Welfare reform has shifted control of implementation from federal to state government. For welfare reform to adequately support all families, NAEYC posits 10 recommendations regarding quality programs, adequate funding, equitable choices for families, and data collection to measure the impact of welfare reform on children and child care. The…

The implementation of a collaborative approach to evaluating family literacy programs was studied using a conceptual framework and applied to 36 family literacy programs from a midwestern state. Evaluation participants learned how results could be used to develop curriculum in addition to reporting to funding agencies. (SLD)

Only 10% of schools have achieved genuine partnerships with their families and communities. This article summarizes decades of research demonstrating the importance of risk-taking principals, teacher engagement, diverse involvement opportunities, outside facilitators, family-welcoming strategies, learning at home, effective school-home…

This article describes the Interagency Planning and Support Project, which aimed to improve coordination among agencies serving young children with disabilities and their families by integrating disparate service documents and planning processes. Analysis of Collaborative Support Plan data on 34 families shows the approach was successful in…

Presents historical background on family participation in early care/education programs. Highlights the vision and activities of four Wisconsin Early Childhood Centers for Excellence offering family-centered services with services to young children. Illustrates various strategies used to empower parents and strengthen bonds between parents and…

Identifies child care options and discusses the role of family support programs in helping parents decide which type of care and which specific provider are best for them. Lists steps in selecting high-quality child care. Discusses the employers' role in providing alternative work schedules and other ways they help employees meet child care needs.…

Profiles six noteworthy web sites on literacy-related information, including sites that deal with issues addressing literacy and deafness, literacy development, family literacy program development, evaluation of family literacy programs, and encouraging young children with deafness to read. Online addresses of the web sites are provided. (CR)

Reviews the development of comprehensive and collaborative service systems for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families from the advocacy of the 1960s to the present. A detailed description of an empirically supported model system operating in Vermont is presented along with other state models. (Author/CR)

The U.S. is one of the few economically developed nations without a national policy supporting children and their families. This paper suggests that the U.S. has a unique national ideology, based on the Calvinist ethic, that results in opposition to all government-supported welfare programs. (CB)

This paper explores interactions between social welfare programs and associated supportive taxation programs. Focus was on the effect of one program on another, effects of one program on a set of other programs, effects of tax and benefit reduction rates, and effects of interacting programs on the governments that create/maintain them. (TJH)

The family is the handicapped infant or toddler's ecological system, is critical to the child's optimal development, and must be incorporated into early intervention programs. Characteristics of the ecosystem of the family of a handicapped child are discussed, followed by characteristics of ecologically attuned early intervention teams. (JDD)

This article discusses the role of organized religion in providing respite services to families of children with disabilities. Respite programs using church volunteers are seen as an opportunity for new and effective partnerships between secular service systems and the religious community. Model programs are described. (PB)

Describes the beginnings of Head Start in detail. Discusses Head Start's record in providing health care for low-income children. Compares early Head Start with the program of recent years. Discusses ways in which Head Start emphasizes children's health and helps Head Start parents and family members. (BG)

Summarizes results of reports and resources concerning the reform of social welfare policy. Focuses on a profile of Indiana children, hospital policies and programs designed to meet the psychosocial needs of hospitalized children and their families, a senior center/latchkey program, and lead poisoning prevention. (BB)

Describes a multiservice intervention program, Teaching Interpersonal Expertise to Strengthen Systems (TIES), that is designed to support efforts of Head Start children, families, and staff, and improve the access of these individuals to mental health services. (BB)