In this "Equity by Design" brief, the authors describe the F.a.M.I.L.Y (Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round) Project and discuss the Project's importance and impact on Black girls and their caregivers. The brief ends with a discussion of strategies implemented during the F.a.M.I.L.Y Project to create a holistic…

Infants and toddlers account for a disproportionate percentage of children diagnosed with cancer. These young children and their families benefit when infant and early childhood mental health is recognized as vital and integrated with medical treatment. Such interventions are beneficial for supporting families in coping when cancer is the only…

The challenges presented by the growing prevalence, burden, and unmet service needs of youth mental health problems are formidable. During the past decade, scholars and other stakeholders of the Missouri Prevention Center (MPC) have been using a prevention and implementation science approach to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate…

Pediatric health care practices are ideal settings within which to provide vital screenings, support, and parent education to families of infants and toddlers. HealthySteps (HS) uses an integrated, relationship-based approach to deliver a range of services and supports such as anticipatory guidance, developmental and behavioral screenings,…

As one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the United States, Boston Children's Hospital serves a wide range of children and provides top quality medical care, including a program for deaf and hard of hearing children that extends services beyond the medical scope. Within this program is a unique and particularly critical position--that of…

In this three-part article, Molly O'Shaughnessy gives the first principles that break down the myths of poverty and discusses the actual community partnerships that impact the poverty cycle and make Montessori education accessible for all children. Next, Connie Black writes about the education process and outreach programs at the Montessori Center…

This paper deals with the implementation of integrated services providing early support for young children and their families. The integration of services is considered to have highly positive effects on the development of children and on the prevention of child neglect and maltreatment. Therefore, childcare centres have been developed into family…

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how a large comprehensive family and consumer sciences unit has incorporated sustainability into its curriculum and research agenda. It summarizes how each area within the department (Interior Design, Apparel Design and Merchandising, Consumer Affairs, Family Studies, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food…

Chronic shortages of health, social service, and mental health professionals in rural areas necessitate creative partnerships in support of families. Cooperative extension professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences and community health nurses, who can bring critical skills to human services teams, are introduced as trusted professionals in…

A shortage of well-prepared professionals imposes limits on access to comprehensive and effective early intervention services to deaf and hard of hearing children. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act expects states to ensure that professionals working with infants and toddlers have relevant skills, however, there are very few…

Best practice in the early childhood special education field supports the inclusion of young children with special needs in natural learning environments, that is, in programs where children without disabilities of the same age and their families participate. Consequently, early childhood teacher education programs must prepare professionals to…

Planning youth and family programming in the 21st century is daunting given family members' busy schedules. This is even more challenging when planning programs in rural areas, where there are vast distances between communities. This article discusses a research and educational outreach project that uses best practices in program development…

Postpartum depression (PPD) has an impact on the entire family. The authors describe a model of intervention that emphasizes the family system and includes mothers, fathers, and children in the treatment of PPD. The intervention is provided by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a psychiatrist, social worker, child psychologist, and therapists.…

A university-community collaborative initiative to provide an interdisciplinary approach to personnel preparation is described. Twelve students (i.e., undergraduate, graduate) from various academic disciplines participated in early intervention coursework and practical experiences. Specifically, students were prepared to provide early intervention…

Family members provide the majority of care for individuals with disabilities in the United States. There is growing recognition that family caregiving deserves and may require societal support, and evidence-based practices have been established for reducing stress associated with caregiving. A substantial research literature on family support has…