Pediatricians can play a role in promoting family literacy. Boston City Hospital has developed a model program that integrates family literacy into pediatric primary care, and has designed a program of research to evaluate its effects. The program has three components. In the waiting room, volunteers model for parents how to listen, question,…

This report consists of brief descriptions of projects that, for the most part, are current or were completed in the last 3 years by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. The first section, "Problem-Oriented Services for Children and Families," describes 27 studies involving children's problems and the systems…

This document contains 10 commissioned papers presented at a research design symposium on family literacy. It also contains a summary of the symposium, which was structured around five themes: assumptions and perceptions about family literacy; what we know from research and practice and how we know it; defining the characteristics of family…

This double issue of the journal "Report" focuses on the collaboration among seven social service systems that support and serve children and families. Each of the sections discusses one of the seven systems, presents an overview essay, and profiles programs that execute the service. The first section, on education, emphasizes linkages…

This final report describes a program that developed and prepared a cadre of more than 120 Education Service District staff to become trainers, technical assistance providers, and expert resources in the provision of services to young children (ages 0-8) who are medically fragile or dependent on medical technology for their well being, and their…

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local governments, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle will be a series of reports, based on a series…

In order to provide specialists and families with regular feedback on client change, to enhance the clinical decision-making skills of family specialists, and to provide target groups with information related to program effectiveness, a 12-week plan to improve outcome measures and evaluation protocol in a preservation and reunification program was…

The Bryan Independent School District's (Texas) Parent Education Partnership Program (PEPP) is designed to "empower all families through information, training, and support to enhance the parent-child relationship within the context of the home, school, and community to assure healthy, productive members of society." The 1994-1995 program…

Family service providers cannot afford not to get involved in advocating for family-friendly public policy, in the face of legislation that jeopardizes family programs. Designed for community-based program providers, this guide asserts the importance of advocacy for families at the state and federal legislature level. Sections of the guide are:…

A staff development project created a series of family science activities to be used in adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) and family literacy programs and a training guide for staff and volunteers. The training guide provides background principles and concepts for science activities. The activities identify materials and indicate ways the…

The need to develop "family capital" (the attributes and skills that enable families to carry out their economic, social, and nurturing functions) in inner-city neighborhoods is the focus of this background briefing report. Part I of the report describes the characteristics and causes of distressed communities and their impact on families, and…

The relationship between housing and family well-being and self-sufficiency are explored in this paper's three major sections. The first section provides background information on the relationship between housing and the physical and social well-being of individuals and families and describes the major federal housing initiatives that have been…

This paper synthesizes research, theories, and practical knowledge from developmental psychology and sociology to provide a basis for understanding, planning, and implementing effective and supportive partnerships between human-services providers and families. A family-centered approach is a process for delivering services to families, a…

One approach to promote partnerships between parents and schools and parents' involvement in a child's literacy development is to instruct parents through a workshop about literacy development and how to develop a portfolio of their child's literacy development reflecting literacy behavior at home. Parents of prekindergarten students in one public…

This conference paper discusses the highlights of a 3-year evaluation of an Illinois program designed to provide community-based supports and services for youth with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Five sites were funded and information was collected on 215 youth and their families. All sites received training and technical assistance on…