This toolkit is designed to help interagency state and local/regional career pathway partnerships identify and use federal resources to support career pathways for adults and youth; it will also be a helpful tool for partners to use when doing unified career pathway planning under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Specifically,…

Nationally, families of color--particularly African American and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN)--are over-represented in child welfare systems. These families also tend to have worse outcomes--such as children more likely to be removed from their homes, less likely to receive family preservation services, and in the case of African…

Early childhood is a critical time for cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Many states have invested in comprehensive early childhood care and education systems that offer a wide range of supports and services to families from the prenatal period through school entry. Home visiting programs are an important component of state early…

This handbook offers a set of practical ideas and their philosophical underpinnings, designed to assist community groups which desire to form interagency coordinating councils. A Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) works to develop, coordinate, and provide a community-based, comprehensive system of services for young children with…

This report discusses the outcomes of a project designed to help young children with special needs and their families prepare for and adjust to new service settings. The Bridging Early Service Transition (BEST) Project has helped administrators, service providers, and families plan and coordinate transitions for young children with disabilities or…

This article discusses the role of organized religion in providing respite services to families of children with disabilities. Respite programs using church volunteers are seen as an opportunity for new and effective partnerships between secular service systems and the religious community. Model programs are described. (PB)

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 publication on family policy reviews federal and state policies and offers recommendations for state action. Initial discussion covers changes in the American family, demographics, and the economy. Issues of family maintenance considered include: family welfare policy and welfare reform; child abuse and neglect; alternatives to out-of-home…

Calls for new approaches to meeting the needs of children and families, specifically through partnerships among Head Start, education, business, and other social service agencies. Discusses steps for establishing such partnerships as well as partnership objectives. Describes some existing collaborative programs around the country. (HTH)

Local child welfare and public housing agencies have the resources to collaborate in helping the growing number of American families for whom stable housing is beyond reach. This Child Welfare League of America manual offers suggestions for helping child welfare and housing agencies build strong collaborations to improve services for families in…

This volume presents a comprehensive plan for transition of children with special needs and their families between infant or early intervention services and preschool services, and between preschool services and kindergarten. It aims to help in bridging these services to minimize the stress and increase the promise of early childhood transitions.…

A series of self-study questions is presented to examine policy and practice issues important in developing culturally competent programs for children with special needs and their families. Cultural competence refers to a program's ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, and behaviors both of families who are…

Discusses the reasons for the popularity of collaboration in early care and education. Defines the term "collaboration." Discusses results of a national study of early care and education collaborations in terms of the achievements of collaborations and the situations in which they work best. Also offers suggestions for making…

The report describes Volunteers for Families (VFF), a 3-year project to develop a statewide (Vermont) network of trained volunteers to advocate for and to provide and coordinate services to, families of school-age learners (ages 3-21) with severe developmental disabilities. A three-phase process for establishing a VFF program is outlined,…

Even Start was created by federal legislation to address poverty and illiteracy among low-income families by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) projects resemble other Even Start projects but are affected…