Early childhood is a critical time for cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Many states have invested in comprehensive early childhood care and education systems that offer a wide range of supports and services to families from the prenatal period through school entry. Home visiting programs are an important component of state early…

Points out that successful telephone hotlines for children share several common denominators, including a pro-family philosophy, the use of highly trained volunteers, a sensitivity to cultural and language differences, and other administrative and legal factors. Advocates the establishment of a national children's help line. (BB)

The purpose of this paper is to summarize current trends in child abuse prevention and to provide program administrators and policymakers with guidelines for implementing successful new parent programs in their communities. Contents address: (1) the scope of the child abuse problem; (2) a theoretical framework or conceptual model for use in…

Traditional mental health approaches for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders often fail to yield successful results. However, one method, Multisystemic Therapy (MST), which represents a departure from traditional treatment strategies, is described. MST was designed to provide communities with affordable and effective remedies for…

This guide presents profiles of 26 state, regional, and local programs that have been effective in meeting the needs of students with emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families. Each of the programs reflects in varying degrees the care value, principles, and framework developed by the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP).…

In 1993, the Community Research Group (CRG) at the University of Virginia was provided the opportunity to gather systematic information on parent education and family support programs for the prevention of abuse and neglect throughout Virginia. Based on the group's research into 25 distinct parenting programs, this book outlines an empowering…

This report reviews the impact of substance abuse and mental health problems among the adolescent population, examines the research issues and treatment delivery system, identifies model modalities and programs to address the needs of adolescents, and makes practical recommendations on the implementation of effective treatment methods for youths.…

Discusses guidelines for providing quality direct services to Head Start families. Suggests that nonjudgmental attitudes, empathy, instruction, reinforcement, shaping, removal of barriers, contracting referral, advocacy, and other helping skills permit effective direct services. Proposes FNA (family needs assessment) as a valuable tool with which…

A literature review of parent training programs on treating young children with behavioral problems indicates most programs used a social learning approach and that overall, the Eyberg and Webster-Stratton models held promise for direct service providers working with behavioral difficulties. Factors that influence a program's success are…

This is volume three of a six-volume guide to the establishment and management of a comprehensive family-support program. This volume explains the role played by evaluation in the evolution of family-support and family-education services, introduces key aspects and important considerations in planning an evaluation, and discusses how to choose a…

Minnesota's Family Service Collaboratives and Children's Initiative Partners encourage cooperation between communities and schools to improve the health of babies and children, increase school readiness, provide stable family environments, and promote basic academic skills. To fulfill the evaluation needs of these programs, this resource manual…

This user's guide for professionals using Project Lifelong Learning staff development modules is designed to accompany the documentary on lifelong learning in the family, one of three half-hour television documentary programs intended for broadcast and for general public discussion activities. It introduces the project, the purpose of which is to…

For children with disabilities, children at risk, and even for healthy infants and toddlers born into well-functioning families, support and early intervention can foster optimal growth and development. Based upon the underlying principle that the most effective interventions incorporate flexible, client-centered approaches with the client-service…

This document explains the advantages of afterschool programs for students and describes the components that make them successful. The major benefits from such programs are increased safety for children, a reduction in risk taking among children participating, and improved learning. Among the elements that characterize high quality afterschool…

Bullying is the most prevalent form of violence in American schools. In their new book "Bullying Prevention," authors Pamela Orpinas and Andy Horne bring together years of experience in research and applied behavioral sciences to show how educators, school psychologists, counselors, and other professionals can address the problem of bullying and…