This manual aims to help communities develop a plan to improve services to children from birth to 3 years of age who are chronically ill or disabled, and their families. Section I provides background information needed to begin a Community Approach to an Integrated Service System (CAISS) committee in a community. It addresses the issue that children are best served by meeting the needs of the family and focuses on how various systems affect a community's ability to respond to family needs. It provides a discussion of the legislative process, the role of the state in providing services, and ways to establish collaborative efforts between local and state groups. Section II presents step-by-step procedures for improving services, beginning with the first community meeting and moving on to identifying and prioritizing service delivery issues and building a CAISS Team. Section III addresses a variety of issues facing the CAISS committee, including issues such as organizational structure, commitment, service needs, goal setting, and the development of an action plan. The manual concludes with reproducible copies of the worksheets used in the CAISS process. (JDD)