This is the fifth and final report of a longitudinal study examining the use of a comprehensive system of prevention and early intervention services in Palm Beach County, and how its use relates to the outcomes of children and families living in four targeted geographic areas (TGAs) with high rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, crime, and child…

This policy brief discusses the critical role of family support and how family support programs can help to improve care for young children. It presents an overview of what family support entails, information about financing family support services, and strategies to enhance family support through the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems…

This article provides a description of the meaning and evolution of reflective supervision. The authors summarize the history of reflective supervision, including ZERO TO THREE's efforts to promote its use as an essential element of professional development in the infant-family field. The article describes the centrality of reflective …

This article explores the interface between adult mental health issues and child development. It refers to the literature on the impact of parental mental health difficulties on children's developmental trajectories. The article then describes a pilot scheme involving a partnership between the Northern Ireland Association of Mental Health and…

The purpose of this report is to identify model strategies used by the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative to improve the well-being of young children. The Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative is comprised of coalitions of individuals and organizations in over 165 greater Minnesota communities. These coalitions have implemented more than 400…

Making the case that breastfeeding provides essential and long-lasting benefits for children and should be one of California's first investments in the healthy development of every child, this report assists state and county commissions of Proposition 10 (Families and Children First Act) in the development of effective strategies and integrated…

Expresses the view that radical reforms, including reordering of national priorities, are needed to provide a human environment for children. Gives a concrete suggestion to make major institutions become family- and child- oriented. (Author/AJ)

This volume explores whether the nation's early childhood programs are boosting child development and preparing children for schooling and proposes reforms that would improve the programs. The volume contains contrasting papers on the success of Head Start, Early Head Start, and home-visiting programs and on policies that would improve these three…

Recognizing that past efforts to promote healthy child development and to support families with young children have not been linked with efforts to promote family economic security in low-income communities, this exploratory project examined how community development corporations (CDCs) promote the well-being of low-income families with young…

Director of Yale University's Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy comments on the lessons learned over three decades on the process of social change. (HTH)

This report was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to inform the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and LGA work on "Narrowing the Gap." It focuses on early years' provision and presents findings from a review of the best evidence on narrowing the gap in outcomes across the five Every Child Matters…

Changes in policies and legislation in the past 15 years have created a fundamental shift in the roles of early childhood interventionists. Family-centered approaches to the provision of services to children with disabilities have heightened the importance of family-practitioner partnerships. This FPG Snapshot summarizes a book chapter by Dr. Pam…

The United States has no national policy on "the family." Reviews the reasons why it is unlikely that such a policy will emerge in the foreseeable future, and urges adoption of social policies and programs that will assure to all children the care and nurturance for growth and development. (Author)

Research in the neurobiological, behavioral, and social sciences has dramatically increased our capacity to provide effective intervention for economically disadvantaged children. According to Neuman, however, U.S. policymakers have made little use of this body of research to improve the prospects of children at risk. This article discusses seven…

Babies need good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences to promote their healthy intellectual, social, and emotional development. However, as the poverty rate for children under age 3 continues to increase, a rising number of young children are going without these supports. The federal Early Head Start program (EHS) was…