The need for school-based interventions targeting the childhood obesity epidemic has been well documented. The risk factors associated with childhood obesity are physical, mental, psychosocial, academic, and economic. With training in developing comprehensive programs and interventions, professional school counselors are positioned to assist…

Provides an overview of the Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program in the Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Community. Focuses on program development, including the needs assessment and description of programs designed to meet specific needs of students, program evaluation, staff training, and community involvement. Illustrates how the program…

School psychologists are in a key position to participate in comprehensive health care of children and adolescents. Presents a model for school psychology in which practitioners assume an active role in addressing the health and mental health needs of children and adolescents. The model is rooted in developmental- ecological theory and action…

Presents a response to "School Psychologists as Health-Care Providers in the 21st Century: Conceptual Framework, Professional Identity, and Professional Practice" (this issue). The author supports the call for school psychologists to assume leadership in facilitating the necessary coordination across systems for such a role change to…

Summarizes principal features of 6 bills on health care reform introduced in the 103rd Congress as they relate to children. Proposals are compared on 11 major issues, highlighting the degree to which each bill would achieve universal coverage, access to care, equity of treatment, and quality of comprehensive care. (SLD)

Describes the implementation and operation of the Cherokee Nation Children's Village program in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Examines the four main components of the program: (1) Head Start; (2) the Child Development Center; (3) STEPP (Serving Teenagers through Education and Pregnancy Prevention); and (4) Even Start. (MDM)

Presents a response to "School Psychologists as Health-Care Providers in the 21st Century: Conceptual Framework, Professional Identity, and Professional Practice" (this issue). The author highlights some of the reforms required of the profession to respond to these challenges and describes implications for the training of practitioners.…

The report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, "Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children," presents a comprehensive strategy for child well-being. Parent education and universal health coverage are but two aspects of an approach that considers the needs of all families. (SLD)

The results of a qualitative study funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicate that a promising path to improving the lives of disadvantaged families is through more holistic, comprehensive approaches to family support. These approaches combine traditional family support activities with the development of human and economic capital. The…

Describes a nationally recognized service program that delivers integrated mental health and substance abuse services to children and youth with a wide range of problems. The model incorporates elements of primary and secondary prevention and community outreach into service delivery. Program components are discussed in detail. (RJM)

Describes a program which draws on interagency collaboration, principles of care, needs assessment, and other components to create a community-based system of care. Presents the rationale for each of these components and how they were implemented, data on the children and families served by the program, and a case study. (RJM)

Describes the progressive development of a five-year, school-based, systems change initiative for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and their families. The program integrates mental health, education, and other family-focused services into a more flexible system. Discusses evaluation data in the context of the systems change…