The authors examined the extent to which parent expectations, perceptions about resource availability and supports, and strategies used to promote participation in home and community activities varied by setting and activity type. Sixteen 90-min semistructured interviews were completed with families receiving Part C early intervention services in…

Only 8 percent of children born into poverty graduate from college by the age of 25. Consider what that means for the estimated 500,000 New York City kids living in poverty. It is a fact: The better educated a person is, the better her chances of upward mobility. So when fewer than one in 10 children born into poverty reach their academic…

This article discusses a home-centered approach to the use of assistive technology for children with disabilities, reviewing the literature on children's home environments, self-determination, family systems, and the physical and social environment. Suggestions are provided for professionals working with families to identify and provide assistive…

Compiled as a project of the National Resource Center on Family Based Services, this document contains an annotated directory of a representative listing of family-based services existing in 24 of the United States. (Family-based service programs provide humane, quality and cost-efficient services to families in the least restrictive environment,…

Data relating to 2,768 children served by the SKI*HI model of early, home-based programming for children with hearing impairments revealed that SKI*HI children, on average, were identified by 18 months of age, had higher rates of language development during intervention than prior to intervention, and had greater language gains than expected based…

Describes in-home family support programs for low-income and minority children and families. Family-centered programs attempt to link families to services that meet their educational, health and social needs. The community needs to be involved in program development if programs are to be truly helpful and supportive of families. (SH)

A study reports on the Nevada Even Start Family Literacy Program (NEST), which provides educational opportunities to parents and children as a family unit through core services such as adult, parenting, and early childhood education. Questions asked in the study were who the program serves, what services are received, how funding is allocated, how…

In 1986, the Ounce of Prevention Fund undertook an ambitious project: creating and operating a family support program for young families with infants and toddlers in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing development in Chicago. The program was the outreach function of the Center for Successful Child Development (CSCD). The CSCD, a comprehensive,…

Describes a comprehensive continuum of services model for children with autism developed by a human services agency in Massachusetts, which incorporates these and additional empirically based approaches. Service components, methodologies, and program objectives are described, including representative summary data. Best practice approaches toward…

A mother of a son with Down syndrome discusses how her family and child care providers work with him in natural environments to support his learning in daily activities. She urges other parents to keep trying until they find the right match that works for their family. (CR)

The goal of England's Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP) is to support early communication and literacy skills and to support parents as their children's first educators through both home- and group-based programs. The program is currently offered to all children under 5 years of age and their families in a disadvantaged area of Oxford. This…

Three separate bibliographies, dealing with disabled infants up to 3 years of age, list books, journal articles, research studies, manuals, and other publications regarding resources for parents, resources for parent educators, and materials on family support services. Sixty resources are listed for parents, including literature dealing with…

Family literacy programs have arisen in an attempt to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and illiteracy. Numerous federally-supported family literacy programs have recognized the importance of instructing parents and children in a home setting. The legislation of Even Start seeks to integrate parenting education, adult basic education,…

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…

Describes a Baltimore City Head Start project that was designed to provide educational and other services to children from birth to age five years who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Services are also provided to children's families. (BB)