Washington, DC – At an event today at the U.S. Capitol, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Congressmen Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) joined Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and parents and educators from California and the District of Columbia in support of Even Start, the family literacy program designed to help the lowest-income parents of young children in the U.S. gain literacy, parenting, and job skills. The program will be eliminated if Congress does not approve funding this year.

“Even Start has helped thousands of parents improve their job and English skills and get jobs that better support their families,” said Murguía. “The true marker of Even Start’s success should be the voices of the families and educators who have experienced firsthand how Even Start’s family literacy programs have turned their lives around.”

The event also featured an exhibit of postcards addressed to the Senate from Even Start families from across the country. These postcards testify to how Even Start has successfully helped low-income families; view them at www.nclr.org/evenstartpostcards.

The federal budget for the Even Start Family Literacy Program has been cut by 60% over the last three years which has forced many Even Start programs throughout the country to shut their doors, reducing educational opportunities to nearly half the number of families as were served in 2005. Legislation passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year provides a slight boost to Even Start funding, but a bill in the Senate proposes to eliminate it.

Even Start is also the only Department of Education program that provides early literacy instruction to infants and toddlers; research shows that this is a critical time period for building a reading foundation. And, it complements the goals set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act by focusing on giving parents the necessary tools to serve as their children’s first teachers and to get involved in their children’s education. Most Even Start families have annual incomes under $9,000, and nearly half (46%) of Even Start families nationwide are Latino.

Many states have consistently documented the program’s successes. For example, in California, Even Start third-grade students – the vast majority of whom are English language learners (ELLs) – outperformed all students and other ELL students on the California Achievement Test in reading.

“I want to thank Senators Menendez and Salazar and Congressmen Grijalva and Hinojosa for their support of Even Start families and for their leadership in Congress to make sure that the poorest, most disadvantaged families in our nation have the chance at the American Dream,” said Murguía.

For more information about the Even Start Family Literacy Program, please visit www.nclr.org or call Erika Beltran or Laura Anduze at (202) 785-1670.

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