Under the Smart Start program, 19 of North Carolina's Appalachian counties have qualified for competitive state funding to improve community services to young children and their families. Programs tailored to local needs provide subsidized child care to children of working parents, preventive health screenings, literacy and high school equivalency…

Current knowledge about the cost and quality of full-time child care in centers and family care homes is summarized, with a discussion of parental attention to quality in making child care decisions. Data from two recent national studies suggest that quality is only modestly related to cost. (SLD)

The family strengths approach to parent involvement is based on core beliefs summed up by the concepts of communication, collaboration, and community. Communication involves relationships based on shared responsibility around common goals. Collaboration begins with teacher-parent dialogs around goals for children, later formalized in written…

Informs helping professionals about the unique history and challenges of African families to guide them toward providing ethnically sensitive psychological services to African immigrant families in need. African families undergo great stress when faced with the alienation of being Black and African in a Euro-American culture. (SLD)

The goal of Chattanooga's Family Resource Center is to support and strengthen families in ways that enhance their growth and well-being. Through collaboration with other service agencies, the center establishes services and programs geared toward adult literacy, parenting education, cultural awareness, community involvement, and information and…

From 1882-91, the American Indian program at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (Virginia) included the training of young married couples, aimed at assimilation of the family unit and transformation of Indian family life. Describes the 23 families (mostly Lakota and Omaha) that participated, arrangement of marriages, student recruitment,…

Pre/posttest data from 84 nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social work students who were mentored by families of children with special needs indicated an increase in family-centered attitudes, understanding, and respect among these future service providers. (SK)

Presents an overview of the challenges and initiatives that will influence expansion of the Head Start program. These include state Head Start collaborative projects, social services, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs for parents, research, adult literacy, and children's transition to public schools. (BB)

The role of psychologists in helping families of the one in five Americans suffering from mental illness is described. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has been active in bridge building between psychologists and families through enhanced communication and improvements in support systems. An agenda of 15 recommendations for further…

Proposes a national family policy that would acknowledge the diversity of families, protect their economic well-being, and provide flexible ways to meet economic and social needs. Discusses the following major issues: (1) family and medical leaves; (2) child care; and (3) child support enforcement. Reviews proposed Federal family legislation. (FMW)

The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457) creates incentives for states to serve all handicapped children three through five years of age and provides a new discretionary program to meet the needs of handicapped infants and toddlers and their families. (MLF)

Interviews with 74 rural community professionals assessed family preservation services available during a 2-year pilot project in 3 rural areas of Kansas and compared family preservation services to traditional child welfare services. Respondents viewed family preservation projects as highly valued services, focusing on the projects' informality,…

Gives suggestions about starting a school family center, beginning with a survey of parents to assess needs and wishes. A survey-planning process is outlined and a sample parent survey is included. Surveys must be tailored to the needs of the community, including translation into languages spoken by the parents. (SLD)

Presents 12 ideals that libraries strive for, including informing citizens; breaking down boundaries, including literacy programs; promoting equity in resource availability; valuing the individual; nourishing creativity; helping children; providing business information; building communities; supporting families; fighting censorship challenges;…

Explores innovative ideas for parent and community involvement in schools, placing the responsibility for school-community connections more on the school than on the parents, and acknowledging the knowledge and skills of low-income parents. These ideas are illustrated in the Educational and Community Change Project in Tucson (Arizona). (SLD)