Background: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for physical, mental, and emotional health; however, Latinx children report lower PA levels. Scholars have called for a renewed focus on fathers to promote child health. Purpose: This study examines changes in Mexican-heritage child active play networks through participation in a father-focused…

Parental involvement increases K-12 student interest in STEM careers; however, when parents lack confidence in STEM content, or language and cultural barriers exist, parental engagement decreases. The Teacher Enrichment Initiatives (TEI) collects annual teacher feedback regarding the level of parental involvement with students during science…

Background: Physical activity (PA) is linked to many health benefits. However, many children and adults do not meet PA recommendations. Specifically, Mexican-heritage (MH) families are less physically active and at greater risk for obesity and related co-morbidities than the general population. Culturally-tailored programs are needed to support MH…

Research Findings: In an effort toward developing a comprehensive, effective, scalable, and sustainable early childhood education program for at-risk populations, we conducted an experimental evaluation of the value added by 2 family involvement programs to the Texas Early Education Model (TEEM). A total of 91 preschool classrooms that served…

This article describes an 8-week, curriculum-based traumatic death support group program that is offered at Bo's Place, a grief and bereavement center in Houston, Texas. The program was implemented in 2006 in an effort to help family members who had experienced a death in the family by suicide, murder, accident, or sudden medical problem. The…

Support for families of children with autism spectrum disorders continues to be important, but formal support groups may not ft every need. The authors describe Family Fun Days, a program that paired leisure activities with opportunities for support. There was an increase in the number of participants over traditional support meetings,…

Objectives: This article reports on results from a randomized experimental trial of the effects of the Family Bereavement Program (FBP) on multiple measures of grief experienced by parentally bereaved children and adolescents over a 6-year period. Method: Participants were 244 youths (ages 8-16, mean age = 11.4 years) from 156 families that had…

This article reports data from a large-scale assessment using the Family Outcomes Survey with families participating in early intervention. The study was designed to determine how families describe themselves with regard to outcomes achieved, the extent to which outcomes are interrelated, and the extent to which child, family, and program factors…

This large scale multi-year project evaluates the effectiveness of the Raising a Reader program and the Family Nights program as implemented according to manualized procedures in actual preschool and home environments. Specifically, these programs were added as a supplement to some classrooms that were already participating in the Texas Early…

The purpose of this working paper is to review current literature on literacy programs for parents of English language learners (ELLs). The paper includes a summary of five literacy programs for ELL parents throughout the United States of America. Four of these were system-wide interventions affecting more than one school or classroom. Each…

A diverse group of professionals associated with Texas Woman's University's Institute for Women's Health, working collaboratively with school administrators, teachers, family support teams, and family members, developed Growing with EASE: Eating, Activity, and Self-Esteem, a nutrition program for young children and their families. In tracking the…

Designed to celebrate the achievements and successful activities of professionals and community leaders throughout Texas, this yearbook describes 60 innovative programs that have confronted difficult issues, explored solutions, and taken risks to help families in Texas. The first section of the yearbook presents the Best of Texas Awards in six…

The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project was undertaken to identify effective strategies for helping low-income parents work more steadily and advance in the labor market. The 15 ERA demonstration projects that were operating in nine states (California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, South Carolina; Tennessee, and…