Describes a 20-year program of research on the Nurse Home Visitation Program, a model in which nurses visit mothers beginning at pregnancy and continuing through the children's second birthdays. Summarizes results of two randomized trials and concludes that the use of nurses as home visitors is key to program success. (SLD)

Describes various organizations that offer programs and services for youth in their early teens. Explains the philosophy of positive youth development that is an emerging theme in this long-standing but newly self-conscious field. Reviews principles of best practice and key implementation challenges. (SLD)

Explores why there are so many poor children in the United States, beginning with a review of the reasons for adult poverty. Economic and demographic factors are considered in an analysis of the likelihood that an individual will earn enough to keep his or her family out of poverty. (SLD)

Focuses on recent studies that explore the relationships between poverty and child outcomes in depth. Overall, this research supports the conclusion that family income has selective, but sometimes quite substantial, effects on child and adolescent well-being. Implications for interventions during childhood are discussed. (SLD)

Presents results of a study using national survey data that indicates that maternal employment in families that had previously received welfare does not hurt children's social or cognitive development and may improve their situations. Outcomes were better for those whose mothers earned higher wages. (SLD)

Draws on quotes and ethnographic material from many studies to illustrate some of the parenting strategies that help inner-city African American youth overcome risks and achieve success. Groups strategies that are: (1) youth-monitoring; (2) resource-seeking; and (3) in-home learning. (SLD)

Juxtaposes research on school-age programs with studies of self-care and out-of-school activities, discussing what each type of after-care arrangement involves and how prevalent it is. Reviews research on how the arrangements contribute to children's development and examines program features especially related to outcomes for children. (SLD)

Provides a profile of after-school programs for low-income children, focusing on supply and demand, program emphases, and program sponsors and support organizations. Discusses the major challenges facing the field in the areas of facilities, staffing, and financing. Illustrates the discussion with examples from an after-school initiative in three…

Explores the achievement of disadvantaged students in Catholic schools and considers the costs of comparable educations. Catholic school students, especially minority students, outperform others on standardized tests, although Catholic school students are not equivalent to public school students. The Catholic school cost per student is lower than…

Reviews research from the late 1960s through the present that considers how maternal employment affects children in low-income families. Most studies have indicated that children are not harmed when mothers go to work, but it is noted that the women in these studies entered employment voluntarily. (SLD)

Discusses the effects of poverty on children and current public policy toward child poverty, including areas of unmet need and recommendations for policies to meet the needs of poor children. The overall focus is on the potential to develop effective policies for children in poverty. (SLD)

Reviews six federally funded in-kind public assistance programs designed to mitigate effects of poverty on children: (1) food stamps; (2) the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children; (3) school nutrition programs; (4) Medicaid; (5) Head Start; and (6) housing assistance. Evidence indicates these programs achieve their…

Four essays by policy analysts approach programs for school-age children from differing perspectives, each identifying the key forces that influence the policy climate and directions for the future. (Author/SLD)

Reviews programs for increasing earnings of parents with low market skills to prevent pretransfer poverty and discusses three types of income supplementation (public cash transfers, private child support payments, and tax credits) and how successful they are in reducing poverty. Also provides international comparisons of policies to reduce child…