In this article, Ajay Chaudry and Heather Sandstrom review research on child care and early education for children under age three. They describe the array of early care and education arrangements families use for infants and toddlers; how these patterns have changed in recent decades; and differences by family socioeconomic status, race, and…

Significant gaps exist in children's mental healthcare, and barriers prevent access to existing services. Current federal initiatives call for state governmental agencies to recognize and resolve deficits in their systems of care. Previous work has acknowledged some of the problems in meeting the mental health needs of children within a system of…

This article examines the process of post-disaster recovery and rebuilding in New York City since 9/11 and in New Orleans since the Hurricane Katrina disaster (8/29). As destabilizing events, 9/11 and 8/29 forced a rethinking of the major categories, concepts and theories that long dominated disaster research. We analyze the form, trajectory and…

In Mark Greenberg's view, a national child care strategy should pursue four goals. Every parent who needs child care to get or keep work should be able to afford care without having to leave children in unhealthy or dangerous environments; all families should be able to place their children in settings that foster education and healthy…

This article discusses how the policy to allocate Community Block Grants has changed to the disadvantage of needier communmities as the result of demographic changes and an increase in entitlement communities. Options are presented for policy makers to change allocation so that more distressed communities will be targeted for funds. (VM)

Describes the objectives and activities of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the purview of the Reagan administration's civil rights policy. Describes OCR methodologies designed to ensure enforcement of nondiscrimination requirements in state implementation of programs under federal block grants. (MJL)

Examines current debate and advocacy efforts to protect Head Start funding in light of congressional budget reductions. Presents appropriation and enrollment figures, and current proposed funding levels. Describes new directions in Head Start, including Early Start, collaboration efforts with public schools, and full day care. Highlights the…

Discusses the role of the national values of efficiency, choice, and equity in the adoption and implementation of the federal education block grant program and the negative effects on school desegregation. Urges policymakers to consider policy goals, and not just policy instruments, when considering future proposals. (FMW)

This article is concerned with the aged and looks briefly at the history of federal involvement in mental health care, discusses current trends, and examines the future of mental health care in the United States. (CMG)

Summarizes issues affecting Black children and child care in Africa as addressed in the 11th Annual Conference of the National Black Child Development Institute. (Author/MP)

Reports on major bills passed by the houses of Congress, designed to cut federal funding and also to streamline delivery systems for child care and related services. In addition, discusses the Clinton administration's proposed budget for Federal Year 1996, which calls for increased funding for child care. (AA)

Reviews national interests in education and considers the effectiveness of different forms of federal grants in addressing those interests. Concludes that providing equalization aid is the only appropriate purpose for block grants since such grants do not encourage state and local agencies to concern themselves with national priorities. (PGD)

Discusses implications of federal budget cuts on services to children and families, types of revenues which will be available, and organizational efforts to increase chances for securing public funds for child and family services. (Author/DB)

Block granting disburses mental health funds largely at the discretion of state mental health authorities, and state priorities typically focus on the most severely ill persons. Rural centers may suffer because multipurpose programs responding to a wide range of community needs are excluded from the mental health service delivery concept. (JHZ)

The extent to which state allocation formulas under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter Two bloc grant promotes traditional equity or redistribution objectives is examined. Factors associated with the variation among states in the redistributive nature of their Chapter Two formulas are explained. (SLD)