Head Start is a valuable federal program that improves the lives of our nation's most vulnerable children and their families. Research shows that Head Start programs improve children's learning at school entry and have a positive impact on long-term life outcomes. Research also suggests that Head Start could have a stronger impact on children's…

Public/Private Ventures' (P/PV's) "GroundWork" series summarizes available evidence on a variety of social policy topics, providing a solid foundation for future work. This first issue reviews the current literature about the potential benefits of simultaneously providing three services in school--healthcare, out-of-school-time learning and family…

Federal regulations have set forth specific performance standards for the provision of services for children with disabilities in Head Start programs. These regulations provide state and local education agencies and Head Start grantees with unique opportunities to collaborate to provide comprehensive, family-centered, and appropriate services to…

This handbook presents annotated "snapshots" of 10 innovative family literacy programs, almost all of which were begun by an individual with a vision of a new way to solve a demanding educational problem. Profiles depict, in terms of background, characteristics, evidence of success, and advice to policymakers and practitioners, the: (1)…

Case studies of three states were conducted to examine different approaches to the development of policies concerning early intervention, family support, and interagency provisions under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study utilized a qualitative methodology aimed at discovering grounded theory (theory generated…

This document reports on a symposium that was held to begin to shape a national policy on delivery of services to children at risk and their families, and to develop guidelines for future collaborative efforts between representatives from the health and education professional communities. The symposium explored innovative ways to integrate and…

This text presents 12 chapters on the development of coordinated systems of service delivery to infants and toddlers who have disabilities or are at risk for disabilities and their families, as mandated by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). An introductory chapter by Lawrence J. Johnson presents a general overview of…

Contributors from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States describe how primary-age children in these anglophone countries are learning in the language of their home. The book demonstrates that monolingual schooling in a multicultural society fails to meet the needs of bilingual children. It argues that linguistic minorities…

Family support programs have been attracting increased attention, and are at the center of efforts to build systems of integrated, comprehensive, and preventive family-focused services. This handbook, developed by the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), profiles 73 school-affiliated family support and education programs in the United States to…