Based on the finding that the most important determinant of child care quality is the presence of consistent, well-trained, and well-compensated caregivers, this report discusses strategies to improve compensation in child care. It analyzes structural and social barriers to investing in decent-paying child care jobs; profiles a wide range of…

A hearing was held on H.R. 4086, the Youth Development Block Grant of 1993, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Constance A. Morella (Maryland) and Donald M. Payne (New Jersey). The purpose of the initiative was to expand community-based youth development programs for youth aged 6 to 19 years. The bill was supported by the National…

This booklet emphasizes the importance of National Education Goal 1, which states that all children should be ready to learn when they start school. The booklet also explains the educational and social effects that early childhood programs can have on young children, and shows how the Nebraska State Board of Education, citizen groups, and school…

Noting that as many as 15 million elementary school children are regularly left without adult supervision for several hours after school each day until an adult returns home from work, this book focuses on what is happening and what could happen to latchkey children in terms of the community as a whole, as well as in regard to public libraries.…

This book chapter puts community-based rehabilitation and community-based instruction in an historical perspective by describing a number of influential social, political, legal, technological, and philosophical factors that have shaped contemporary special and regular education. The characteristics of community-based instruction, community-based…

This report describes visits of two Americans to Bratislava, (Slovakia) and Prague (Czech Republic) as part of a larger project providing technical assistance to improve the care and services for children with special needs in these countries. A summary of the Bratislava visit lists people met and places visited (with a brief description of each…

In many school districts, student services and instructional programs designed to address youth risk behaviors have tended to operate in isolation due to their being organized around categorical funding and professional disciplines. The framework outlined here is a multistrategy approach which seeks to organize schools' efforts to address the…

Collectively, Pakistanis, Indians, and Bangladeshis form the largest ethnic minority group (4,129) in Edinburgh, Scotland (43% according to 1991 Census figures). Current local provision of education for adult members of the three communities was reviewed. Needs and preferences in terms of educational content, approach, and location were identified…

To address the needs of at-risk black males the Positive Impact Program (PIP) was organized. Teachers and parents were asked to refer black boys in kindergarten through eighth grade who exhibited low self-esteem; lack of motivation; poor academic record; chronic disciplinary problems; poor school attendance; poor hygiene and personal care habits;…

This guide for 4-H leaders and volunteers offers information to help integrate youth with disabilities into various 4-H programs. After an introduction, a section on 4-H and mainstreaming reviews the mission of 4-H; considers what 4-H has to offer youth; defines mainstreaming; notes the benefits of mainstreaming; and distinguishes among the terms…

The case studies contained in this document were developed as part of a national project to identify communities that have made substantial progress toward developing comprehensive, coordinated, community-based systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. After initial identification,…

The Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley, California, is described as a mecca for the disabled since 1972, when a coalition of severely disabled people founded the Center with the goal of integrating disabled people into the community-at-large. The CIL's mission is to create and maintain independence for disabled people through…

This paper proposes that those who make policy for individuals with severe disabilities ought to evaluate current actions and frame proposed changes according to whether these changes protect or increase citizens' opportunities to build inclusive community by establishing suitable position and priority for adequate government investment. Such…

This evaluation project was designed to assess 37 persons (ages 21-72) who had moved from intermediate care facilities or skilled nursing facilities into innovative one-person or two-person community integrated living arrangements as a result of the Supported Placements in Integrated Community Environments project. The 37 persons had severe or…

This executive summary presents highlights of a study which sought to determine whether participants in the Supported Placements in Integrated Community Environments project were better off after moving to community homes from intermediate care facilities and skilled nursing facilities, and to determine the variables that contribute to quality…