EvenStart children come from families that are challenged by poverty, abuse or neglect.

EvenStart is an early intervention program for children three to five years of age. The goal of EvenStart is to give children born into hardship the same opportunities as those available to their peers. In this way all children, regardless of circumstances, will be given the best possible start in life.

The EvenStart program is provided by Heartland Agency and Educational Services, in partnership with the EvenStart Children's Society.

In our program we teach children some of the skills they need to get by in the world. In the process of fostering emotional health we provide practical help with language, social appropriateness, and large and fine motor skills. Individual speech therapy is provided. We also feed our children breakfast and lunch.

The most important part of our work, however, is building a relationship with the child. It is through this relationship that the child begins to feel safe enough to risk a new way "to be."

With safety comes the opportunity to risk a change in behaviour and the security to learn new skills, including showing care for others.

Parents
Parents are encouraged to participate in the program.

Parents are employed as teacher aides, and receive a wage for their work. They benefit from the modeling that goes on in the day program and gain work experience.

We also send visitor volunteers to the children's homes to assist the parents.

Results
Children who come to the EvenStart program at age three are, on average, 50 to 70 per cent behind their peers in over half of their growth areas. If those children stay with us until they are five years old, we can close the gap so that, on average, they are only 10 per cent behind their peers.

If no intervention occurs, these children often experience school failure by Grade Three.

Research
The EvenStart for Children Society, in partnership with the United Way and Heartland, is participating in a centre- and home-based program that studies the effects of early life experience on the developing child and how these experiences affect brain development.

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Rev. April 15, 2003
Content copyright 2001-2003, Heartland Agency and Educational Services