[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 107 (Wednesday, September 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LITERACY INVOLVES FAMILIES TOGETHER ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2000

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Education and Workforce 
Committee, I rise in support of this family literacy measure, and to 
applaud the leadership of Chairman Goodling as he finishes a long and 
distinguished career both on our committee and in this chamber.
  I am particularly pleased to support the LIFT Act because earlier 
this year, an organization in my Congressional District received an 
award from the Secretary of Education proclaiming it as an outstanding 
program in adult literacy services.
  The Chippewa Valley--Literacy Volunteers of America has been 
providing family literacy services in the Eau Claire area for nine 
years. In general, Even Start--Family Literacy programs provide ``four 
legs'' of support in helping families who face unique education 
challenges. Using Even Start--Family Literacy seed money, the Chippewa 
Valley Literacy Volunteers have been able to provide services for (1) 
early childhood, (2) adult education, (3) parenting education, and (4) 
parent and children relationships.
  The community in which this group operates has a large Hmong 
population, who have been especially well-served by this program 
through both English-as-a-second-language classes and parent-child 
development assistance. The Chippewa Valley group has also been 
successful in assisting families move from welfare to work.
  In fact, Wisconsin is home to a variety of such programs that have 
successfully used Even Start money as seed funding while developing 
funding mechanisms from local community sources as well as other 
federal programs.
  Even Start provides the kind of services we should all like to see 
enacted in our communities; services that we as federal policy makers 
should be proud to assist. These are comprehensive, integrated efforts 
to help whole-families, and to assist the most needy in our communities 
reach self-fulfillment and self-sufficiency.
  I am pleased Chairman Goodling pursued bipartisan support for this 
bill in an effort to give our communities effective, useful resources 
to help families.
  In closing, I must also say that I am pleased to have served with 
Chairman Goodling on the Education and Workforce Committee. I always 
appreciate his fairness and no-nonsense approach to committee business. 
I hope this body as a whole will honor the legacy of my friend from 
Pennsylvania and strive to pass effective, quality education 
legislation.

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