Bill Clinton: “I wish to speak on a program that is not just important to me and to many of my constituents in New York but to…”

“I wish to speak on a program that is not just important to me and to many of my constituents in New York but to thousands of children and parents across the country. The William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program is a highly valuable program that gives economically and educationally disadvantaged parents the tools necessary to support early literacy and language development for their young children. Even Start not only coordinates with early childhood education programs and home visitation programs like HIPPYUSA to provide literacy and language development services, but also incorporates parental involvement. The program assists parents to fulfill their role as their child's first teacher by providing them with adult and parenting education, English as a second language instruction, and structured parent-child joint literacy activities that we all know are necessary for children to arrive at school ready to learn. The Even Start Program is the only early literacy program that works with parents to serve children during the infant and toddler years, a developmental period that research shows is critical for building later reading proficiency. Moreover, Even Start has been shown to be highly effective in helping low-income parents support their children's education and breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty. During recent years, Even Start has been plagued by a pervasive misconception that the program is ineffective.…”