This article presents the goals and objectives of the Home Start Program, a description of the program, evaluation results, dissemination and replication outcomes, and results of a longitudinal research study of Home Start. The article concludes with implications for family policy as inferred from findings regarding Home Start. (DB)

Compared outcomes of child welfare investigative decisions enhanced by the use of brief, intensive, family preservation services with those of unenhanced decisions. Found differences between the number of cases opened, length of time a case was open, length of time the child was at home, and the families' satisfaction with the agency. (Author/SD)

Describes a qualitative case study of a Los Angeles school that is succeeding in creating a supportive, effective learning environment for its highly transient study body. Identifies several types of transiency and the structural, cultural, and pedagogical strategies used to address students' and families' unique needs. Discusses urban mobility…

Discusses new state child care provisions to be implemented as part of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS Program) for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) parents under the welfare reform bill, the Family Support Act. (BB)

Describes the efforts of a Baltimore (Maryland) County Public Schools task force to initiate values education in the schools through a representative grassroots effort that involved many community groups. Twenty-four core values were identified that could be infused throughout the curriculum. Each school within the district formed an advisory…

Discusses features of the National Literacy Act that are of interest to librarians. Highlights include a new definition of literacy; cooperation between providers and government agencies; new programs, including state resource centers, national workforce strategies, services for prisoners, and family programs; amendments to existing legislation;…

Suggests that children, as the nation's most precious social resource, are the shared responsibility of parents and government. Argues that current efforts to scale back social welfare programs in Canada need to be reversed, so as to provide children, and families with children, a decent minimum standard of living. (MDM)

This article discusses four solution-focused assumptions in providing early intervention services to children with speech-language disabilities and their families. These assumptions are: a polyocular perspective promotes successful family participation in treatment, a family's story contains resources for change, successful experiences promote…

Examines patterns associated with placement and subsequent discharge of rural children in emergency shelter care. Suggests that the growing numbers of children being placed out of their homes, runaway adolescents, and homeless children, underscore the importance of identifying children likely to be referred for emergency services, as those…

Describes an approach to welfare services based on a home visitor model. Notes that child welfare agencies have moved to a decidedly short-term orientation toward service delivery, whereas the problems faced by many families require a more long-term approach, with services designed to address problems with roots in a host of social, economic, and…

Addresses differences between rural and urban communities in terms of family characteristics, home life, cultural values, social norms, and economic structures. Implications for rural special education include understanding the diversity of rural communities, developing relationship-based services, and considering ecocultural factors when…

Potential barriers related to the participation of Latino families in programs addressing the needs of individuals with severe handicaps are discussed. A successful education and training activity for Latino families with children with developmental disabilities, which provides a family focus in the family's own language and integrates relevant…

Describes a comparative study of self-perceived and grandchild-perceived strengths and educational needs of 204 African-American and 204 Anglo grandparents and 295 African-American and 175 Anglo grandchildren, examining how to adapt programs effective for Anglos so that they would be effective for African Americans. Recommendations are made for…

Six articles provide an overview of the multiple approaches to evaluating the problems of homelessness and introduce the challenges of evaluating interventions for the homeless. The first part focuses on research about homelessness, and the second part describes major demonstration programs and their evaluations. (SLD)

Reviews studies of the effects of prenatal drug exposure on child development, and reviews ideal early intervention programs. Researchers agree that prenatal drug exposure is only one of many factors that can influence a child's development. Specialized treatment programs and family support can ameliorate prenatal drug exposure effects. (SLD)