This report in two volumes is the product of a year-long needs assessment undertaken by the Governor of Alabama's Commission for the Alabama Year of the Child. Volume I, which contains an overview and recommendations to the governor and the legislature, includes position papers and letters from the commission and interested citizens. These position papers cover five major topics: the family, children and society, children and health, education, and juvenile justice. Social issues are discussed in terms of their effects on children; these include changes in family structure and employment, child abuse and neglect, child pornography, social services for children, infant mortality, child health and nutrition, teenage pregnancy, abortion, the use of nurse practitioners in rural counties, textbook content, curriculum reform, the influence of secular humanism, the supervision and punishment of juvenile offenders, and the role of children in the eyes of the church. Volume II contains tables of statistics giving data on population, income, Aid to Dependent Children and other programs, mental health, education, and juvenile justice in Alabama. Data on population and income in the United States are also included. (CB)