Health-related disadvantages of children are discussed. Describes six steps to help children overcome these disadvantages. (BB)

Presents one kindergarten teacher's daily classroom experiences in a speech to the National Governor's Association Action Team on School Readiness. Advocates continued and increased state funding for preschool programs, parenting, and health care services to ensure school readiness, especially among high-risk (disadvantaged or disabled) children.…

Highlights social work legacies and how they will impact 21st-century practice. Provides several examples to help inform integrative social and economic foundations for practice, policy, and human well-being. Importance of these and other income-support and capacity-building strategies is featured against the challenges associated with welfare…

A survey was conducted of 193 directors of agencies providing home visits as part of early intervention programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Findings indicated limited coordination with hospitals, medical specialists, and mental health services; insufficient compensation for service coordination efforts; and state support to…

A survey of 879 early intervention program providers and parents investigated desired outcomes of service coordination, early intervention, and natural environments practices. Results found only two outcome categories (family satisfaction and improved family quality of life) were considered to be valued outcomes of all three services. (Contains…

Research is reviewed on the supports provided to parents in the assessment of and intervention with problem behavior of children with mental retardation. It is concluded that while research has made considerable advances, research gaps on the development of practical applications of "parent friendly" programs are still evident. (Contains…

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has made child safety an explicit focus in child welfare. The authors describe an automated critical incident reporting program designed for use in foster care and family-support programs. The program, which is based in Lotus Notes and uses e-mail to route incident reports from direct service staff to…

This article examines two programs chosen by the Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHSNRC) Pathways to Prevention (PTP) initiative to participate in a study of their mental health services. Both Wyoming's The Learning Center and Colorado's Developmental Opportunities found that working with the PTP mental health consultant catalyzed…

Since the first publication on fetal alcohol syndrome appeared in the scientific literature over 30 years ago, there has been a great deal of research interest in the topic. This paper reviews findings within the past 10 years related to causes, frequency, and diagnosis of alcohol-related disabilities, before turning to the impact these…

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) has developed a new interdisciplinary teacher preparation concentration to address the need for early intervention and early childhood personnel to work with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. This concentration focuses on a spoken language approach and…

Another Road to Safety (ARS) is a prevention and early intervention program of family support services for children who are at high risk for abuse and neglect in Alameda County, California, funded by Proposition 10 of the Children and Families Act of 1998. ARS is a collaboration between First 5 Alameda County's program Every Child Counts, the…

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Because community schools are premised on the comprehensive nature of student learning and development, they not only offer rigorous curriculum but also provide additional services, support, and opportunities for children, youth, their…

The toddler years can be a particularly stressful time for all parents, however, parents of children with disabilities may experience additional sources of stress. Recent literature on early education for children with disabilities promotes inclusion with typical peers with increases in the availability of inclusive programs. However, little is…

In 2007, the Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned the NFER to review the best evidence on what works in narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups across the five Every Child Matters areas. The review aimed to underpin the Narrowing the Gap Programme, a major development programme being implemented by the LGA and the DCSF. …

This packet includes reprints of journal articles, reports from social service agencies, government agencies, and consulting and educational organizations currently implementing or evaluating interagency collaboration in small, rural schools. The five sections of the packet explain integrated services and the impact on rural schools; issues…