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What is the purpose of this program?
This program offers subgrants to support local family literacy projects that integrate early childhood education, adult literacy (adult basic and secondary-level education and instruction for English language learners), parenting education, and interactive parent and child literacy activities, for families with parents who are eligible for services and their children from birth through age 7.
How can these funds be used?
Projects provide early childhood education, adult literacy (adult basic and secondary-level education and instruction for English language learners), parenting education, and interactive parent-child literacy activities for participating families, often through other entities providing these services, such as government agencies, colleges, and universities, public schools, Head Start programs, and other public and private community-based groups. Projects operate year-round and provide staff training and participant support services such as child care and transportation, when unavailable from other sources, to enable participation in core education activities.
What are the eligibility requirements?
This program offers subgrants to support local family literacy projects for families with parents who are eligible for services under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and their children from birth through age 7. Teen parents and their children from birth through age 7 are also eligible. All participating families must be most in need of program family literacy services.
What is the application or allocation process?
Six percent of the annual appropriation is set aside for family literacy grants for migratory worker families, the outlying areas, Indian tribes and tribal organizations. In addition, the Department must award one project in a women's prison. Up to 3 percent is reserved for national evaluation and technical assistance. The remaining federal funds are allocated by formula to states, based on their relative shares of Title I, Part A, funds. State education agencies make competitive subgrants to partnerships of local education agencies and other organizations, giving priority to proposals that primarily target areas with large numbers of most-in-need families or to projects located in empowerment zones or enterprise communities.
The statute also requires that subgrants be equitably distributed among urban and rural areas and that local projects assume an increasing share of program costs each year. The increasing share of the program expenses ranges from 10 percent in the first year through 40 percent in the fourth year. Cost-sharing for years five through eight is 50 percent, and after the eight year of federal Even Start funding, the federal Even Start share may not exceed 35 percent.
Funding Process for Schools:
Competitive grants
Total FY 2004 Funding:
$246,900,000
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
This information also appears at the US Department of Education:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/evenstartformula/index.html
Authorizing Legislation:
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title I, Part B, Subpart 3; 20 U.S.C. 6381-6381k
Name: Tanielle Johnson
Phone: (202) 260-0826
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