Few issues confound child care policy more than the fact that very large numbers of mothers work evenings, overnight, or weekend hours when fewer child care programs operate. The authors interviewed 50 single Chicago mothers with nontraditional work hours about their experiences finding and using child care. Participants' responses addressed…

Finding high-quality infant care continues to be challenging for many families. Such challenges are even greater for single mothers with limited resources and English language skills. Several years ago, this challenge formed the basis for an urban, center-based program called the Pregnant-Mothers Support Group (PSG). The PSG served single,…

The present study investigated the association of mothers' marriage and changes in young adolescents' cognitive and socioemotional development and changes in family processes. Analyses employed longitudinal data from the "Three-City Study" to track maternal partnerships for 860 low-income adolescents (10-14 years-old in Wave 1) across a…

For many decades communities have been troubled by the criminal activities of youth gangs. This report looks at almost 30 years of information collected on gang problems in nearly 4,000 communities. The number of localities reporting gang problems increased between the 1970s and the 1990s, representing a tenfold increase in the number of cities…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of living in dual parent or single parent families on the school readiness of preschool children. The subjects were 40 prekindergarten children attending a program for at-risk children in a suburban school district. The results of an annual preschool screening test were utilized to determine…

Surveyed 207 parents who were using the Transitional Child Care subsidy 6 months after leaving welfare to examine their characteristics and demographics and illustrate the life circumstances they faced. Findings suggest that income, erratic schedules, and ages of children contribute to the complexities parents face in accessing and using child day…

In Phase I of this project, a model delivery system was developed to provide marketable skills and supportive services for 16-20 single parents and/or homemakers residing in the rural southern five counties of Illinois. During this phase of the project, which lasted from January to June 1986, the assessment procedures and criteria from which the…

This annual report details the effectiveness of the state's program in preparing at-risk children for kindergarten and the early grades in Illinois. Divided into six areas, the report presents statistical data to describe the following: (1) program participants; (2) change in program participation since its inception in 1986; (3) program's ability…

A workplace literacy project had two goals: (1) to improve the productivity and efficiency of the manufacturing industry in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois, by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers who lack the basic skills required for their jobs; and (2) to improve educational programs to meet manufacturing industry needs by…

The project described in this report was designed to provide a delivery system serving single parents/homemakers by developing a strong network among the area's social service providers and project collaborators that could be sustained following termination of project funding (June 30, 1987). During the first phase of the project, plans were made…

This qualitative study of how parents teach their children to excel academically in the African American community seeks to establish the validity of the pedagogical practices of working class African American families by investigating the educational leadership of two families on Chicago's south side. The study acknowledges the significance of…

A study of the implementation of the Perkins Act in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin was conducted by women's education and employment advocates. State officials, service providers, and program participants involved in the sex equity provisions were interviewed and reports were reviewed. Among the findings were the following: (1) in all three…

This report provides information about special populations in Illinois as well as information about services and programs designed to serve these targeted groups. It addresses the needs, services, and resources for making vocational education programs accessible to the populations identified at both the federal and state levels for targeted…

While most programs for prospective teenage parents address the obvious and immediate needs of the parents - prenatal care, nutrition, delivery, and financial assistance - the purpose of this paper, one of several reports forming a comprehensive policy study of early childhood education, is to identify the problems associated with teenage…