Even Start Family Literacy Program

en Español

Contact

Even Start Facebook

4520 33rd Ave.
Kenosha, WI 53144

Phone: 262-359-7944
Fax: 262-359-5993

 

History

The Even Start Family Literacy Program has been serving families in Kenosha for the past 20 years. The program emerged through collaboration between the Kenosha Literacy Council, the Kenosha County Job Center, Kenosha Unified School District, Gateway Technical College and the Spanish Center.  For the first eight years, it was subcontracted through non profits.  In June 2008, the district began to manage the program under its Family Education Programs through the Community School Relations Department.  A redesign of the program, along with the hire of a program director, who took a strong leadership role in providing services, established a framework for a comprehensive educational and skill development program for disadvantaged families.

Even Start Family Literacy Program

The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a school-community partnership that helps break the cycle of illiteracy by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program.  Even Start is implemented through cooperative projects that build on high-quality existing community resources, creating a new range of services for children, adults and families.  The program helps children and families achieve the academic standards set forth by the state and uses instructional programs that are based on scientific reading research to:

  • Enrich language development, extend learning and support high levels of educational success for children ages birth through 5 years old and their parents;
  • Provide literacy services of sufficient hours and duration to make sustainable changes in a family;
  • Provide integrated instructional services for families, where children and their parents learn together to develop habits of life long learning
  • Support families committed to education and economic independence.

Our goal

  • Help children reach their full potential as learners
  • Help parents become full partners in their children’s education
  • Provide educational opportunities for parents

What does Even Start provide?

  • Adult education provides parents with basic skills, including English, life skills and the opportunity to earn a high school credential.
  • Early childhood education provides education learning opportunities for children from birth to 5 years of age. Family literacy programs work in the areas of physical development, social-emotional development and cognitive development and emphasize the importance of a child’s success in school.
  • Parent education provides parents with a wide variety of learning topics, including parenting strategies, how to be advocates and role models for their children and strategies to support their children’s learning.
  • Interactive literacy activities provide a tie to increase and facilitate meaningful parent-child interactions focused primarily on language and literacy development in a high-quality environment where they can learn and play together.
  • Home visits provide a means for delivering literacy instruction in a familiar setting and to emphasize that parents are the child’s first and most important teacher.

Who is eligible to participate in Even Start?

  • Families who reside in the Kenosha Unified School District attendance area and have children age birth through 5 years old
  • Families in which at least one parent does not have a high school diploma, requires English classes or wants to improve basic education skills

Even Start Class Schedule

  • Classes are held at Wilson Elementary School, 4520 33rd Ave, Kenosha, WI
  • Instructor: Carmen Delgado
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Beginner Adult Learner		 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Intermediate Adult Learner		 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Beginner Adult Learner		 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Intermediate Adult Learner

Adult ESL Class Schedule

  • Classes are held at Wilson Elementary School, 4520 33rd Ave, Kenosha, WI (room 104)
  • Instructor: Carmen Delgado
  • Childcare available on Fridays only.
Monday Wednesday Friday
1–2:30 p.m. 1–2:30 p.m. 9–11 a.m. 

GED Preparation Classes

GED Preparation Class flyer (PDF)

HAVE YOU EVER WISHED YOU HAD YOUR GED? The ELCA Outreach Center offers weekly GED preparation classes. Each class is approximately twelve to fifteen weeks long and focuses on one of the four GED tests; Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math. Classes are FREE.

GED Class Schedule

  • Classes are held at ELCA Outreach Center, 6218 26th Ave. Kenosha, WI 53143
  • Instructor: Carmen Delgado
Tuesday Thursday
5–7 p.m. 5–7 p.m.

Register