New mothers returning to academic studies face many barriers. One of these barriers -- the continuation of breastfeeding -- can be particularly challenging. Breastfeeding is integral to the health of both mother and infant, underscoring several important tenants of the Catholic ethos; however, the literature indicates a significant number of…

Child- and family-serving programs in community-based settings wield tremendous power for improving the lives of infants and toddlers. In this article, three authors, from Ohio, Montana, and Sierra Leone, describe the principles of adaptive leadership and will share their real-world applications. Their stories explore critical questions for…

Because fathers are clearly important to family well-being, including fathers in services for families seems a straightforward idea. How hard can it be? Yet across health, education, and welfare services it is still mothers who attend and engage on behalf of their infants and children. The Family Action Centre, located on the east coast of…

Prison nursery programs allow departments of correction to positively intervene in the lives of both incarcerated mothers and their infant children. The number of prison nurseries in the United States has risen dramatically in the past decade, yet there remains a significant gap between predominant correctional policy in this area and what is…

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…

The effectiveness of an educational intervention program in increasing the parenting skills and knowledge of adolescents with infants was evaluated. The early part of the program consisted of an "informal" group which received individual counseling without a formal curriculum. This group consisted of 29 mothers whose babies were two months of age,…

To assess consistency between maternal and professional assessment of child performance, 31 mothers of disabled children (6-36 months old) participating in an intervention program completed measures of infant development, behavior, and characteristics. Maternal and staff assessments were found to be highly similar. Implications for programs are…

Project ESPIRIT (Educational System in Parenting for the Retarded with Infants and Toddlers) has provided home based services to 25 at risk children of mentaly retarded parents. Assessments performed at home are followed by development of individualized educational programs for both child and parent. Suggestions are given for establishing such a…

A child born in Japan, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, or any of 12 other industrialized nations has a better chance of surviving his or her first year than does a child born in the United States. This is because too many babies are born too small, too many are born too soon, and too many mothers never get decent care…

An annotated listing is presented of projects offering maternal and child health care services. These projects, referred to as special projects of regional and national significance (SPRANS), are supported by the Office of Maternal and Child Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. The first section provides information on services…

This special report provides answers to six fundamental questions on prenatal cocaine exposure: (1) What problems do drug-exposed newborns have? (2) How many of these children are there? (3) How do we get pregnant women to avoid drugs and alcohol? (4) What should be done to help the families of substance abusers? (5) How do drug-exposed children…

Health and communications experts from Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and South Vietnam met in Manila for two weeks of workshop sessions to discuss communication strategies and to develop educational materials for the promotion of family health. The overall aim of the workshop was to encourage the production of educational…

Reviews literature on prenatal drug abuse to (1) estimate mothers' drug use and exposure of infants; (2) document the relationship between prenatal drug use and adverse birth outcomes; and (3) examine effects of maternal drug use on birth defects. Argues for more treatment facilities and greater prevention efforts. (SLD)

This annotated bibliography provides references of practical use to those concerned with infant/toddler caregiving. While many of the works cited concern quality group care for infants and toddlers, some works cited deal specifically with parenting, the parent/child relationship, and activities parents may share with their very young children. In…

Presents the ideas and educational activities of the TRIANGLE intervention program for both hearing-impaired or deaf infants and their mothers. The program encourages children's integration into the community and into school, offers classes on everyday learning activities at home, provides counseling and audiological assessment for parents and…