National Even Start Association (NESA) - Early Childhood Education - Pedagogy

Early Childhood Education

National Even Start Association (NESA)

 

The National Even Start Association (NESA) was formed in 1997 to provide a forum to meet the unique needs of Even Start Family Literacy providers. NESA is a membership organization that includes program administrators, professional and paraprofessional staff, and other interested parties who support the purposes of Even Start Family Literacy.

The mission of NESA is to provide a national voice and vision for Even Start Family Literacy programs. NESA works to accomplish its mission focused on the following three broad goals:

1 Ensure the continuity and quality of NESA leadership.

2 Generate awareness and support for Even Start Family Literacy Programs.

3 Provide professional services that support high-quality literacy instruction in Even Start Family Literacy programs.

NESA addresses its goals through a variety of activities. NESA provides assistance to its members for the development of State Chapters and on-going support for their operation. NESA has a variety of professional development activities. NESA conducts an Annual Conference that focuses on each component of family literacy—early childhood education, parenting education, and interactive literacy and adult education. NESA Academies annually bring current research in the field of family literacy to a single focus area in a research-to-practice format. NESA provides intensive training through Keys to Quality, a series of three-day workshops focusing on explicit content areas and designed to be presented within the specific context of Even Start Family Literacy. NESA publishes a peer-reviewed journal, the Family Literacy Forum, twice a year. The Forum provides articles that are accessible to practitioners in the field of family literacy and that connect practice with research. The research presented not only addresses issues that are relevant to instruction and program design, but also raises questions for further consideration.

Sue Henry