Ignorance, misinformation, and a failure to personalize the risk for acquisition of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus has created a situation in which the incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) seroprevalence among minority childbearing women in a Florida county is increasing. An increased incidence in this population…

Thousands of children run away from home or placements each year. The many programs for these children require evaluation to determine effectiveness; one runaway program for at-risk children is examined here. It was felt that if the runaway youth could receive some counseling, then it might help these children and families to solve some of their…

A practicum, carried out at a Head Start program in a large southern United States school district, was designed to use inservice training and print and video resources to help Head Start teachers and parents become more knowledgeable about the Head Start Policy Council (HSPC), which involves parents in the decision making in the Head Start…

An educational specialist employed as a learning consultant to schools in a seashore resort community planned and implemented a practicum study intended to address problems in the prekindergarten screening process of the community's primary school. Practicum goals were to: (1) identify children who would benefit from prekindergarten intervention;…

This paper describes a practicum designed to create a system that would help both counselors and teachers in the process of defining and identifying at-risk students and documenting interventions used with them before referring them for special education assessment. An inservice explaining the process was designed and presented to teachers.…

The goals of this practicum were to help teachers of at-risk kindergarten children become more knowledgeable of developmentally appropriate practices for 5-year-olds, and to research, define, and translate appropriate literacy development theory into practical application strategies for teachers. A needs assessment survey was developed and…

This report details a program design for improving fine arts instruction among at-risk students. The participants were in a second and third grade bilingual class and a first-through third-grade learning disabled and behavior disordered class in an at-risk elementary school along with a heterogeneous fourth-grade class in a neighboring Midwest…

Runaways are rapidly becoming one of the highest at risk populations for contracting and spreading the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus. This practicum was therefore designed to provide an AIDS policy and awareness training for the employees of a state-licensed and federally recognized center for troubled and runaway youth. Its…

A certified teacher and preschool parent involvement coordinator working in a parochial school designed and implemented a practicum study designed to increase children's success in school and improve the ability of parents and teachers to work effectively with preschoolers. The practicum intervention involved a commitment from the school's…

A day care director of a center sponsored by a metropolitan medical center designed and implemented a practicum study to address the lack of a system for identifying and assessing high-risk children. The practicum was also intended to develop a program which would respond to teachers' concerns for children with special needs and obtain positive…

In order to provide specialists and families with regular feedback on client change, to enhance the clinical decision-making skills of family specialists, and to provide target groups with information related to program effectiveness, a 12-week plan to improve outcome measures and evaluation protocol in a preservation and reunification program was…

This practicum was designed to provide an alternative setting for those handicapped adjudicated youths (ages 9-16) who, because of antisocial acts, behavioral/emotional problems, learning disabilities, attendance problems, and other reasons, were excluded from the mainstreamed setting. The practicum sought to enhance the cooperative efforts of the…

This compilation presents background information and a resource directory concerning the growing dilemma of crack-exposed infants. Information on the incidence of crack use among women of child-bearing age is reviewed. The effects of crack on young children are outlined, and ways in which parents, educators, and other professionals can help these…

A practicum was designed to provide an intervention for preschoolers who were at risk for academic difficulties. A developmentally appropriate curriculum was used to increase the developmental levels of the children, and training was provided to parents to enhance their parenting skills and knowledge, and consequently to guarantee the stability of…

The problem of families' limited access to community early childhood services and information was addressed in this practicum. Negative outcomes for young children and their families in a northeastern city were attributed to difficulties in locating and providing services for the developmental needs of children between birth and age 5. The…