 25 children    |
| are free to pursue activities of their own choice inside the          |
| classroom for about an hour. The lead teacher is out of the room      |
| teaching a parent education class, and the children are supervised by |
| two teacher aides and three volunteer parents. A group of children is |
| in the dramatic play area, along with one of the aides who responds   |
| to the children when they speak to her. A few children are in the     |
| building area with one of the parent volunteers; two children are     |
| using wooden blocks and the others are at the Lego table. The last    |
| group of children is sitting at one of the tables with an aide who is |
| reading a book. The two other volunteer parents are moving around the |
| room putting away toys that are not being used. After an hour, one of |
| the aides signals that is time to clean up, and children put their    |
| toys away with a minimum of fuss. They move into a circle in the      |
| center of the room, and the aide starts an audio tape and lead them   |
| in singing songs. Before dismissing the children for lunch, the aide  |
| asks them questions about the activities of the day.                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Two subscale scores (books and writing) and a total score can be
computed for the *Literacy Checklist*. The Books subscale combines
scores across 12 items, some scored as yes/no and others scores on a
three-point scale (e.g., number of books available to children receives
a score of "1" for less than 15 books, "2" for 16-25 books, and "3" for
26 or more books), for a maximum score of 20. The Writing subscale sums
across 12 items, some yes/no and some scored on a three-point scale, for
a maximum score of 21. The data presented at the bottom of Exhibit 3.9
show that Even Start classrooms lag behind Head Start classrooms on the
Books subscale, the Writing subscale and the Total score for the
Literacy Checklist. The differences in scores between Even Start and
Head Start classrooms are consistent, but not very large, on the order
of one-third to one-half of a standard deviation in size. Compared with
Head Start, Even Start classrooms have somewhat fewer books available to
children, and are less likely to have writing areas and tools for
writing or displays of children's written work.

**Integration of Instructional Services.** All EDS projects tried to
integrate parenting education and early childhood education. In some
projects, adult education services stood alone, unconnected with what
was happening in parenting and early childhood classes. While projects
that located all three components in the same building had an easier
time integrating services, the level of integration is not solely a
function of location. There are projects where all services were located
in the same center or campus that did not integrate adult education with
the other two components, and projects where services were located in
separate facilities that achieved integration through mechanisms such as
regular staff meetings.

In many projects, teachers had multiple responsibilities with respect to
the delivery of core instructional services. For example, early
childhood education teachers and classroom aides conducted home visits.
These same teachers also may be involved in some aspect of parenting
education classes. In a few instances, ESL and adult education teachers
also were responsible for various aspects of parenting classes. In
Bloomington, MN the adult education teachers joined the preschoolers and
their parents for daily parent-child time.

Frequently, Even Start staff used a theme to unify lessons and units
across core components. These themes often focused on the seasons or a
holiday, or topics such as transportation, fire and public safety, and
colors. Themes were shared in multiple ways, such as in similar
decorations in adult and child classrooms, joint arts and crafts
projects, or lessons coordinated to use common vocabulary words or
activities. For example, in Oklahoma City, OK the activity in the early
childhood classroom focused on counting, and parents made a counting
book during a parenting session to share with their child. Integration
also occurred in more general ways. In Phoenix, AZ parents in adult
education read the same book that early childhood teachers read to
children. ESL lessons in Shelbyville, KY incorporated parenting and life
skills topics. Several projects required adult participants to keep
journals that are used as a prompt for discussion in adult education or
parenting classes. For example, in Mountain Grove, MO parents wrote
about time spent with their children the day before, and in Norfolk, VA
parents wrote about the parent-child activities that take place each day
before adult education classes. At AVANCE in Austin, TX parenting
education topics, such as transportation, were incorporated into the
adult education and early childhood classrooms; all project components,
including home visit materials and parent-child activities, supported
the weekly theme.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##### Integration of                                                  |
| Instructional Components through Weekly Staff Meetings in Godfrey, IL |
|                                                                       |
| On a weekly basis, the project coordinator leads a staff meeting that |
| is attended by the adult education staff, the home visitor who acts   |
| as the family support service coordinator, one of the other three     |
| home visitors, the on-site early childhood supervisor, the counselor  |
| from the local welfare program, and staff from community agencies     |
| (e.g., teen parenting program, parole office, and the department of   |
| social services). In these meetings five to ten Even Start families   |
| and their progress and obstacles are discussed, to improve            |
| communication and service coordination. The project holds a monthly   |
| staff meeting for all Even Start staff and the early childhood        |
| supervisor to discuss program issues, space, updates, etc. In         |
| addition, the project supervisors for the Even Start, Head Start and  |
| Early Head Start programs meet monthly with the early childhood       |
| supervisor to discuss issues affecting the site, such as space,       |
| scheduling, and joint activities (e.g., family reading night, field   |
| trips).                                                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Most EDS projects had monthly planning meetings, and many had biweekly
or weekly staff meetings. Project staff used this shared time to
coordinate and integrate services across core components, and to plan,
develop, and improve project activities. For example, in Syracuse, NY,
the team of case managers, family educators and adult educators used
monthly meetings to plan the curriculum for home visits. Staff meetings
also provided a forum to discuss individual families, their progress,
and current issues in order to improve communication and service
coordination and delivery. In about half of the projects, staff from all
core components attended these meetings. In the other projects, staff
from collaborating agencies did not attend. These staff tend to be adult
educators who may be paid only for the time they teach adult education
classes. The project in Wichita ensured that the adult educators
attended the monthly Friday staff meetings by paying these staff from
the collaborating agency for their time.

Another way in which Even Start projects worked to integrate the three
core components was to provide opportunities for all staff to attend the
same in-service training programs. These joint staff trainings exposed
all staff to the same training ideas and new materials as a way to
improve program services to all participants.

### Provide Staff Training

Most EDS projects had a mix of professional and paraprofessional
personnel on their staff with a variety of educational and work
backgrounds. Many projects also used volunteers. For example, the four
ESL instructors at the Houston project are local business people
donating their time. Other projects used volunteers to assist classroom
teachers. For example, the Bloomington, MN project had two volunteers to
assist in the ESL classroom, another in the GED/ABE classroom, and one
in the toddler room.

Project directors and coordinators usually have at least a bachelor's
degree and many either have received or are working toward an advanced
degrees. Most early childhood staff have several years of experience
working with young children, although their educational training varies
across the EDS projects. In several projects, such as Bloomington, MN,
Mountain Grove, MO, and Austin:AVANCE, all of the early childhood
teachers have at least a bachelor's degree. The ECE teacher in Kansas
City has a master's degree. In a few projects, such as Decatur, AL and
San Angelo, TX, the children's teachers have a high school diploma or
CDA certificate. In Montclair, CA, the early childhood teachers have
associate's degrees. Classroom aides tend to have a high school diploma
or GED. Also, early childhood teachers and aides are more likely than
other staff to be in continuing education programs. Adult educators in
EDS projects were more likely than ECE teachers to have college degrees.
In the majority of projects, the adult educators have bachelor's
degrees, many with teacher certification.

Parenting education was conducted by staff with a range of educational
experiences. In several projects, parenting education classes were led
by a project administrator. For example, the parenting classes in
Decatur, AL were taught by the project coordinator, who has a master's
degree in education. Parenting classes in the Wichita, KS Even Start
were led by a social worker. In Carrollton, GA, the parent educator has
an associate's degree in child development, many years of teaching
experience, and extensive training in the *Parents as Teachers (PAT)*
curriculum. A few projects, such as Godfrey, IL, have staff who focus on
home visits; these staff in Godfrey have bachelor's or master's degrees.
Parenting classes in Reading, PA were conducted by the adult educators
who have college degrees in education.

All EDS projects provided opportunities for staff to participate in
training conferences and workshops. Some training was available through
professional development workshops held either by the Even Start project
for its staff or by the local collaborating school district.
Organizations that promote curricula, such as *Parents as Teachers* and
*Reading is Fundamental*, offered in-service training workshops for
staff implementing their program. Other professional development was
offered by county or state departments of education, especially for
adult education instructors. Many staff participated in state or
national conferences, such as meetings of the National Even Start
Association or the conference run by the National Center for Family
Literacy. Several projects arranged for staff to take classes at a
community college or university.

### Provide Integrated, Home-Based Instructional Services

Home visits allow staff to meet individually with families, to talk with
parents about and model parent-child activities, and to bring
instructional themes into the home from center-based parent groups and
early childhood programs. Home visits typically were 60 to 90 minutes
long and took place monthly, although two EDS projects conducted home
visits weekly, and three provided them twice a month. In the home-based
project in Syracuse, NY staff met with parents and children weekly for
90 minutes for early childhood and parenting education, and biweekly for
an hour of adult education. Several projects increased the number of
home visits to families in need of extra services or in times of family
crisis to give these families additional support. Most projects
incorporated activities and themes from the parenting and early
childhood instructional activities into home visits. Nine EDS projects
used the *Parents as Teachers* curriculum to structure home visits.
Direct services also were provided to older children in the family. Home
visits were typically conducted by early childhood teachers or aides and
parenting education instructors. A few projects had staff whose primary
job responsibility was to visit families or coordinate home visits. For
example, the project in Wichita, KS had a case manager (a licensed
social worker), who oversaw the parenting education component and made
follow-up home visits to Even Start graduates for up to three years
after their initial participation. A summary of home visit activities in
the 18 EDS projects is given in Exhibit 3.10.

### Provide Year-Round Services

All EDS projects provided services during the summer, although most had
some time when the project is closed for vacation. Exceptions are
Montclair, CA and Phoenix, AZ that operate year-round schools. These
projects had a cycle of two- or three-month semesters with a one-month
break between cycles. The other projects typically scaled back services
in the summer. For example, some operated only one early childhood
classroom in the summer, some limited the numbers of days per week they
operated, and others included only those families who were planning to
continue in the project into the next school year. Many projects
considered the summer to be an opportunity to schedule additional field
trips and special events for the whole family as a way to include older
children and other family members.[^3]

### Coordinate With Related Programs

In 11 of the EDS sites, the Even Start fiscal agent was a school
district. In the remaining sites, the fiscal agent typically was a
community-based organization, such as a community college or education
agency that oversees a variety of community-based educational
initiatives.

Even Start projects received a range of services provided by community
collaborators. School districts most often provided tangible resources
such as classroom and administrative space, transportation, food
services and maintenance. School districts also led the list of
collaborators for providing teachers, administrative staff, staff
development and training, and instructional support. Community and state
colleges supplied administrative staff and teachers and provided staff
development workshops and a variety of training programs. Other
community groups, such as a family resource center, adult education
center, or local church, provided space for classrooms or special
events. Other collaborators were from community service agencies, such
as the public health department; child and family agencies (e.g., Human
Services); the public library; the public housing authority; the police,
fire and recreation departments; community action agencies; the Visiting
Nurses Association; and private non-profit agencies.

Where community collaboration is at its best, Even Start draws on the
resources of a variety of local social service agencies, but also acts
as a community resource in its own right. The Wichita, KS project is
part of a larger Early Childhood Education Center, and Even Start staff
and participants played a vital role in the regular events of the center
while benefiting from school district space, resources and services. For
example, Even Start families volunteered and provided food for special
events such as "Week of the Young Child," a Cinco de Mayo festival, and
"Author's Day." The project in Carrollton, GA belongs to a community
collaborative called "Family Connection" that includes the school
district, housing authority, and health department. The project
benefited from this collaboration through referrals and services; Even
Start staff also spoke to many groups in the community about family
literacy and parenting issues.

### Conduct an Independent Local Evaluation

At seven EDS projects, a faculty member from a local or state college
served as the local evaluator. Seven projects used independent
consultants for their evaluations. The two EDS projects in Kansas, as
well as the one in Norfolk, VA and Phoenix, AZ did not conduct their own
local evaluation because their State Departments of Education contracted
with independent research firms to compile evaluation data on all Even
Start projects in their state. Most projects funded an evaluation every
year, although a few alternate case studies with bi-annual overviews or
summaries. Typically, projects spent about \$4,000 for a local
evaluation. Two projects, however, each reported spending \$10,000.

The majority of local evaluations were qualitative in nature with mostly
descriptive data from site visits and interviews with staff (and
sometimes parents). Several projects, however, commented that their
evaluators would prefer to collect more data for statistical analysis of
outcomes.[^4] The information gathered during the evaluation is used in
a number of ways, such as improving program administration, changing or
expanding the type or amount of services provided, for "self-study" and
improvement, and to provide feedback to staff. For example, on the basis
of their local evaluation, the project in Shelbyville, KY changed their
primary service delivery mode from home-based to center-based to
increase service intensity. In response to their local evaluation
report, the Bloomington, MN project implemented procedures to enforce
the 80 percent attendance requirement more consistently and added
incentives to maintain high attendance rates. In some instances,
projects use the information to help write grant renewal applications or
develop collaborative agreements.

### Serve Children in a Three-Year Age Range

All EDS projects served children in at least a three-year range. The
majority of projects provided some type of services for children less
than two years old. All provided early childhood education programs
either directly or through collaborating agencies, such as public school
pre-K or kindergarten, Montessori, Head Start or Early Head Start.

## How Federal Even Start Funds Were Spent in the EDS Projects

The use of Even Start funds was first studied in the 1991-1992 program
year, when detailed cost data were collected from 10 projects that
participated in the In-Depth Study component of the first national
evaluation. Similar data were collected in spring 2000 and spring 2001
from the 18 EDS projects. These two data sets allow us to describe and
compare the ways in which Even Start funds were spent during those
years, almost a decade apart.

In 2000 and 2001, the EDS projects spent more than half (55 percent) of
their federal Even Start funds on the provision of instructional
services: 34 percent for early childhood education, 12 percent for adult
education, and nine percent for parenting education (Exhibit 3.11). An
additional nine percent was spent to provide support services that are
designed to enable families to participate in instructional service
activities. Thus, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the EDS projects\'
federal funds were spent on the direct provision of services. Remaining
federal funds were spent for program administration and coordination (20
percent), evaluation (six percent), case management and recruiting (four
percent), and for a variety of other functions (six percent) such as
field trips, staff meetings, clean-up, and errands.

This distribution is unchanged over the past 10 years. During 1991-1992,
exactly the same percentage of federal Even Start funds was spent
providing instructional services (55 percent) as in 2000 and 2001,
although there has been a slight shift of federal resources away from
adult education and toward early childhood education. Perhaps more
significant, between 1991-1992 and 2000-2001, the amount spent on
administering Even Start projects grew from 14 to 20 percent of all
federal Even Start funds; funding spent on evaluation was reduced from
10 percent to six percent during the same time period. These changes
likely reflect the reality that Even Start is a difficult program to
administer, and while local evaluations were mandated by the federal
government during the early 1990s, state administration of the program
during the mid and late 1990s placed less emphasis on local evaluation.

In 1991, about 70 percent of federal Head Start dollars were spent on
direct services and 30 percent on other costs. The largest categories
were education (41 percent), administration (13 percent), and occupancy
(13 percent). While Head Start and the Even Start EDS projects are
similar in terms of the percentage used for direct service delivery (70
percent and 64 percent, respectively), the EDS projects spent a larger
percentage of their budgets on administration (20 percent versus 13
percent, respectively).

Data from the ESPIRS show that in 2000-2001, the universe of Even Start
projects spent an annual average of \$4,708 in federal Even Start
dollars per family. The EDS projects spent about 34 percent of this
amount on early childhood education while Head Start spent 41 percent on
education. Thus, Even Start spreads its funding relatively broadly
across children, parents, and support services. This "spreading out" of
services fits the Even Start model, in which local projects intend to
help children, in part, through helping their parents.

+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| **[Exhibit |                     |       |         |       |      |
| 3.1]{.sm   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| allcaps}** |                     |       |         |       |      |
|            |                     |       |         |       |      |
| *          |                     |       |         |       |      |
| *[Selected |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Chara      |                     |       |         |       |      |
| cteristics |                     |       |         |       |      |
| of EDS     |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Pro        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| jects]{.sm |                     |       |         |       |      |
| allcaps}** |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| **[Pr      | **[Gra              | **[N  | **[Year | *     | **[U |
| oject]{.sm | ntee]{.smallcaps}** | umber | of      | *[ESL | rban |
| allcaps}** |                     | of    | First   | ]{.sm | /]{. |
|            |                     | Fam   | Even    | allca | smal |
|            |                     | ilies | Start   | ps}** | lcap |
|            |                     | ]{.sm | grant]  |       | s}** |
|            |                     | allca | {.small | **[Pr |      |
|            |                     | ps}** | caps}** | oject | **[  |
|            |                     |       |         | ]{.sm | Rura |
|            |                     |       |         | allca | l]{. |
|            |                     |       |         | ps}** | smal |
|            |                     |       |         |       | lcap |
|            |                     |       |         |       | s}** |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Decatur,   | Decatur City        | 34    | 1994    | Yes   | U    |
| AL         | Schools             |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Phoenix,   | Isaac School        | 120   | 1989    | Yes   | U    |
| AZ         | District            |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Montclair, | Montclair-Ontario   | 75    | 1995    | Yes   | U    |
| CA         | School District     |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| C          | Carroll County      | 65    | 1994    | No    | R    |
| arrollton, | Parenting Prog.     |       |         |       | ural |
| GA         |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Godfrey,   | Lewis & Clark Comm. | 20    | 1996    | No    | U    |
| IL         | College             |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Wichita,   | Wichita School      | 35    | 1989    | Yes   | U    |
| KS         | District #259       |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Kansas     | Kansas City School  | 23    | 1997    | Yes   | U    |
| City, KS   | Dist. #500          |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Sh         | Ohio Valley         | 75    | 1992    | Yes   | R    |
| elbyville, | Educational Coop.   |       |         |       | ural |
| KY         |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Bl         | Bloomington School  | 22    | 1997    | Yes   | U    |
| oomington, | District            |       |         |       | rban |
| MN         |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Mountain   | Mountain Grove      | 8     | 1998    | No    | R    |
| Grove, MO  | School Dist.        |       |         |       | ural |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Syracuse,  | Consortium for      | 51    | 1996    | No    | U    |
| NY         | Children's          |       |         |       | rban |
|            | Services, BOCES     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Oklahoma   | Oklahoma City       | 120   | 1990    | Yes   | U    |
| City, OK   | School Dist.        |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Reading,   | Reading Area Comm.  | 41    | 1989    | Yes   | U    |
| PA         | College             |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Houston,   | Houston Independent | 50    | 1993    | Yes   | U    |
| TX         | School District     |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Austin, TX | Communities in      | 45    | 1994    | Yes   | U    |
|            | Schools             |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Austin, TX | AVANCE              | 60    | 1998    | Yes   | U    |
|            |                     |       |         |       | rban |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| San        | San Angelo          | 70    | 1998    | Yes   | U    |
| Angelo, TX | Independent School  |       |         |       | rban |
|            | District            |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Norfolk,   | Norfolk City        | 45    | 1997    | No    | U    |
| VA         | Schools,            |       |         |       | rban |
|            |                     |       |         |       |      |
|            | Norfolk             |       |         |       |      |
|            | Redevelopment       |       |         |       |      |
|            | Housing Authority   |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Notes:     |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Number of  |                     |       |         |       |      |
| families   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| represents |                     |       |         |       |      |
| the number |                     |       |         |       |      |
| served at  |                     |       |         |       |      |
| the time   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| of the     |                     |       |         |       |      |
| site       |                     |       |         |       |      |
| visit.     |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Projects   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| are        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| cha        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| racterized |                     |       |         |       |      |
| as ESL if  |                     |       |         |       |      |
| more than  |                     |       |         |       |      |
| 20 percent |                     |       |         |       |      |
| of adults  |                     |       |         |       |      |
| are        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Hispanic   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| and        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| par        |                     |       |         |       |      |
| ticipating |                     |       |         |       |      |
| in ESL     |                     |       |         |       |      |
| classes.   |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+
| Exhibit    |                     |       |         |       |      |
| reads: The |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Even Start |                     |       |         |       |      |
| project in |                     |       |         |       |      |
| Decatur,   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| AL is in   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| an urban   |                     |       |         |       |      |
| location.  |                     |       |         |       |      |
+------------+---------------------+-------+---------+-------+------+

+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| **[E   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| xhibit |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| 3.2]{. |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| smallc |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| aps}** |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| **     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| [Descr |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| iption |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| of     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Adult  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Edu    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| cation |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Se     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| rvices |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| in 18  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| EDS    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Proje  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| cts]{. |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| smallc |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| aps}** |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| *      | **[Cl | *           | ** | ** |     | *        | **     |
| *[Proj | asses | *[Frequency | [A | [S |     | *[Source | [Locat |
| ect]{. | Of    | of          | ny | ta |     | o        | ion]{. |
| smallc | fered | classes]{.s | N  | ff |     | f]{.smal | smallc |
| aps}** | ]{.sm | mallcaps}** | ig | S  |     | lcaps}** | aps}** |
|        | allca |             | ht | al |     |          |        |
|        | ps}** |             | Cl | ar |     | **[      |        |
|        |       |             | as | ie |     | Teaching |        |
|        |       |             | s] | s] |     | Staf     |        |
|        |       |             | {. | {. |     | f]{.smal |        |
|        |       |             | sm | sm |     | lcaps}** |        |
|        |       |             | al | al |     |          |        |
|        |       |             | lc | lc |     |          |        |
|        |       |             | ap | ap |     |          |        |
|        |       |             | s} | s} |     |          |        |
|        |       |             | ** | ** |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
|        |       |             |    | ** | **[ |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | [E | Col |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ve | lab |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | n] | ]{. |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | {. | sma |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | sm | llc |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | al | aps |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | lc | }** |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ap |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | s} |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ** |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | *  |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | *[ |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | St |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ar |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | t] |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | {. |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | sm |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | al |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | lc |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ap |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | s} |     |          |        |
|        |       |             |    | ** |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| De     | ESL,  | 2 hrs/day,  |    |   |    | Decatur  | Church |
| catur, | GED   | 4 days/wk   |    |    |     | Adult    | annex  |
| AL     |       |             |    |    |     | Ed.      |        |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Center   |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Ph     | ESL,  | 2.5         | Y  |    |    | Rio      | Fam.   |
| oenix, | GED   | hrs/day, 2  | es |    |     | Salado   | Lit.   |
| AZ     |       | days/wk     |    |    |     | Comm.    | Ctr.,  |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | College  | school |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | campus |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Mont   | ESL,  | 3 hrs/day,  |    |    |    | Chaffee  | 3      |
| clair, | GED,  | 2 days/wk   |    |    |     | Adult    | elem   |
| CA     | ABE   |             |    |    |     | E        | entary |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | ducation | s      |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Center   | chools |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Carro  | High  | High        |    |    |    | Carroll  | County |
| llton, | schl. | school: 6.5 |    |    |     | County   | tec    |
| GA     | ABE,  | hrs, 5      |    |    |     | School   | hnical |
|        | GED   | days/wk;    |    |    |     | District | high   |
|        |       | GED: 6 hrs, |    |    |     |          | school |
|        |       | 3 days/wk   |    |    |     |          | campus |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Go     | GED   | 6 hrs/day,  |    |   |     | Lewis &  | Comm   |
| dfrey, |       | 4 days/wk   |    |    |     | Clark    | ercial |
| IL     |       |             |    |    |     | Comm.    | space  |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | College  | in     |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | mall   |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Wi     | ESL,  | 4 hrs/day,  |    |    |    | Dunbar   | Di     |
| chita, | ABE,  | 4 days/wk   |    |    |     | Adult    | strict |
| KS     | GED   |             |    |    |     | Ed. Ctr. | ECE    |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | center |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Kansas | ESL,  | 2 hrs/day,  |    |   |     | KCK      | Di     |
| City,  | GED   | 4 days/wk   |    |    |     | C        | strict |
| KS     |       |             |    |    |     | ommunity | elem.  |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | College  | School |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Shelby | ESL,  | Varies: 2.5 | Y  |   |    | 1 site:  | V      |
| ville, | ABE   | hrs/day,    | es |    |     | Tremble  | aries: |
| KY     |       |             |    |    |     | Co.      | C      |
|        |       | 2 --3       |    |    |     | Adult    | hurch, |
|        |       | days/wk     |    |    |     | Ed.      | etc.   |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Bloomi | ESL,  | 3 hrs/day,  |    |   |     | District | Family |
| ngton, | ABE,  | 3 days/wk   |    |    |     | Comm.    | Center |
| MN     | GED   |             |    |    |     | E        |        |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | ducation |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Mo     | ABE,  | 3 hrs/day,  |    |    |    | DFS      | Family |
| untain | GED   | 3 days/wk   |    |    |     | Futures  | Ed.    |
| Grove, |       |             |    |    |     | Program  | Center |
| MO     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Syr    | ABE,  | Home visit  |    |   |    | Bd of    | A      |
| acuse, | GED   | 1 hr/wk;    |    |    |     | Coop.    | dult's |
| NY     |       | also        |    |    |     | Ed.      | home;  |
|        |       | classes at  |    |    |     | Servcs.  | GED    |
|        |       | BOCES       |    |    |     | (BOCES), | c      |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Even     | lasses |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Start    | at     |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | BOCES  |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Ok     | ESL,  | 3 sites: 3  |    |    |    | Even     | 4      |
| lahoma | GED   | hrs/day, 4  |    |    |     | Start    | sites: |
| City,  |       | days/wk;    |    |    |     | (paid by | 2      |
| OK     |       | 1site:      |    |    |     | state    | chu    |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | adult    | rches, |
|        |       | 6 hrs/day,  |    |    |     | ed.      | 2      |
|        |       | 5 days/wk   |    |    |     | Funds)   | s      |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | chools |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Re     | ESL,  | 1 site: 2   | Y  |   |     | Reading  | Com    |
| ading, | GED   | hrs, 4      | es |    |     | Area     | munity |
| PA     |       | days/wk; 1  |    |    |     | C        | c      |
|        |       | site: 2-3   |    |    |     | ommunity | ollege |
|        |       | hrs, 2      |    |    |     | College  | and    |
|        |       | days/wk     |    |    |     |          | church |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Ho     | ESL,  | 2-3         | Y  |    |    | Houston  | Elem.  |
| uston, | GED   | hrs/day, 4  | es |    |     | Read     | s      |
| TX     |       | days/wk     |    |    |     | Comm.,   | chool, |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Literacy | H      |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Advance  | ouston |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | Houston, | Le     |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | vo       | arning |
|        |       |             |    |    |     | lunteers | Ctr.   |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| A      | ESL,  | 3.5         |    |    |    | Austin   | Po     |
| ustin, | GED   | hrs/day, 4  |    |    |     | Comm.    | rtable |
| TX     |       | days/wk     |    |    |     | College  | elem.  |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | c      |
| (A     |       |             |    |    |     |          | ampus, |
| SPIRE) |       |             |    |    |     |          | church |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| A      | ESL,  | 4 hrs/day,  |    |    |    | Austin   | 2      |
| ustin, | GED   | 2 days/wk   |    |    |     | Comm.    | elem   |
| TX     |       |             |    |    |     | College  | entary |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | s      |
| (A     |       |             |    |    |     |          | chools |
| VANCE) |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| San    | ESL,  | 3.5         | Y  |    |    | Co-op 42 | 3      |
| A      | ABE,  | hrs/day, 5  | es |    |     | county   | elem   |
| ngelo, | GED   | days/wk     |    |    |     | colla    | entary |
| TX     |       |             |    |    |     | borative | s      |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | chools |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| No     | GED   | 4.5         | Y  |   |     | Even     | Di     |
| rfolk, |       | hrs/day, 4  | es |    |     | Start    | strict |
| VA     |       | days/wk     |    |    |     |          | ECE    |
|        |       |             |    |    |     |          | center |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| Notes: |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Times  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| listed |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| rep    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| resent |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| what   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| p      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| arents |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| can    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| re     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ceive; |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| pr     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ojects |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| may    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| offer  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| mu     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ltiple |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| time   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| slots  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| and    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| p      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| arents |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| choose |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| s      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ubset. |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Staff  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| listed |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| as     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Even   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Start  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| if     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| grant  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| pays   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| any    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| part   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| of     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| s      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| alary; |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| both   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Even   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| Start  |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| and    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| collab |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| orator |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| listed |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| when   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| dif    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ferent |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| se     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| rvices |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| (e.g., |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ESL    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| and    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| GED)   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| paid   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| by     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| each   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| s      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ource. |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+
| E      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| xhibit |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| reads: |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| De     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| catur, |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| AL     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| pr     |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ovides |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| ESL    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| and    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| GED    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| c      |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| lasses |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| two    |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| hour   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| s/day, |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| four   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| days a |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| week   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| in a   |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| church |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
| annex. |       |             |    |    |     |          |        |
+--------+-------+-------------+----+----+-----+----------+--------+

+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **[Exhibit 3.3]{.smallcaps}**           |             |             |
|                                         |             |             |
| **[Percent of EDS Adult Education       |             |             |
| Classrooms having various Types of      |             |             |
| Instructional Materials, by Type of     |             |             |
| Classroom]{.smallcaps}**                |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **[Instructional                        | **[Type of  |             |
| Material]{.smallcaps}**                 | Cl          |             |
|                                         | assroom]{.s |             |
|                                         | mallcaps}** |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
|                                         | **[         | **[ESL]{.s  |
|                                         | ABE/GED]{.s | mallcaps}** |
|                                         | mallcaps}** |             |
|                                         |             | **[(n=16    |
|                                         | **[(n=10    | c           |
|                                         | c           | lasses)]{.s |
|                                         | lasses)]{.s | mallcaps}** |
|                                         | mallcaps}** |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Textbooks                               | 100%        | 81%         |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Books other than textbooks (e.g.,       | 100%        | 75%         |
| fiction)                                |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Workbooks or worksheets                 | 100%        | 88%         |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Computers                               | 100%        | 63%         |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Reference books (e.g., dictionaries,    | 90%         | 81%         |
| encyclopedias)                          |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Educ. materials on the wall (e.g.,      | 70%         | 56%         |
| posters, class schedule)                |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Resource materials posted (e.g., social | 60%         | 44%         |
| service information, community          |             |             |
| agencies)                               |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Other reading materials (e.g.,          | 80%         | 56%         |
| magazines, newspapers)                  |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Notes:                                  |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Exhibit reads: In the EDS, 100 percent  |             |             |
| of ABE/GED classrooms have textbooks    |             |             |
| available to students.                  |             |             |
+-----------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+

+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| **[Exhibit               |                     |                     |
| 3.4]{.smallcaps}**       |                     |                     |
|                          |                     |                     |
| **[Average Ratings of    |                     |                     |
| Classroom Instruction in |                     |                     |
| EDS Adult Education      |                     |                     |
| Cl                       |                     |                     |
| assrooms,]{.smallcaps}** |                     |                     |
|                          |                     |                     |
| **[by Type of            |                     |                     |
| Classroom]{.smallcaps}** |                     |                     |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| **[Dimension             | **[Type of          |                     |
| of]{.smallcaps}**        | Class               |                     |
|                          | room]{.smallcaps}** |                     |
| **[Classroom             |                     |                     |
| In                       |                     |                     |
| struction]{.smallcaps}** |                     |                     |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
|                          | **[ABE              | **                  |
|                          | /GED]{.smallcaps}** | [ESL]{.smallcaps}** |
|                          |                     |                     |
|                          | **[(n=10            | **[(n=16            |
|                          | clas                | clas                |
|                          | ses)]{.smallcaps}** | ses)]{.smallcaps}** |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Pace of instruction      | 1.5                 | 2.3                 |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Energy of instructor     | 1.9                 | 2.4                 |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Engagement among         | 2.3                 | 2.5                 |
| learners                 |                     |                     |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Feedback to learners     | 2.2                 | 2.2                 |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Notes: For each          |                     |                     |
| dimension, a score of 3  |                     |                     |
| = high, 2 = moderate, 1  |                     |                     |
| = low.                   |                     |                     |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Exhibit reads: EDS       |                     |                     |
| projects that provided   |                     |                     |
| ABE/GED instruction were |                     |                     |
| rated 1.5 on "pace of    |                     |                     |
| instruction."            |                     |                     |
+--------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+

+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| **[     |         |             |           |                       |
| Exhibit |         |             |           |                       |
| 3.5]    |         |             |           |                       |
| {.small |         |             |           |                       |
| caps}** |         |             |           |                       |
|         |         |             |           |                       |
| **[E    |         |             |           |                       |
| xamples |         |             |           |                       |
| of      |         |             |           |                       |
| Cente   |         |             |           |                       |
| r-Based |         |             |           |                       |
| Paren   |         |             |           |                       |
| t-Child |         |             |           |                       |
| Time    |         |             |           |                       |
| and     |         |             |           |                       |
| Pa      |         |             |           |                       |
| renting |         |             |           |                       |
| Ed      |         |             |           |                       |
| ucation |         |             |           |                       |
| in 18   |         |             |           |                       |
| EDS     |         |             |           |                       |
| Pr      |         |             |           |                       |
| ojects] |         |             |           |                       |
| {.small |         |             |           |                       |
| caps}** |         |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| **[P    | *       |             | **[       |                       |
| roject] | *[Paren |             | Parenting |                       |
| {.small | t-Child |             | Educat    |                       |
| caps}** | Time]   |             | ion]{.sma |                       |
|         | {.small |             | llcaps}** |                       |
|         | caps}** |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
|         | **[Fre  | **[Examples | **[Freque | **[Examples           |
|         | quency] | of]{.s      | ncy]{.sma | of]{.smallcaps}**     |
|         | {.small | mallcaps}** | llcaps}** |                       |
|         | caps}** |             |           | **[Content/Curr       |
|         |         | **[Act      |           | iculum]{.smallcaps}** |
|         |         | ivities]{.s |           |                       |
|         |         | mallcaps}** |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| D       | 45      | Art         | 45        | 1 day: Health, life   |
| ecatur, | m       | activity    | min/day,  | skills by Nurses      |
| AL      | inutes, | planned by  |           | Assoc. or Extension   |
|         |         | ECE teacher | 2 days/wk | Service; 1day: child  |
|         | 2       | or visit to |           | developmt/parenting   |
|         | days/wk | indoor gym  |           | by ECE coordinator    |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| P       | Attend  | Teachers'   | 2         | 4 curricula: *STEP;   |
| hoenix, | ECE     | assistant   | h         | Teaching Parenting;   |
| AZ      | class   | in ECE      | ours/day, | Quicknotes;           |
|         | 2/month | class       |           | Successful Parenting* |
|         |         |             | 1 day/wk  |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Mon     | Attend  | Classroom   | 1.5-2     | High/Scope's          |
| tclair, | ECE     | volunteer   | h         | *Parenting            |
| CA      | class   |             | ours/day; | Presentations*        |
|         | 2/month |             |           |                       |
|         |         |             | 2         |                       |
|         |         |             | times/mo  |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Carr    | No      |             | 2 hrs, 1  | Discussion of life    |
| ollton, | cente   |             | day/wk at | skills, home-school   |
| GA      | r-based |             | lunch; 1  | relationships, child  |
|         | paren   |             | hr, 1     | development           |
|         | t-child |             | day/wk    |                       |
|         | time;   |             | afternoon |                       |
|         | only    |             |           |                       |
|         | during  |             |           |                       |
|         | home    |             |           |                       |
|         | visits  |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| G       | 30      | Planned     | 1.5h      | Parenting info,       |
| odfrey, | m       | activities  | ours/day, | preparing for         |
| IL      | inutes, | (e.g.,      |           | parent-teacher        |
|         |         | games,      | 1 day/wk  | conferences, child    |
|         | 4       | reading,    |           | behavior management   |
|         | days/wk | crafts)     |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| W       | 1 hour, | Activities  | 2         | *Successful           |
| ichita, |         | by ECE      | hrs/day,  | Parenting* led by     |
| KS      | 2       | teacher     |           | social worker, and    |
|         | days/wk | (music,     | 2 days/wk | "Make-and-Take"       |
|         |         |             |           | sessions              |
|         |         | (man        |           |                       |
|         |         | ipulatives) |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Kansas  | 1 hour, | Practice    | 1         | *Active Parent,       |
| City,   |         | parenting   | hour/day, | Successful            |
| KS      | 4       | strategies  |           | Parenting,*           |
|         | days/wk |             | 1 day/wk  | Scholastic mini-books |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Shelb   | 30 min, | Joint       | 1         | Integrated with adult |
| yville, |         | activities, | hour/day, | educ. discussions     |
| KY      | 2       | library     |           | about parenting,      |
|         | days/wk | story hour  | 2 days/wk | health, discipline    |
|         |         | once/month  |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Bloom   | 30 min, | Read,       | 3 hrs, 1  | *Second Step*         |
| ington, |         | sensory     | day/wk;   | violence prevention   |
| MN      | 4       | activity,   | (parents  | program, plus         |
|         | days/wk | make toy or | of        | discussions on child  |
|         |         | food, games | infants:  | development           |
|         |         | in gym      | 3.5 hrs)  |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| M       | 45 min, | Parent      | 45        | Led by director       |
| ountain |         | follow      | min/day,  | (social worker);      |
| Grove,  | 4       | child's     |           | parent journals,      |
| MO      | days/wk | lead on     | 4 days/wk | discuss child         |
|         |         | activities  |           | development, make     |
|         |         |             |           | books, read *News for |
|         |         |             |           | You*                  |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Sy      | No      |             |           |                       |
| racuse, | cente   |             |           |                       |
| NY      | r-based |             |           |                       |
|         | par     |             |           |                       |
|         | enting; |             |           |                       |
|         | all     |             |           |                       |
|         | paren   |             |           |                       |
|         | t-child |             |           |                       |
|         | and     |             |           |                       |
|         | pa      |             |           |                       |
|         | renting |             |           |                       |
|         | co      |             |           |                       |
|         | nducted |             |           |                       |
|         | during  |             |           |                       |
|         | home    |             |           |                       |
|         | visits  |             |           |                       |
|         | in      |             |           |                       |
|         | cluding |             |           |                       |
|         | m       |             |           |                       |
|         | odeling |             |           |                       |
|         | reading |             |           |                       |
|         | to      |             |           |                       |
|         | c       |             |           |                       |
|         | hildren |             |           |                       |
|         | (see    |             |           |                       |
|         | Exhibit |             |           |                       |
|         | 3.10)   |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| O       | 1       | Parent      | 1         | Discussions on        |
| klahoma | ho      | follow      | hour/day, | parenting, language   |
| City,   | ur/day, | child's     |           | development, and life |
| OK      |         | lead        | 1 day/wk  | skills                |
|         | 1       |             |           |                       |
|         | day/wk  |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| R       | 30      | Art,        | 30        | Discussions about     |
| eading, | min., 4 | cooking,    | min/day,  | child development,    |
| PA      | d       | games;      |           | parent-child          |
|         | ays/wk; | model       | 4 days/wk | activities            |
|         | 1.5     | reading to  | or 1.5    |                       |
|         | hrs, 1  | children    | hrs, 1    |                       |
|         | evening |             | e         |                       |
|         |         |             | vening/wk |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| H       | Weekly  | Mother/baby | Weekly    | Prenatal classes for  |
| ouston, |         | class       |           | pregnant mothers.     |
| TX      |         | modeling    |           | Discussions from      |
|         |         | child       |           | *Dando Fuetara a la   |
|         |         | activities  |           | Familia,* child dev,  |
|         |         |             |           | behavior mgmt         |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Austin, | 45 min, | Children    | 1         | Parent discussions,   |
| TX      |         | choose      | hour/day, | speakers              |
|         | 2       | activiti    |           |                       |
| (       | days/wk | es+reading; | 3 days/wk |                       |
| ASPIRE) |         |             |           |                       |
|         |         | Elem.       |           |                       |
|         |         | volunteer   |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Austin, | Start   | Craft or    | 1         | 1 day: AVANCE         |
| TX      | of ECE, | activity    | hour/day, | parenting curriculum, |
|         | 2       | with        |           | 1 day: Toy-making     |
| (       | days/wk | language    | 2 days/wk | class                 |
| AVANCE) |         | component   |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| San     | End of  | Songs,      | 1 hour, 1 | Video series          |
| Angelo, | ECE,    | dancing,    | day/wk    | *Successful           |
| TX      |         | reading     |           | Parenting*,           |
|         | 5       |             |           | *Practical Parent     |
|         | days/wk |             |           | Education*            |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| N       | 45      | Breakfast,  | 1.5 hrs,  | Discussions led by    |
| orfolk, | m       | joint       | once/wk;  | family lit educ on    |
| VA      | inutes, | activities  |           | child development,    |
|         |         |             | 1 hour,   | health, job search.   |
|         | 5       |             | twice/wk  | Journals              |
|         | days/wk |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Notes:  |         |             |           |                       |
| In      |         |             |           |                       |
| a       |         |             |           |                       |
| ddition |         |             |           |                       |
| to the  |         |             |           |                       |
| paren   |         |             |           |                       |
| t-child |         |             |           |                       |
| times   |         |             |           |                       |
| listed, |         |             |           |                       |
| many    |         |             |           |                       |
| p       |         |             |           |                       |
| rojects |         |             |           |                       |
| serve a |         |             |           |                       |
| meal    |         |             |           |                       |
| that    |         |             |           |                       |
| parents |         |             |           |                       |
| and     |         |             |           |                       |
| c       |         |             |           |                       |
| hildren |         |             |           |                       |
| share.  |         |             |           |                       |
| Times   |         |             |           |                       |
| listed  |         |             |           |                       |
| re      |         |             |           |                       |
| present |         |             |           |                       |
| what    |         |             |           |                       |
| parents |         |             |           |                       |
| r       |         |             |           |                       |
| eceive; |         |             |           |                       |
| p       |         |             |           |                       |
| rojects |         |             |           |                       |
| may     |         |             |           |                       |
| offer   |         |             |           |                       |
| m       |         |             |           |                       |
| ultiple |         |             |           |                       |
| time    |         |             |           |                       |
| slots   |         |             |           |                       |
| and     |         |             |           |                       |
| parents |         |             |           |                       |
| choose  |         |             |           |                       |
| subset. |         |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+
| Exhibit |         |             |           |                       |
| reads:  |         |             |           |                       |
| D       |         |             |           |                       |
| ecatur, |         |             |           |                       |
| AL      |         |             |           |                       |
| offers  |         |             |           |                       |
| paren   |         |             |           |                       |
| t-child |         |             |           |                       |
| act     |         |             |           |                       |
| ivities |         |             |           |                       |
| 45      |         |             |           |                       |
| minutes |         |             |           |                       |
| a day,  |         |             |           |                       |
| two     |         |             |           |                       |
| days a  |         |             |           |                       |
| week.   |         |             |           |                       |
+---------+---------+-------------+-----------+-----------------------+

+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| **[     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Exhibit |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| 3.6]    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| {.small |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| caps}** |             |     |     |         |        |             |
|         |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| **[Desc |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ription |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| of      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Early   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Ch      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ildhood |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| S       |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ervices |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| in 18   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| EDS     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Pr      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ojects] |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| {.small |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| caps}** |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| **[P    | *           | **  |     | **[Lo   |        | **          |
| roject] | *[Frequency | [St |     | cation] |        | [Curriculum |
| {.small | of          | aff |     | {.small |        | Ma          |
| caps}** | classes]{.s | ]{. |     | caps}** |        | terials]{.s |
|         | mallcaps}** | sma |     |         |        | mallcaps}** |
|         |             | llc |     |         |        |             |
|         |             | aps |     |         |        |             |
|         |             | }** |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
|         |             | *   | *   | *       | **[l   |             |
|         |             | *[E | *[C | *[Site] | ocated |             |
|         |             | ven | oll | {.small | with   |             |
|         |             | St  | ab. | caps}** | adult  |             |
|         |             | art | age |         | clas   |             |
|         |             | ]{. | ncy |         | ses]{. |             |
|         |             | sma | ]{. |         | smallc |             |
|         |             | llc | sma |         | aps}** |             |
|         |             | aps | llc |         |        |             |
|         |             | }** | aps |         |        |             |
|         |             |     | }** |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| D       | 3.5         |    |     | Church  |       | Theme-based |
| ecatur, | hrs/day, 4  |     |     | annex   |        | art, books, |
| AL      | days/wk     |     |     |         |        | music       |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| P       | 4 hrs/day,  |    |     | D       |       | *           |
| hoenix, | 4 days/wk   |     |     | istrict |        | High/Scope* |
| AZ      |             |     |     | pr      |        | and         |
|         |             |     |     | eschool |        | *Creative   |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | Curriculum* |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Mon     | 3.5         |     |    | 3       |       | *           |
| tclair, | hrs/day, 5  |     |     | ele     |        | High/Scope* |
| CA      | days/wk     |     |     | mentary |        | plus        |
|         |             |     |     | schools |        | district    |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | curriculum  |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Carr    | Full-day    |    |     | High    |       | #####       |
| ollton, | available:  |     |     | school  |        | ## Creative |
| GA      |             |     |     | campus  |        |  Curriculum |
|         | 6:30        |     |     |         |        |             |
|         | am-6:30 pm  |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| G       | 1 class:    |     |    | Com     |       | Locally     |
| odfrey, | 6am-- 6pm,  |     |     | mercial |        | developed   |
| IL      | 5 days/wk;  |     |     | space   |        |             |
|         | others: 3.5 |     |     | in      |        |             |
|         | hrs/day, 5  |     |     | strip   |        |             |
|         | days/wk     |     |     | mall    |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| W       | 7 hrs/day,  |    |     | D       |        | Kansas      |
| ichita, | 4 days/wk   |     |     | istrict |        | Competency  |
| KS      |             |     |     | ECE     |        | System      |
|         |             |     |     | center  |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Kansas  | 3 hrs/day,  |    |     | D       |       | *H          |
| City,   | 4 days/wk   |     |     | istrict |        | igh/Scope*, |
| KS      |             |     |     | ele     |        | *Creative   |
|         |             |     |     | mentary |        | C           |
|         |             |     |     | school  |        | urriculum,* |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | and         |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | *Animated   |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | Literacy*   |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Shelb   | Varies:     |     |    | Varies: |       | #######     |
| yville, | 2.5-3       |     |     | Church, |        |  High/Scope |
| KY      | hrs/day,    |     |     | etc.    |        |             |
|         |             |     |     |         |        |             |
|         | 2 days/wk   |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Bloom   | 4 hrs/day,  |    |     | Family  |       | *H          |
| ington, | 4 days/wk   |     |     | Center  |        | igh/Scope,* |
| MN      |             |     |     |         |        | Reggio      |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | Emilia      |
|         |             |     |     |         |        | approach    |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| M       | 7 hrs/day,  |    |     | Family  |       | Project     |
| ountain | 4 days/wk   |     |     | Educ.   |        | Construct   |
| Grove,  |             |     |     | Ctr     |        | (MO DOE)    |
| MO      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Sy      | 1 hr/wk     |    |    | Home,   |        | *Brigance,* |
| racuse, | home visit, |     |     | Head    |        | BOCES       |
| NY      | Head Start  | H   | H   | Start   |        |             |
|         | for 3+ yrs. | ome | ead |         |        |             |
|         |             |     | St  |         |        |             |
|         |             |     | art |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| O       | 3 sites: 3  |    |     | 4       |       | Guided by   |
| klahoma | hrs/day, 4  |     |     | sites:  |        | NAEYC key   |
| City,   | days/wk; 1  |     |     | 2       |        | experiences |
| OK      | site:       |     |     | ch      |        |             |
|         |             |     |     | urches, |        |             |
|         | 6 hrs/day,  |     |     | 2       |        |             |
|         | 5 days/wk   |     |     | schools |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| R       | 1 site: 3.5 |    |     | Co      |       | *H          |
| eading, | hrs/day, 5  |     |     | mmunity |        | igh/Scope*, |
| PA      | days/wk; 1  |     |     | college |        | *Assured    |
|         | site:       |     |     | &       |        | Readiness   |
|         |             |     |     | church  |        | for         |
|         | 3 hrs/day,  |     |     |         |        | Learning*   |
|         | 4 days/wk   |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| H       | 3 hrs/day,  |    |    | Ele     |       | Montessori  |
| ouston, | 4 days/wk   |     |     | mentary |        | (for older  |
| TX      |             | a   | aft | school  |        | children)   |
|         | (3+yrs: 6   | .m. | ern |         |        |             |
|         | hrs/day     |     | oon |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Austin, | 5.5         |    |     | Po      |       | Activities  |
| TX      | hrs/day, 4  |     |     | rtables |        | assigned    |
|         | days/wk     |     |     | on elem |        | around      |
| (       |             |     |     | campus  |        | themes      |
| ASPIRE) |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Austin, | 4 hrs/day,  |    |     | 2       |       | Activities  |
| TX      | 2 days/wk   |     |     | ele     |        | to support  |
|         |             |     |     | mentary |        | AVANCE      |
| (       |             |     |     | schools |        | parent ed.  |
| AVANCE) |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| San     | 3.5         |    |     | 3       |       | Themes;     |
| Angelo, | hrs/day, 5  |     |     | ele     |        | *Learning   |
| TX      | days/wk     |     |     | mentary |        | by Leaps    |
|         |             |     |     | schools |        | and Bounds* |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| N       | 5.5         |     |    | D       |       | High/Scope  |
| orfolk, | hrs/day, 5  |     |     | istrict |        |             |
| VA      | days/wk     |     |     | ECE ctr |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Notes:  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Hours   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| of      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| classes |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| may     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| include |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| paren   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| t-child |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| time    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| and     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| meals.  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Even    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Start   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| staff   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| may be  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| paid    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| through |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| a       |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| comb    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ination |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| of Even |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| Start   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| and     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| other   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| funds.  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+
| Exhibit |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| reads:  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| D       |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ecatur, |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| AL      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| p       |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| rovides |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| early   |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ch      |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| ildhood |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| classes |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| 3.5     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| hou     |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| rs/day, |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| four    |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| days a  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| week in |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| a       |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| church  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
| annex.  |             |     |     |         |        |             |
+---------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+--------+-------------+

+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **[Exhibit 3.7]{.smallcaps}**    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| [**ECERS-R Total and Subscale    |                                   |
| Scores** **for**]{.smallcaps}    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| **[EDS Early Childhood           |                                   |
| Classrooms]{.smallcaps}**        |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **[ECERS-R Scale]{.smallcaps}**  | **[Average Score]{.smallcaps}**   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **Total**                        | **4.88**                          |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Space and furnishings            | 5.16                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Personal care routines           | 5.17                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Language-reasoning               | 4.75                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Activities                       | 4.35                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Interaction                      | 5.73                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Program structure                | 4.67                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Parents and staff                | 4.62                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Notes: ECERS is the Early        |                                   |
| Childhood Environment Rating     |                                   |
| Scale, which measures the        |                                   |
| overall quality of an early      |                                   |
| childhood classroom. Each scale  |                                   |
| runs from 1 (inadequate), to 3   |                                   |
| (minimal), to 5 (good), to 7     |                                   |
| (excellent). Based on            |                                   |
| observations conducted in spring |                                   |
| 2000 and 2001 in one Even Start  |                                   |
| classroom in each of 18 EDS      |                                   |
| projects.                        |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Exhibit reads: The average       |                                   |
| ECERS-R score for Even Start     |                                   |
| early childhood classrooms in    |                                   |
| the EDS is 4.88.                 |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **[Exhibit           |                       |                       |
| 3.8]{.smallcaps}**   |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| **[Cross-Study       |                       |                       |
| Comparison of ECERS  |                       |                       |
| Total                |                       |                       |
| S                    |                       |                       |
| cores]{.smallcaps}** |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **[Program/          | **[ECERS Total        | **[N of Classrooms    |
| Study]{.smallcaps}** | Score]{.smallcaps}**  | Ob                    |
|                      |                       | served]{.smallcaps}** |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Even Start (EDS)     | 4.88                  | 17                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Head Start (FACES)   | 4.9                   | 403                   |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Head Start (OSECP)   | 4.9                   | 39                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Child Care (OSECP)   | 4.2                   | 42                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| School-Based (OSECP) | 4.5                   | 38                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| California (CQCO)    | 4.49                  | 99                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Colorado (CQCO)      | 4.18                  | 100                   |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Connecticut (CQCO)   | 4.41                  | 99                    |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| North Carolina       | 3.82                  | 100                   |
| (CQCO)               |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Notes: Based on      |                       |                       |
| observations         |                       |                       |
| conducted in spring  |                       |                       |
| 2000 and spring 2001 |                       |                       |
| in 18 EDS projects.  |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| FACES: Head Start    |                       |                       |
| Family and Child     |                       |                       |
| Experiences Study    |                       |                       |
| (U.S. Dept. of       |                       |                       |
| Health and Human     |                       |                       |
| Services, 2000;      |                       |                       |
| p.16)                |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| OSECP: Observational |                       |                       |
| Study of Early       |                       |                       |
| Childhood Programs   |                       |                       |
| (Layzer, Goodson &   |                       |                       |
| Moss, 1993; p.94)    |                       |                       |
|                      |                       |                       |
| CQCO: Cost, Quality  |                       |                       |
| and Child Outcomes   |                       |                       |
| Study (Helburn, et   |                       |                       |
| al, 1995; p.30).     |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Exhibit reads: The   |                       |                       |
| average ECERS score  |                       |                       |
| for Even Start early |                       |                       |
| childhood education  |                       |                       |
| classrooms in the    |                       |                       |
| EDS is 4.88.         |                       |                       |
+----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **[Exhibit 3.9]{.smallcaps}**            |             |             |
|                                          |             |             |
| **[Percent of Even Start EDS Classrooms  |             |             |
| With]{.smallcaps}**                      |             |             |
|                                          |             |             |
| **[Various Literacy-Related              |             |             |
| Characteristics]{.smallcaps}**           |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **[Classroom]{.smallcaps}**              | **[Percent  |             |
|                                          | of          |             |
| **[Literacy                              | Cla         |             |
| Characteristic]{.smallcaps}**            | ssrooms]{.s |             |
|                                          | mallcaps}** |             |
|                                          |             |             |
|                                          | **[(n=15    |             |
|                                          | clas        |             |
|                                          | srooms)]{.s |             |
|                                          | mallcaps}** |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Books in the Classroom**               |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Books displayed & available for children | 100%        |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Small area just for book reading         | 100%        |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Books in range of difficulty levels      | 100%        |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Book area orderly and inviting           | 100%        |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Any books that convey factual            | 73%         |             |
| information                              |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Listening area for recorded              | 73%         |             |
| books/stories                            |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Book area has soft materials             | 67%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| More than 25 books available             | 53%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Books in any other area of the room      | 47%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Any books in science-related area        | 14%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Any books in dramatic play area          | 7%          |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Any books in blocks area                 | 20%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Any books in other area                  | 27%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| 3+ books related to current theme (if    | 50%         |             |
| evidence of theme)                       |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Writing in the Classroom**             |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Writing tools available in writing area  | 93%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Paper available in writing area          | 93%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Puzzles with letters/words               | 80%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Distinct area for writing                | 87%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Alphabet visible to children             | 67%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Word cards with familiar names/words     | 80%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Charts, big books, other evidence of     | 73%         |             |
| group literacy                           |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Templates/tools to form letters          | 47%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Child dictations that teachers wrote     | 40%         |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Examples of children's writing on        | 26%         |             |
| display                                  |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Writing tools in play/blocks area        | 7%          |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Props to prompt children to write in     | 13%         |             |
| play/blocks area                         |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| **Subscale Scores**                      | **Even      | **Head      |
|                                          | Start**     | Start**     |
|                                          |             |             |
|                                          | **Average   | **Average   |
|                                          | (s.d.)**    | (s.d.)**    |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Books (Maximum Score = 20)               | 9.7 (2.2)   | 11.1 (3.9)  |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Writing (Maximum Score = 21)             | 8.8 (3.5)   | 10.4 (4.2)  |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Literacy Checklist Total (Maximum Score  | 18.5 (5.0)  | 21.6 (7.4)  |
| = 41)                                    |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Notes: Data come from the Literacy       |             |             |
| Checklist (Dickinson, 2001), a measure   |             |             |
| of the materials and space in a          |             |             |
| classroom that are devoted to books and  |             |             |
| writing. Based on observations conducted |             |             |
| in 2000 and 2001 in 15 EDS classrooms.   |             |             |
| Comparative subscale scores from Head    |             |             |
| Start come from Dickinson (2002) who     |             |             |
| compiled data on 255 Head Start          |             |             |
| projects.                                |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+
| Exhibit reads: A small area for book     |             |             |
| reading was available in 100 percent of  |             |             |
| the EDS early childhood classrooms.      |             |             |
+------------------------------------------+-------------+-------------+

+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| **[Exhibit     |                    |                                |
| 3.10]          |                    |                                |
| {.smallcaps}** |                    |                                |
|                |                    |                                |
| **[Description |                    |                                |
| of Home Visits |                    |                                |
| in 18 EDS      |                    |                                |
| Projects]      |                    |                                |
| {.smallcaps}** |                    |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| **[Project]    | **[Freque          | **[Content]{.smallcaps}**      |
| {.smallcaps}** | ncy]{.smallcaps}** |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Decatur, AL    | Once a month       | PAT curriculum and             |
|                |                    | parent-child activities        |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Phoenix, AZ    | Once a month, 30   | Parent-child activities like   |
|                | to 60 minutes each | making puppets and children's  |
|                |                    | books, or arts & crafts        |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Montclair, CA  | Twice a month      | Coordinates parent-child       |
|                |                    | activities at home with early  |
|                |                    | childhood classroom activities |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Carrollton, GA | At least one a     | PAT curriculum                 |
|                | month, up to six   |                                |
|                | visits per month   |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Godfrey, IL    | Twice a month, 90  | Parent-child interactions and  |
|                | minutes each       | child development, PAT         |
|                |                    | curriculum                     |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Wichita, KS    | Five to six per    | PAT activities and handouts;   |
|                | year, one-hour     | each family gets a book at     |
|                | visits per year    | each visit                     |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Kansas City,   | Three times during | Books and a related activity   |
| KS             | summer             |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Shelbyville,   | One region has     | Child development, progress on |
| KY             | home visit if      | parental goals, parent-child   |
|                | center-based       | activities                     |
|                | participation is a |                                |
|                | problem; other     |                                |
|                | region has monthly |                                |
|                | visits             |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Bloomington,   | Once a month       | Literacy based with focus on   |
| MN             |                    | developing positive            |
|                |                    | parent-child interactions      |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Mountain       | Once a month       | PAT curriculum                 |
| Grove, MO      |                    |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Syracuse, NY   | Once a week, 90    | Parent-child activities with   |
|                | minutes for ECE    | family educator giving         |
|                | and parenting      | feedback to parent, modeling   |
|                |                    | behavior; also includes life   |
|                |                    | skills information for parent  |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Oklahoma City, | Weekly, one-hour   | Parent-child activities, with  |
| OK             | visits             | home visitor modeling          |
|                |                    | behavior, coaching parent      |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Reading, PA    | Once a month, hour | Focus on activities for        |
|                | each               | children, incorporating        |
|                |                    | activities from the early      |
|                |                    | childhood classrooms           |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Houston, TX    | Twice a month      | Link what children do at       |
|                |                    | school with what parents do at |
|                |                    | home                           |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Austin, TX     | Weekly for family  | Home visits use HIPPY for      |
|                | with preschooler;  | preschoolers; PAT curriculum   |
|                | monthly for family | for parents of younger         |
|                | with younger child | children                       |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| AVANCE/Austin, | Monthly during     | AVANCE curriculum and Reading  |
| TX             | school year,       | is Fundamental materials       |
|                | one-hour           |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| San Angelo, TX | Average of 10 home | Reading and adult-child        |
|                | visits per family  | learning activities to         |
|                | per year           | reinforce parenting skills,    |
|                |                    | using kits from Lakeshore Ed.  |
|                |                    | Publishing; PAT (birth-3) and  |
|                |                    | Learning by *Leaps and Bounds* |
|                |                    | (4-7 year olds)                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Norfolk, VA    | Once a month, 60   | PAT curriculum                 |
|                | to 90 minutes long |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Notes: PAT is  |                    |                                |
| the Parent as  |                    |                                |
| Teacher        |                    |                                |
| program.       |                    |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+
| Exhibit reads: |                    |                                |
| The Decatur,   |                    |                                |
| AL project     |                    |                                |
| provides home  |                    |                                |
| visits once a  |                    |                                |
| month.         |                    |                                |
+----------------+--------------------+--------------------------------+

+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| **[Exhibit         |                        |                        |
| 3                  |                        |                        |
| .11]{.smallcaps}** |                        |                        |
|                    |                        |                        |
| **[Percent of Even |                        |                        |
| Start              |                        |                        |
| Expenditures, by   |                        |                        |
| Function, and by   |                        |                        |
| Y                  |                        |                        |
| ear]{.smallcaps}** |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| **[Funct           | **[Year]{.smallcaps}** |                        |
| ion]{.smallcaps}** |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
|                    | **[19                  | **[1999-2000 and       |
|                    | 91-1992]{.smallcaps}** | 20                     |
|                    |                        | 00-2001]{.smallcaps}** |
|                    | **[(n=10               |                        |
|                    | pr                     | **[(n=18 EDS           |
|                    | ojects)]{.smallcaps}** | pr                     |
|                    |                        | ojects)]{.smallcaps}** |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Early childhood    | 31%                    | 34%                    |
| education          |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Adult education    | 15%                    | 12%                    |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Parenting          | 9%                     | 9%                     |
| education          |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Support services   | 9%                     | 9%                     |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Administration     | 14%                    | 20%                    |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Evaluation         | 10%                    | 6%                     |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Case mgmt &        | 4%                     | 4%                     |
| recruiting         |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Other              | 8%                     | 6%                     |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Notes: Data for    |                        |                        |
| 1991-1992 were     |                        |                        |
| collected from 10  |                        |                        |
| projects           |                        |                        |
| participating in   |                        |                        |
| the In-Depth Study |                        |                        |
| of the first       |                        |                        |
| national           |                        |                        |
| evaluation. Data   |                        |                        |
| for 1999-2000 and  |                        |                        |
| 2000-2001were      |                        |                        |
| collected from 18  |                        |                        |
| projects           |                        |                        |
| participating in   |                        |                        |
| the Experimental   |                        |                        |
| Design Study of    |                        |                        |
| the third national |                        |                        |
| evaluation. For 11 |                        |                        |
| of these projects, |                        |                        |
| data were          |                        |                        |
| collected in       |                        |                        |
| spring 2000. For   |                        |                        |
| the remaining      |                        |                        |
| seven projects,    |                        |                        |
| data were          |                        |                        |
| collected in       |                        |                        |
| spring 2001.       |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+
| Exhibit reads: In  |                        |                        |
| 1999-2000 and      |                        |                        |
| 2000-2001, 34      |                        |                        |
| percent of Even    |                        |                        |
| Start funds were   |                        |                        |
| spent on providing |                        |                        |
| early childhood    |                        |                        |
| education.         |                        |                        |
+--------------------+------------------------+------------------------+

[^1]: The federal requirements on the length of time an Even Start
    project can be funded has changed over time. The original
    legislation stipulated that projects could only be funded for two
    four-year grant cycles. However, projects could reapply as "new
    projects" for additional grant cycles if they changed substantially.
    The most recent reauthorization does not set a time limit on funding
    to individual grantees.

[^2]: These dimensions were developed as part of the Department of
    Education's ongoing study of adult education programs for first
    level learners. Findings from that study, including comparative data
    on how adult education classrooms are rated on these dimensions,
    will be available in the near future.

[^3]: The new law requires that all projects provide both enrichment and
    instructional activities during the summer months.

[^4]: Beginning in FY2001, projects will be required to collect data
    related to their States' Even Start performance indicators.