This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introduction notes that the guiding principles for the development of the recommended practices involved having families choose their extent of decision making involvement, and giving the IFSP or IEP document secondary importance to the development process. Other principles guiding the development of the recommended practices include: belief in collaboration among families and service providers; desire to eliminate the bureaucracy in the process; expectation of positive, growth-enhancing opportunities for team members; strong preference for quality, inclusive services; and a vision of family choice in the sources and delivery of services. Six components for IFSP and IEP indicators are also discussed: (1) IFSP and IEP teams should be broadly constituted and team members should be prepared for their roles; (2) IFSP and IEP development and selection of the service coordinator should be individualized; (3) documents should be individualized; (4) documents must be dynamic and responsive to changes in the child and family; (5) documents belong to the family; and (6) evaluation and monitoring of IFSP/IEP implementation should be a vehicle for the constant improvement of services. Forty-one recommended practices are then listed, focusing on the IFSP/IEP process and state and local monitoring. (JDD)