A curriculum for preservice maternal health and public health professionals on children with special health care needs (disabilities and chronic illnesses) and their families is presented. Principles underlying the curriculum are considered, along with guidelines for developing partnerships with families for field placements. The eight core modules cover: beliefs and values; issues in epidemiology; service use, costs, and financing; laws, legislation, and policies; issues of culture, collaboration, and coordination regarding community-based systems of care; how cultures, societies, and families adapt to children with special needs; child development in the context of a chronic illness or disability; and empowerment. Additional modules concern: health care reform, young adults with special health care needs, pediatric acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), needs assessment, program evaluation, risk factors in mental health, nutrition issues, and international issues. For each module, information is provided on content and rationale, instructional objectives, definitions of key concepts, instructor guidelines, core readings, and additional readings. Supplemental resources are also identified, including texts, bibliographies, workbooks, videotapes, a list of laws and legislation, and descriptions of national resource centers and networks. A field placement evaluation questionnaire is included, along with a curriculum evaluation form. (SW)