The Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), is a community-specific strategy delivered through eight regional networks designed to address the full spectrum of community-based prevention. This article summarizes a strong and meaningful pattern of improvements…

The methodology and design of the process evaluation system of the Pawtucket Heart Health Program (an 11-year project for changing/documenting change in cardiovascular disease risk status of a northeastern city's residents) are described. Examples of the system's use are provided. The maintenance of such a system without substantial evaluation…

The document provides summaries of 53 programs from around the country demonstrating innovative approaches to identifying needs and developing and delivering services and materials to families. Chapters are organized according to broad themes which underlie their programs' design. Chapter 1 (10 programs) examines programs which explore informal…

Homelessness is a troubling social problem, challenging to the best public and private efforts to provide some measure of remedy. For one group of the homeless, those with severe and persistent mental illness, that challenge is doubled: homelessness complicates the treatment of mental illness, even as mental illness complicates efforts to…

The second of nine reports (EC 114 401-409) on community recreation for the handicapped focuses on 18 model community-based programs. An introductory section presents an overview of information (including philosophy, population, program activity, consumerism, and interagency coordination) of the model programs. Separate descriptions of the 18…

Critically reviews conventional community education programs on child abuse/neglect and describes a practice model used by the Supportive Child/Adult Network (SCAN), which is said to be effective because it encompasses specific goals and strategies. (Author/CM)

The 11 programs and sites participating in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Intensive Supervision Demonstration Project are described. The demonstration was designed to assess the effects and costs of sentencing convicted felons to community-based programs. The evaluation by the Rand Corporation and data collection methods and random…

Intended to assist community groups in implementing similar projects, this illustrated booklet describes "Arts for Transition" which is a structured, sequenced program designed to use recreational arts groups and activities as a vehicle for developing the social and independent living skills of disabled youth in transition from the world…

The concept and implementation of direction services, a one step center offering assistance to parents of handicapped children, are traced. Three basic functions of the federally funded direction service centers are noted: to help locate and provide access to the most appropriate resources for handicapped children and youth; to collect and…

Sixteen author contributed papers focus on exemplary visual arts programs for gifted and talented students. Each program description gives an overview of the program, which includes: goals, student population, location, and a narrative description of the teaching process and course content. Eight papers in the first section review school and…

MDC's mission is to help organizations and communities close the gaps that separate people from opportunity. The organization has been working to create positive change in disadvantaged communities for 40 years--by conducting research and demonstrating effective programs at the community level. MDC focuses on three areas: education, economic and…

Sixty-five model programs striving to integrate people with severe disabilities into their natural communities were nominated and screened via interviews, site visits, and comparison with eight principles of community integration including family scale community living arrangements, consumer and parent involvement, and development of community…

The article describes a model career exploration program, the Professional Career Exploration Program for Minority and/or Low Income Gifted and Talented Students, which was created as a tenth-grade community exploration program. Sections address the multistage process used to identify disadvantaged gifted students, the inclass seminars for student…

Integrating infants with visual impairments into playgroups for nonhandicapped infants and their parents has been successfully accomplished and offers benefits to both infants and parents. A model demonstration project, "Parents and Visually Impaired Infants Project," integrated infants into a community program involving play, music, and…

Describes the founding and operation of a family center in Macon County, North Carolina, that combines Head Start, day care, disabilities mainstreaming, prenatal care, and a parent-child center all in one complex. The New Horizons Center will serve as a training site under the Smart Start statewide preschool initiative. (MDM)