Head Start began in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty. Today Head Start serves families with more complex and longer-lasting stresses than those faced by families in the 1960s. As Head Start builds on its historic accomplishments, the six programs profiled in this report offer creative and different approaches to strengthening Head Start's…

This manual was developed to help facilitators explain, implement, or expand a family literacy program. It is based on research and on the experience of developing and implementing the model program established by Literacy Volunteers of America-Chippewa Valley in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The program encompassed the four basic components of family…

This report provides brief descriptions of a variety of community and educational programs for children and families with special needs, especially at the early childhood level in Vermont. Part 1 describes six programs characterized as community/regional-state partnerships. Part 2 describes family-centered resources, supports, and services,…

As a follow-up to phase 1 in reports 1-2, this report presents the second and third phases of a project which examined changes in seven Illinois family literacy programs, assisted the sites in implementing evaluation systems, and tested the usefulness of an evaluation framework. In phase 2, structured and conversational interviews and site…

Smart Start is North Carolina's partnership between state government and local leaders, service providers, and families to better serve children under 6 years and their families to ensure that all children enter school healthy and prepared to succeed. This study acquired a baseline measure of the quality of child care in the 12 pioneer Smart Start…

Smart Start is North Carolina's partnership between state government and local leaders, service providers, and families to better serve children under 6 years and their families with the aim of ensuring that all children are healthy and prepared to succeed as they enter school. This study examined the baseline skills of a representative sample of…

This report is an evaluation of the Georgia Prekindergarten Program established during the 1992-93 school year. The program aimed to enhance community services, family well-being, and developmental and educational opportunities for 4-year-olds, targeting children who were eligible for public assistance or referred by a social service agency.…

A 3-year summary evaluation report is presented concerning the success of the Family English Literacy Network (FELN) project of Florida International University. The report addresses the following questions: (1) Did the project meet its proposed objectives in a timely fashion? (2) Did the project participants demonstrate a significant increase in…

This report examines participation rates in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. TRIM2, a microsimulation model that simulated the eligibility and benefit rules of the AFDC program on a state-by-state basis, showed that there had been a dramatic decline after 1981 in the rate at which AFDC families were applying for and…

In 1973, the Head Start Division of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) initiated a Child and Family Resource Program (CFRP) demonstration. As part of Head Start, CFRP had as its primary goal enhancing children's development. The demonstration was designed to develop models for service delivery that could be adapted by…

Prepared by the Panel on Outcome Measurement in Early Childhood Demonstration Programs, this report attempts (1) to characterize recent developments in programs and policies for children and families that challenge traditional approaches to evaluation, and (2) to trace the implications of these developments for outcome measurement and for the…

Noting that North Carolina is a leader in the integration of family support into services for families with young children, this brochure provides practical information and guidelines for family supportive early care and education programs, early intervention, parenting programs, and health services for families with young children. The brochure…

This brief paper summarizes three papers and a response presented at a symposium examining longitudinal comparison studies of federally funded community mental health services (CMHS) for children and their families. Emphasis was on comparing the system of care approach to a more traditional approach. The symposium provided an update on the status…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report addresses how Proposition 10 Commissions can organize their work and their…

This report details the experiences of six two-generation intervention projects in New York City supported by grants from the Foundation for Child Development. The two-generation projects help low-income families gain access to employment-related services for parents, and developmental services such as quality child care and health care for…