This paper provides a review of public policies affecting the quality of early childhood services for low-income families, focusing on the federally funded Head Start program, federally supported child care, and preschools operated with state education dollars. The characteristics of high quality programs are defined as including: basic health and…

This document contains a progress report on three categories of interim performance objectives outlined by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) in winter 1999. These objectives were to: (1) improve customer service; (2) reduce the overall cost of delivering student aid; and (3) transform the OSFA into a performance-based organization.…

This review examines ways in which institutions and agencies act as barriers to paternal involvement, particularly for unmarried fathers and fathers of color. These fathers are frequently portrayed as unwilling, uninterested parents who must be forced by the government to take responsibility for their children, and this perspective lays the…

The linkage between conjugal violence and substance abuse is well established. The evidence suggests that little coordination exists among the therapeutic communities positioned to treat co-existing problems. A survey was conducted in Quebec with professionals representing 57 substance abuse treatment centers, 38 of which were public. Questions…

Colonias--unincorporated, low-income settlements endemic to the U.S. borderlands--have inadequate infrastructure and dismal living conditions, but also provide a creative solution to the housing dilemma faced by many border families. Colonias are most common in Texas and New Mexico, primarily as a result of weak rural planning laws, and are…

This issue of WIN (Welfare Information Network) Issue Notes raises some major issues that agencies may want to address as they consider expanding collaborative efforts. It describes collaborative efforts and identifies resources that could prove useful in designing successful collaborations. Section 1 offers background. Section 2 answers these…

This paper describes a study designed to explore the learning environments of doctoral and master's degree counselor education programs. Counselor educators (N=8) from four states were interviewed; four Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) programs were represented. The focus of counselor education at…

This policy brief identifies and describes the provisions of the proposed regulation describing the responsibilities of a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency to design and operate the state VR program as an integral component of the statewide workforce investment system, as envisioned by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The…

This document presents the annual report of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, for 1998-1999, and contains the following: (1) Message from Commission Chair Leon Baradat; (2) Message from Executive Director David B. Wolf; (3) Commission Actions: Member Institutions, which…

Beginning in the fall of 1999, all programs of the Child and Youth Services Administration of the District of Columbia Commission on Mental Health Services were ordered to implement a performance improvement plan. This report looks at how successful one clinic was in improving performance in one year. The objectives were to: (1) increase the…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" identifies and discusses issues of concern regarding financial support for parent members of Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs). Information gathered via letters, conversations, and interviews with parent ICC members from around the country is summarized. The article consists of six…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" describes some of the ways in which parents are learning to speak out on behalf of young children and their families being served through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part H early intervention programs. The document consists of four sections in which parents share…

This monograph presents a comprehensive, community-based framework to support individuals, agencies, and communities in efforts to improve the well-being of children and youth. The monograph, with accompanying executive summary, features five childhood needs and describes promising strategies for meeting those needs. Chapter 1 of the monograph…

This article provides insight into the California state budget process and gives an overview of California's growing deficit. The author examines the decline in personal income gained from stock options and capital gains as a means of illustrating the economic factors that resulted in a $28 billion deficit. Next, the author turns his attention to…

This final report presents an overview and description of a federally-funded model demonstration project that focused on the delivery of comprehensive services to developmentally delayed infants in rural areas. Efforts during the first year of the project (FY 1982) focused on the development of processes and procedures for establishing community…