The document describes the Family Treatment Unit, a demonstration program to provide a variety of family treatment services to status offenders (11 to 17 years old) and their families. The goals of the program are: (1) to provide family services to families of status offenders; (2) to maintain status offenders in their natural homes by…

Success in school and life are more dependent than ever before on literacy skills. Within the context of California's Proposition 10, the "Children and Families First Act," this report provides practical, and to the extent possible, evidence-based guidelines for considering strategies to promote children's development relevant to…

California's Proposition 10, the "Children and Families Act," has targeted three general areas for improvement in support of families and young children: improved family functioning, improved child development, and improved child health. Proposition 10 views parents as critical to the development of young children. Noting that parent…

Noting that the focus of early intervention has expanded to include family-oriented programs and services, this report proposes a framework for evaluating outcomes for families. The framework is offered as a vehicle for further discussion and is based on current values, theories, and models of family functioning, and relationships between families…

Noting that prevention is the key to healthy development of the youngest children in Illinois, the Birth to Three Project is working to develop a comprehensive, coordinated system of services for expecting families and children under 3 years of age. This progress report details the first year implementation of the All Our Kids (AOK): Birth to…

Critical to the success of initiatives to reform and restructure educational and community services to improve the lives of children is the way in which they are financed. This report explores the movement toward privatization through contracting in managing, financing, and delivering child and family social services and provides a conceptual…

In preparation for reauthorization of Even Start and other Federal education programs, these hearings transcripts recount testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce concerning the Even Start and family literacy programs. Testimony was presented by: (1) the president of the National Center for Family Literacy, giving…

Describes the Living in Family Environments (LIFE) program in Michigan, which is designed to improve the socioeconomic status of families receiving welfare while offering children with developmental disabilities the chance to lead more normal lives in a home environment. (BB)

Data relating to 2,768 children served by the SKI*HI model of early, home-based programming for children with hearing impairments revealed that SKI*HI children, on average, were identified by 18 months of age, had higher rates of language development during intervention than prior to intervention, and had greater language gains than expected based…

This article describes the reflective process component of a multisite study of the effectiveness of family-focused, developmentally supportive care with low birthweight infants. Reflection is felt to be of particular value to developmental care because of the nature of the developmental approach itself, which is theory-guided, relationship-based,…

Discusses issues raised in three workshops organized by the Board on Children and Families devoted to childcare for low-income families. The workshops sought to distill the available information from current research, examine the current status of the childcare delivery system, and consider promising directions for future research. The conclusions…

A survey of 180 early intervention professionals found significant discrepancies between current and ideal family involvement in early intervention programs, specifically in parent involvement in decisions about child assessment; parent participation in assessment, team meetings, and decision making; and provision of family services. Barriers to…

Introduces theme issue on assessing outcomes in children's services, based on presentations given at a conference in September 1997. Articles in Part 1 deal with assessing outcomes for services to all children in need. Articles in Part 2 focus on initiatives in Britain and elsewhere related to the Looking After Children project, dealing with…

Comments from parents such as, "It's nice to work with someone who understands how complicated my life is"; "I know when I make a decision about my child, my home visitor will respect it"; "Now, I feel like I can help my child learn"; and "I enjoy being with my child so much" are great to hear. These types of comments let early interventionists…

With the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193) of 1996, also known as the Welfare-to-Work Act, Aid to Families with Dependent Children was abolished and replaced with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). A new system of block grants to states for TANF was created, changing the…