Literacy programs in the United States have taken either a preventive approach for children or a remediation approach for adults. A new approach, family literacy, involves both parents and children in literacy acquisition. The National Center for Family Literacy provides training and assistance to family literacy programs through a process called…

The lives of poor single mothers and their children are explored, first grounding the present situation historically and pointing out their "other" status when examined against normal motherhood and family images. The first two chapters discuss the historical images of childhood and the family as they have developed in Western civilization. Part 2…

Smart Start is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, community-based initiative to serve North Carolina children under age 6 and their families to ensure that all children enter school healthy and prepared to succeed. To achieve this, local county partnerships have focused both their attention and their funds on three major areas of service…

One of every five children under age 18 living in the United States is an immigrant or has immigrant parents. The majority of these children are of Hispanic or Asian origin and, as such, are contributing to the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. child and youth population. Because of the long-term importance of children in immigrant…

Initiated by the government of the Netherlands and UNESCO, the European Policy Conference on Early Childhood Education focused on early childhood policy issues with special reference to the social integration of children and families at risk. The conference was organized around three themes including quality, accessibility and going-to-scale. This…

This report stresses the need for a broad and substantial upgrading of the quality of the U.S. work force and outlines seven critical policy areas that require coordinated action to meet the challenge. Chapter 1 discusses the Workforce 2000 Project, a major Department of Labor effort designed to ensure that the work force has the skills and…

This eight-part booklet discusses issues relevant to the lives of children in the United States today. Part 1 reports on poverty in America, suggests actions citizens can take to protect children and support families, lists risks facing America's children, and answers common objections to addressing children's issues. Part 2 lists the ranking of…

Hearings were conducted in Newark (New Jersey), Los Angeles (California), Detroit (Michigan), and Atlanta (Georgia) to elicit testimony concerning public investment in education and social services for children and their families. At each of the four hearings, an opening statement by Senator Tom Harkin was followed by statements from individuals…

Straight Talk about Risks (STAR) is a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 curriculum designed to reduce the potential for children and teens to be injured or killed in gunfire. STAR is based on sound prevention practice developed from a pilot project in Dade County (Florida). The flexible format allows activities to fit into a 3-week classroom unit…

Project PALS (Parenting and Literacy Skills) was designed as a model of holistic comprehensive family literacy for those families connected with a Head Start program. Forty-three of an anticipated 75 families were served. Adult students who were referred by Head Start personnel participated in classes in English as a Second Language, Adult Basic…

Materials for the fifth year of the Wisconsin Families in Education program are included in this document. These materials are intended to help schools to organize more parent and community involvement programs. The material is organized into five packets. The first packet, the introductory packet, contains a discussion of the themes for the year,…

This resource guide is the outcome of a 1989-1990 survey of school practices and programs that was distributed to all middle-level principals in Wisconsin public schools. The purposes of the survey were to assess the extent of middle-level programming in Wisconsin; highlight some needs in a school improvement effort; and share promising practices.…

This document examines the problem of illiteracy. The first chapter provides background and general information about illiteracy, while the second chapter distinguishes between "illiterate" and "functionally illiterate," and provides a new look at the concept of functionality. The third chapter begins with a section about illiteracy in the United…

Compiled in this volume are summaries of the knowledge base on prevention of alcohol and other drug use and mental disorders in children and adolescents. The papers address risk factors, preventive interventions, conceptual and methodological issues, epidemiology, identification, service delivery and treatment, research, and professional training.…

During 1983-87 the Commission of the European Communities helped fund 30 pilot projects that were intended to help young people aged 14-18 make the transition from school to work in 10 member states. The objective of these projects was to use local initiative to identify and develop innovative solutions to the problems facing young people. The…