This book is designed to provide a broad range of information on family structure and function in an increasingly multicultural society, family system characteristics and the implications for intervention, communication development in the family context, the nature and delivery of family centered-services, specific requirements of Public Law…

Schools in San Antonio, Texas, need to make changes to make life work better for San Antonio's students, to improve their learning, and to help them become happier and more productive students. Schools must take children where they are and work with their circumstances. San Antonio is failing to provide students with the learning and development…

This newsletter issue focuses on the issues surrounding and benefits of childcare that actively involves the family. Articles include: (1) "The Working Parents' Dilemma"; (2) "The Consortium of Family Organizations"; (3) "Children's Services: Directions for the Future"; (4) "Implementing Strategic Policies for…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood in the area of family participation in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introduction to the quality indicators points out…

This booklet presents excerpts from a discussion by a panel of educators and policymakers brought together by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), an organization that addresses human development needs through education, communication, and information. Participants shared their experiences in creating opportunities and procedures which…

This monograph provides a framework for programs, states, and organizations to think about the issues in developing culturally competent programs for families of children with special needs, and offers a variety of examples from programs across the country that are providing exemplary services. The monograph is designed to help program makers…

A series of self-study questions is presented to examine policy and practice issues important in developing culturally competent programs for children with special needs and their families. Cultural competence refers to a program's ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, and behaviors both of families who are…

This final report describes a project in Vermont which developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a program development model for establishing new, and for improving existing, comprehensive early childhood special education services to young (birth to 5 years) children with disabilities and their families in rural settings. The model…

This book focuses on the use of common, everyday materials, some of which can be obtained easily for use in hands-on-science activities. Major emphasis is placed on starter activities designed to prompt children to ask "why" or "what would happen if" type questions about science events. This guide aims to meet the need for actively involving…

A study attempted to determine the validity of Jean Epstein's contention that "words about the importance of parent involvement are meaningless without financial and technical support." A survey questionnaire was mailed to 197 individuals (including all 50 state superintendents of education) and 38 individuals suggested by respondents.…

Parents need to be involved in the academic lives and the literacy learning of their children. Literature is a natural way to involve parents in the process. Through a thematic unit on families, students learn about themselves and their families. Students read books with a family theme and work in literature circles on projects, papers, and…

This publication presents papers and reprints of articles aimed at family members of persons with mental illnesses. After an introductory chapter, the second chapter reviews definitions of mental illness, and discusses what is known about medicating such conditions as well as the relationship of substance abuse to mental illness. The next chapter…

The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the participation of farm women in farm work in one California country. Women from 228 farms, approximately 55 percent of the farms in Yolo County, California, were interviewed by telephone concerning their efforts and roles on the family farm. The study found that the main criterion of whether or…

This issue of the Family Resource Coalition Report focuses on Hispanic families. The articles and authors are the following: (1) Voices and Issues: A Celebration of Hispanic Diversity, M. Aranda; (2) Some Facts in Understanding Latino Families, J. Hernandez; (3) Invisibility in the Data, Invisibility in the Policy: The Latino Family and Public…

The Delaware FIRST Program is designed to meet the needs of handicapped infants and toddlers through trained family day care providers. The program is based on a developmental family systems approach. It strives to provide families with ongoing support by offering mainstreamed family day care or respite care, by developing and/or facilitating an…