Head Start programs engage parents to support children's growth from birth through age 5 through services that promote early learning and development, health, and family well-being. These programs specifically seek to assist families with low incomes and families facing a variety of other adversities. To foster positive child and family outcomes,…

To examine the impact of developmental monitoring on child referrals, a retrospective data review, comparing seven pilot programs with seven matched controls in Special Supplemental Nutrition Programs for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was completed. Pilot programs were trained on developmental monitoring and how to refer families to their…

This study examines how individuals assess administrative burdens and how these views change over time within the context of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides food to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under age five. Using interview data from the Baby's First…

This report examined the economic and demographic characteristics of infants and toddlers, how these characteristics changed between 1980 and 1990, and the percentage of the infant and toddler population served by federal early childhood programs. This examination of census and other data found that during the 1980s, the number of poor infants and…

Large percentages of preschool children in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia live in poverty and receive no benefits from society's "safety nets." County estimates for unemployment and per capita income (1985-1987) indicate that economic conditions are most severe in central West Virginia, eastern Kentucky,…

This paper examines federal requirements which promote parent involvement in day care, particularly in services for children under 3 years of age. The rationale for parent participation in poverty programs for children is discussed from three perspectives--political, economic, and socio-psychological--and Project Head Start's application of this…

This report contains summaries by representatives of major federal agencies of the ways in which their programs relate to children. Generally, each reporting agency provides a brief description of programs, information on authorizing legislation, appropriations and any recent program modifications as well as names of any programs that have been…

As part of a commitment to eliminate child poverty, the British government has established Sure Start programs across the country. Sure Start programs are very similar to U.S. Early Head Start initiatives; their stated aim is to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged families and children before and from birth. The article describes…

A consideration of nutrition and intellectual growth opens with a glossary of 12 terms and two reports on hunger in America, one by J.L. Frost and B.L. Payne, the other by the Citizens' Board of Inquiry into Hunger and Malnutrition. Included are articles on nutrition and intellectual development in children, by M. Winick; maternal diet, growth,…

This booklet provides data on a series of related measures of child and family well-being in Indiana, following national guidelines established by the Kids Count project to help Americans better understand the problems faced by children and adolescents and to foster greater commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and their…

This Kids Count report is the second in a series examining statewide trends in the well-being of Indiana's children. After an introduction and an explanation of the statistics, sections of the statistical report contain data on several indicators of well-being: (1) Indiana's children and their families, including population estimates, ethnicity,…

This Kids Count report is the third in a series examining statewide trends in the well-being of Indiana's children. The report combines statistics of special concern in Indiana with 10 national Kids Count well-being indicators: (1) percent low birthweight; (2) infant mortality rate; (3) child death rate; (4) birth rate to unmarried teens ages 15…