Parents and guardians are the first individuals who impact a child's daily life. However, no single person is responsible for the growth and development of a nation's children. Collaboration is critical to a successful community-based program. One often hears the phrase, taken from an African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child. The…

This paper discusses ways in which communities can enhance a family's ability to foster learning in the first 3 years of their child's life so that the child will be academically, emotionally, and socially competent in the transition to preschool and school. The paper focuses on model community-based programs that serve high risk families with…