Tasmania's child and family centres (Centres) provide a single entry point to early childhood services (ECS) for children and families living in amongst the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. This study investigated the impact of Centres on parents' use and experiences of ECS using a mixed methods approach. The results showed that Centre…

Kansas Early Head Start (KEHS) provides comprehensive services following federal Head Start Program Performance Standards for pregnant women and eligible families with children from birth to age 4. KEHS was implemented in 1998 using Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) quality set-aside dollars augmented by a transfer of federal…

In the last decade, China began developing early intervention services for very young children with hearing loss, and their families. This article presents a broad description of some of these programs, including the national rehabilitation networks for speech and hearing training, increased attention on the development of professionals, the…

Good schools can go a long way toward helping poor children achieve more, but the fact remains that educational inequity is rooted in economic problems and social pathologies too deep to be overcome by school alone. Ending the cycle of disadvantage requires prevention and early intervention programs that help families who are desperately…

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 article describes The Hilton/Early Head Start Training Program, a public-private partnership between the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Head Start Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The purpose of the training program was to develop skills and strategies for including infants…

Based on the evidence that early intervention and support can reduce family breakdown, strengthen children's school readiness, and benefit society in the long term, the Sure Start program in England is designed to offer support enabling parents to strengthen their relationship with their children and to access more fully local community services.…

Ounce of Prevention in Schools, an early intervention program in a Quebec elementary school, includes a family support component to increase parents' involvement and assistance with their children's school work. Interviews showed that, compared to control parents, parents in the program helped their children more with homework but had lower…

This paper presents three case studies describing the experiences of rural families receiving early intervention (EI) services for a developmentally disabled infant/toddler. Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1997 amendments) provides funds for home-based, family-centered, transdisciplinary EI services. The case…

This theme issue of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Newsletter" is devoted to approaches to working with disadvantaged children up to 3 years of age. An introduction describes the crucial period from before birth to 3 years, noting that although the mother's body provides the an essential part of the environment, other easily…

Using the case of the Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP), begun in Boston in the early 1970s, this book provides a framework for planning, administering, and evaluating a comprehensive birth-to-kindergarten program. Early education programs based in the school can increase parental involvement and improve school performance for children from…

In Head Start, family service workers facilitate the process for guiding and assisting families in securing services needed for specific family issues regarding health care, housing, employment, education, and/or crisis management. These services were particularly important to families following Hurricane Charley and the subsequent recovery…

In order to meet national education goals, priority must be given to nurturing and cultivating the learning potential of young children. No single agency, department, division, or program can meet the multiple, diverse needs of Ohio's families and young children. Through collaboration, the Division of Early Childhood Education hopes to create…