Described are characteristics of the Center for Successful Child Development (CSCD), a family-oriented early childhood intervention program serving 6 of 28 buildings of the Robert Taylor Homes (a public housing project inhabited by 20,000 people on Chicago's south side). After an introductory section providing background information, discussion…

The current status of and future prospects for the nation's children and their families are discussed in this progress report by the director of the Office of Child Development. Successes of the Head Start program are noted, with particular mention of the parent involvement component. Other early intervention programs are cited, many of which…

In 1991 the Plan for Social Excellence, Inc., funded three elementary schools to design and implement a comprehensive early childhood education program. This funding initiative, entitled "Excellent Beginnings," supports programs that include innovative curriculum and classroom-management strategies, extensive parent participation, the use of high…

This guide, volume four of a six-part series, describes several community-outreach methods and provides practical outreach suggestions that are based on experience, as well as typical problems and the ways practitioners have chosen to resolve them. The guide is divided into three parts. Part 1 focuses on recruitment. Specific topics cover ways of…

Discusses four trends in family life which are particularly affecting Head Start and other programs serving low-income families (1) feminization of poverty, (2) teenage parenting, (3) increasing number of employed mothers, and (4) increasing challenges to attaining economic self-sufficiency. Explores the implications of these trends for Head Start…