The Texas "Families First" project was started to accomplish the following: (1) strengthen the capacity of local family literacy projects to design, support, and administer high quality programs by leveraging resources from several agencies in the state; and (2) finalize the indicators of program quality (IPQs) in early childhood education for Even Start family literacy programs. The three institutions of higher education involved in the project during the first year identified instruments for assessment in early childhood education and provided opportunities for staff in Head Start and Even Start programs to learn to use the instruments and to conduct follow-up meetings with Even Start programs. Findings from the meetings included the following: (1) only 51 percent of Even Start programs were represented at the focus group meetings; (2) although participants learned a great deal about the instruments, they did not feel they were able to administer them properly without more training; (3) three assessments were identified as used most often in Even Start; (4) participants identified strengths and weaknesses for the five instruments demonstrated in the training meetings; and (5) some programs plan to add at least one of the instruments to their assessment package. Recommendations were made for improvements in the timing of assessment training, cost of assessment instruments, standardization of assessment across the state, program accountability, input from early childhood specialists in the development of the IPQs, accountability based upon factors beyond a local program's control, and standardization versus the unique needs of each program. (KC)