This document provides a historical framework for better understanding the emergence of community-based family support and education (CBFSE) programs, their place within the larger service delivery system, and their potential for meeting the needs of children and families living in poverty. The paper is organized into five sections. The first section outlines the core characteristics and underlying premises of the movement. The second section traces a history of CBFSE programs from the early nineteenth century to the present, including an examination of the continuities and discontinuities in underlying purposes and assumptions, social forces stimulating intervention efforts, and approaches to working with families. The third section focuses on the evolution of program evaluation in the field from the late 1960s to the present, approaches to research design and measurement, interpretation of data from selected studies, and current evaluation issues. The fourth section examines emerging patterns of organization and institutionalization among CBFSE programs, patterns of sponsorship and funding, states that are attempting to develop coherent strategies for program development, and related issues. The fifth section outlines the major policy, programmatic, and research issues for upcoming years. Includes 172 references. (JB)