This report explores how the states carried out the first year implementation of AmeriCorps, the signature component of the 1993 National and Community Service Trust Act. This initial study is part of a larger study of the effectiveness of the 1993 Act. The report is based on: interviews with the staff of the Corporation for National Service,…

This guide is intended to share knowledge about the Hispanic/Latino community with Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) grant recipients and to help them develop effective prevention services responsive to the communities they serve. The guide: (1) highlights specific characteristics of the Hispanic and Latino communities that affect…

As an outgrowth of work to establish collaborative relations and to develop strategies for creating, monitoring, evaluating, and improving community programs, this planning guide has been developed to help Urban League chapters and others plan and implement programs for local needs. The guide is organized into the following nine steps: (1) build…

This handbook offers a set of practical ideas and their philosophical underpinnings, designed to assist community groups which desire to form interagency coordinating councils. A Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) works to develop, coordinate, and provide a community-based, comprehensive system of services for young children with…

Basic information about respite care for individuals with disabilities and their families is presented in a question-and-answer format. The following questions are addressed: "What is respite?"; "Who needs respite services?"; "Who provides respite services?"; "What kinds of services are provided?"; "How…

This handbook addresses the activities of community volunteers in providing such services as orientation, counseling, enrichment programming, and English language training to foreign students. It is designed for those who would like to start a community organization of this type or who feel their present program would benefit from review and,…

Many small towns are considering community-based start-up funds (SUF) to foster development and retention of small businesses. But whether a community is large or small, a group must be well-organized before it begins to make decisions concerning the design and purpose of a small-business SUF. This primer highlights some main points a community…

This report describes the Child Day Care Planning Project, which was developed by private and public representatives to meet the needs for child care in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The project consisted of five major components. The first component, the Data Project, documented the needs and resources of the community. The second component, the Quality…

American youth service history gives some clues to the barriers the nation faces in creating a comprehensive and effective system for youth at risk. Barriers to effective youth service grow out of this history and in part contribute to it. The engine that has driven youth services--and the misperceptions that drive those services--is the theory of…

The paper provides guidelines to rural school districts developing community support and resources for their gifted education programs. The following seven questions are addressed: (1) Does your gifted/talented program and community need a formal community resource development team? (2) If so, how should it be developed? (3) How can you get other…

Describing community cable as television's best chance at zeroing in on the needs and interests of a specific local audience, as well as a fertile environment for breeding a new variety of children's television, this handbook discusses the potential of and issues and factors involved in local programming. Topics addressed are why community cable…

The lead article in this issue identifies the components of the planning process for non-formal education (NFE). Examples of five approaches to planning are presented along with factors that may influence NFE project design at the local level. The 61-item annotated bibliography emphasizes documents on local-level planning; however, resources on…

The Wisconsin Child Care Improvement Project's (WCCIP) community-based approach to building child care capacity is described in this document. The WCCIP assists Wisconsin communities in their efforts to increase the availability and accessibility of quality child care. The work provides a rationale and identifies needed resources and information.…

This guide, in two sections, emphasizes a community-based, school-focused collaborative approach to preventing youth suicide in Wisconsin. Cooperative school district and community agency endeavors frame the approach. The following three-part philosophy undergirds it: First, youth suicide is a community problem requiring a community solution best…

In a day care center which enrolled children between 14 months and 5 years of age, a child caregiver implemented a practicum study in order to allow children and older adults the opportunity to interact with one another for their mutual benefit. Goals were to: (1) increase children's positive attitudes toward older people; (2) seek positive…