This site visit report describes the development and activities of the New Hampshire Family Support Network for families of people with developmental disabilities, and is based on a review of documents, interviews with key people, and participant observation. It begins with a brief history of family activism in New Hampshire, noting the early high…

This report provides an overview of how the federally funded, state-administered adult education program under the Adult Education Act, as amended by the National Literacy Act, expanded programs and services to eligible parents and their children through family literacy programs in program year 1993-94. Some programming efforts include unified…

This project worked to help community programs and interagency groups develop fluid organizational structures and better assist staff and parents in the provision of family-centered, community-based early intervention services for young children with disabilities and their families. Highlights of the service model include transdisciplinary…

The concept of family literacy is firmly rooted in a substantial research base from several disciplines: adult literacy, emergent literacy, child development, and systems analysis. Research from these disciplines was reviewed to determine the benefits of family literacy. The results show that family literacy programs do work and that at least four…

Pathways from Poverty is a public policy education and research initiative organized by the Rural Sociological Society's Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty and the four regional rural development centers. This publication focuses on project efforts in the Northeast and includes three sections. The first section describes the Pathways from…

This monograph describes a University Affiliated Program's (UAP) initiative that targets the development needs of children from birth to 5 years of age who are homeless and the services and supports provided to their families. The Georgetown University Child Development Center, the UAP for the District of Columbia, has implemented a homelessness…

Family support programs are proactive efforts based on the assumptions that families have primary responsibility for their children's development and well-being; that healthy families are the foundation of a healthy society; that families operate as part of a total social system; and that the institutions upon which families rely for support must…

This fact sheet begins with an overview of family support programs, which includes a discussion of the premises of family support programs and a list of typical program components. The remainder of the fact sheet focuses on one approach to family support, comprehensive and collaborative (C&C) services. The fact sheet underscores the need for…

This fact sheet begins with an overview of family support programs, which includes a discussion of the premises of family support programs and a list of typical program components. The remainder of the fact sheet focuses on support programs for incarcerated parents. The children of incarcerated parents, though innocent of any crime, are often…

Increasingly, educators understand that learners represent a complex array of personal experiences, values, and intentions that can inform curriculum development and classroom instruction. This is particularly true of the diverse population in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and family ESL literacy programs. Educators respect and honor their…

This paper describes a project to train service providers in replicating the Home Activity Program for Parents and Youngsters (HAPPY). HAPPY is a family-focused program developed to meet the educational needs of disabled children ages birth through 5 years in rural Nevada. Content of the training modules was developed from a review of literature…

As part of an effort to correct major social problems, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) was created in the State of Washington. The ECEAP offers comprehensive, quality preschool programs for children of families who have an income at or below the federal poverty level. An introductory section of the report provides…

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (PL 96-272) provided major federal initiatives to reform the state child welfare system. The goals of the act were to keep families together by providing them with services and to find permanent adoptive homes for children who could not be reunited with their parents. This report examines the…

This symposium report is designed to provide guidance about major conceptual and methodological issues in research relating to families whose children have emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. Participants in the symposium identified historical themes, dominant constructs, methodological issues, and recent developments related to family…

This study surveyed a representative sample of 1,057 companies with 100 or more employees to assess how U.S. companies are responding to the work-life needs of the nation's changing workforce. Specifically, the study sought to identify the extent to which companies provide benefits, programs, and policies and create supportive workplace…