More than half of poor African American infants are born into "fragile families" and nearly half grow up in single-mother families with little or no father involvement. However, most prenatal interventions fail to help unmarried mothers talk and plan together with their baby's father, especially when fathers are nonresidential. This…

Data about the quality of attachment between infants and parents in high-risk populations suggests that early intervention may be advantageous for positive developmental outcomes for the child. Mothers in prison represent a high-risk parenting population in terms of both attachment histories and economic and social risk factors. New Beginnings was…

Noting that the demands and expectations of parents worldwide have shifted tremendously over the last 20 years, and that parents' ability to fulfill their parental roles will affect their communities as well as their own children, this booklet examines programming for parents that is designed to support young children's development, and discusses…

This theme issue of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Newsletter" is devoted to approaches to working with disadvantaged children up to 3 years of age. An introduction describes the crucial period from before birth to 3 years, noting that although the mother's body provides the an essential part of the environment, other easily…

Describes the use of the instant camera as a tool for counseling families of infants who fail to thrive. Taking photographs was enjoyable for the family and provided insight into family relationships for the therapist. It also provided continuity of motivation. (JAC)

Describes the IMCIPE Project (Incarcerated Mothers and Children: Impact of Prison Environments) which investigates the experiences of incarcerated mothers whose children live with them in Mother and Baby Units and incarcerated mothers who are separated from their children; the impact of the prison environment on mother-child relationships; and…

Presents current developments concerning nursing bottle caries--"baby bottle tooth decay"--and spotlights a program funded by Head Start to reduce the prevalence of these painful and disfiguring, but preventable, children's dental diseases among American Indians and Alaska Native families. (Author/BB)

Discusses the stress placed on families by nonsoothable crying infants, and describes a CrySOS clinic which was designed to help parents cope. Theoretical and empirical backgrounds are presented, as well as procedures followed at a typical first visit and some current developments. (JAC)

Describes an effective, cost-efficient method of intervention with families of failure-to-thrive infants which employs supervised social work students to model nurturing and provide support services to mothers. (Author)

This study hypothesized that mothers from a low socioeconomic area could be trained by teachers to implement an infant tutorial program using their 1- to 2-year-old children as subjects. The 20 mothers recruited were ADC recipients or met the OEO poverty definition. Mothers agreed to attend a 2 hour weekly class to learn teaching techniques to be…

Because children who enter school with a previously undetected learning handicap often become caught in a cycle of school failure, the Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP) provides comprehensive diagnostic and educational services for 225 families with preschool children. (CS)

This paper describes the Family Development Project which is aimed at developing a systematic model of parenting support for new families and evaluating its effects on family development. The project focuses on Parenting Groups consisting of 6 to 10 couples who meet together as soon after delivery as possible, weekly for 6 weeks, and monthly for 4…

Community-based parenting education programs have a unique role to play in the promotion of infant mental health. In contrast to classes that seek to accelerate child development, the author describes enrichment programs that promote parent-child bonding and healthy social and emotional development. The ParentSource program was developed on the…

This document reports on the Family Development Project which is aimed at developing a systematic model of parenting support for new families and evaluating its effects on family development. Parenting groups of six to ten couples begin meeting about six to eight weeks after delivery and meet weekly for six weeks, then monthly for four more…

This booklet describes the kinds of child care arrangements parents can currently make for children under three years of age. Some of the essential features of these arrangements are discussed: continuity of care, safe environments, consistency in parent and caregiver child-rearing values, stimulation for the children, social play, and some…