The Next Steps Conference was one of a series of meetings held for the purpose of increasing the capacity of family members, professionals, and other interested citizens to work together on behalf of children who have serious emotional disorders and to shape an agenda for improved services. The conference was organized around four major issues:…

A study was conducted to explore whether the methods employed by the Cooperative Extension Service in its dissemination of practical skills and knowledge are of help to today's families. In order to examine these factors, two leadership programs for women sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service in Alaska were studied. One group, the…

The primary purpose of this document is to help Iowa's parents of young children with special needs find financial resources and services. It is expected that the document will also serve as a resource guide for professionals who provide services to children with special needs and their families. Contents are organized in four sections concerning,…

This document provides an analysis of the federal government's funding of programs which aid children and families. The foreword begins by describing the crisis which children and families face in the U.S. and proceeds to outline a course of action to help correct the problems. Chapter 1 discusses the federal budget process and the changes in the…

The Community Integrated Training and Education (C.I.T.E.) program, sponsored by the Hamilton County (Ohio) Board of Mental Retardation, is a support program for county families with mentally retarded children, aged 6 months to 22 years. The program is structured to provide education and training for families who have decided against residential…

This paper highlights specific issues surrounding implementation of Titles I and II of Public Law 99-457, and illuminates how federal rules and regulations and the states' positions on the law should reflect the needs of rural and remote communities. The issues include: legislative planning and appropriations to meet the needs of rural handicapped…

This hearing, the third of three on welfare reform, focuses on the problem of child support and ways to improve the current system. One child in four now lives with a single parent; these children must receive the support that they are due. The hearings also focused on the problems of unemployed parents, and how the welfare system can help prepare…

The major portion of this presentation describes research results and policy implications of the Family Matters Project, a longitudinal study of social contexts as they affect children and families during the period of transition from home to school. Also provided in this portion are highlights of what was learned from delivering to 160 families…

Reporting the second in a series of regional fact-finding committee hearings held across the United States, this document includes testimony from social service organizations and state offices in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Testimony from clients and representatives of these agencies documents efforts to ameliorate problems…

This document contains one of twenty-two curriculum units developed by the Mountain-Plains Career Education Model IV, a residential, family-based education program developed to improve the economic potential and lifestyle of selected student families in a six-state area. A part of the family core curriculum, this unit on home management includes…

This report describes the Bismarck, North Dakota site of the Child and Family Resource Program (CFRP), a Head Start-affiliated program designed to elicit community and family involvement in fostering optimum development of preschool children. The Bismarck program, located at one of 11 demonstration sites of the national CFRP, was coordinated by…

The document describes the Mountain-Plains career education model and discusses its implications for higher education. The Mountain-Plains Education and Economic Development Program, Inc., is a non-profit corporation chartered by the State of Montana and funded through the National Institute of Education for a five-year cycle of research and…

The ninth volume in a 10-volume report on the historical development (1966-1973) of the 8 administrative Area Offices of the Indian Health Service (IHS) Mental Health Programs, this report presents information on the Portland Area Office. Included in this document are: (1) The Context (early history of the Oregon Territory, geography and tribal…

Examines the major assumptions on which parental involvement in schools are based, beginning with Project Head Start. Emphasizes the importance of the ecological perspective which balances parental empowerment and parental education, and generates policies, programs and research goals that apply directly to the lives of Black families. (FMW)

This report identifies key issues for providing early childhood special education services to young children who are visually impaired and for working with families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. First, it discusses the incidence of visual impairment and associated disabilities among young children, the process of early…