This paper, developed from the discussions of the Executive Session on Making the System Work for Poor Children, describes why the current human service system is failing to help many poor children, and maps out the dimensions of a system that could greatly improve these children's prospects. The argument is made that the current system's problems…

Intended for parents of young children with disabilities in Texas, this booklet describes the Texas early childhood intervention (ECI) program and identifies parent rights. An introductory chart summarizes five steps of family centered services (from assessment and evaluation to the annual Individualized Family Service Plan meeting) in terms of…

The Families Involved in Schools and Community (FISC) Project was a federally funded project to develop and demonstrate the use of a model Individualized Family Service Plan process for young children with challenging needs and their families. The model emphasizes an individualized family systems perspective, informal nonintrusive assessment and…

This publication presents the findings of a California State Legislature task force on the changing needs of that state's families. An introduction summarizes the report's findings and lists five principles to guide the development of public policy. The next section, "Work and Family: The Contemporary Balancing Act," explores…

This publication offers an analysis of California families' need for childcare, and reviews policies on preschool in an effort to assist lawmakers in policy formation. The analysis discusses the history of childcare and child development programs in California with a view toward enhancing the future of young children and points the direction for…

This report contains selected presentations from the 1993 Urban Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference. Following welcoming remarks by Carolyn Slack, two presentations discuss improving urban maternal and child health (MCH) linkages. "Pittsburgh's Alliance for Infants," by Virginia Bowman, describes a comprehensive in-home…

This book provides information on the research into minority-parent involvement in education, focusing specifically on the involvement of parents who experience social and economic limitations to full participation in American society: racial and ethnic minority-group members, low-income families, poorly educated parents, and parents who do not…

This document consists of the nine issues of the journal "Exceptional Parent" published during 1993. This journal contains articles particularly aimed at parents of children with disabilities. Major articles published during this period are the following: "Annual Guide to Products and Services"; "Coping with…

This paper discusses the importance of collaboration across social service and educational sectors as a way of achieving a coherent and integrated system that assures that young children receive the high quality of care and education they need and that also maximizes the use of federal, state, and local resources. Section 1 of the paper discusses…

This newsletter issue focuses on collaborating and coordinating services to assist families in stressful situations such as being afflicted with AIDS, being homeless, and experiencing intervention from child protection authorities. The newsletter includes the following articles: (1) "Finding Sources of Public Funding for Your Family Resource…

This document describes a comprehensive service delivery model for drug-exposed infants and their families, provides a compendium of programs and funding sources that target the needs of these families, and delineates areas in need of financial support and further exploration. Development of the model required a literature review, interviews, and…

Drawing from a broad-based review of relevant research and literature, this report outlines selected national, state, and local policy developments in 1991-92 related to the collaboration among family, school, and community. Specifically, the report examines policies related to interventions for infants and toddlers; family support; coordination…

An assessment of welfare-related experiences and perspectives of Puerto Rican Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients in New York City (New York), Newark (New Jersey), and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) was conducted. Data were developed through 8 self-contained focus groups involving 63 participants. An additional focus group was…

A wide variety of incentive and disincentive programs are presented in an effort to stabilize the population and prevent bankruptcy of physical, economic, and social resources, particularly in countries like India and China. Following an introduction, the document discusses several programs, including (1) the use of small one-time payments for…

In small rural school districts there are significant socioeconomic, cultural, and distance barriers to parent involvement in the education of exceptional children. In Florida, the history of parent involvement in exceptional student education parallels that of organized parent activism generally; rural, isolated, and minority group parents have…