Washington, DC – Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and Representative Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) will join NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía, parents, and educators from California and the District of Columbia at a press briefing Tuesday, September 25, to urge Congress to continue Even Start, the family literacy program parents credit with helping to significantly improve their lives. The event, which will take place beginning at 11 a.m. in Room H-122 of the U.S. Capitol, will also feature an exhibit of postcards from hundreds of Even Start families from across the country.

These postcards testify to how Even Start has helped turn lives around for families who once lacked job skills, had low levels of education, or struggled to learn English. Families will deliver these testimonials to Congress on Tuesday; they can also be viewed at www.nclr.org/evenstartpostcards.

The federal budget for the Even Start Family Literacy Program, which provides states with grants to help the lowest-income parents of young children in the U.S. gain literacy, parenting, and job skills, has been cut by 60% over the last three years. It will be eliminated if Congress does not approve federal funding of $99 million. Legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives provides a slight boost to Even Start funding, but a bill in the U.S. Senate proposes to eliminate it.

Even Start is the only program authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act that focuses on giving parents the necessary tools to serve as their child’s first teacher. Nearly half (46%) of Even Start families nationwide are Latino. Most families have annual incomes under $9,000.

MEDIA ADVISORY

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