Positive Adolescent Choices Training (PACT) is a health promotion program providing violence prevention programming targeted at black youth, at high risk for becoming either perpetrators or victims of violence. Conducted by the School of Professional Psychology of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in cooperation with Dayton Public Schools,…

The Vermont Interagency Coordinating Council for Families, Infants and Toddlers (VICC) was established by federal law to advise the Vermont Department of Education and the Agency of Human Services on the statewide system of early intervention services for families of children with special needs, ages birth to three. In Vermont, the early…

The Comprehensive Youth Services Act (CYSA), which was enacted in 1997 to fund juvenile probation services, had the following three basic goals: (1) keep probation youths from further crime; (2) help probation and at-risk youths develop essential skills to avoid dependence on public assistance; and (3) help achieve overarching federal Temporary…

This resource manual has been developed to assist both case managers and management staff in implementing a case management system as an infrastructure for delivering services that will facilitate the positive growth and development of youth and the achievement of individual and organizational performance goals. (The goal of case managers is to…

In Arizona and around the country, there is an increased focus on ensuring that children start school ready to learn. Noting that the best way to know if Arizona's children are starting school ready to learn is to track their progress, this booklet details indicators or benchmarks in five categories used to measure the state's progress in school…

Although it is commonly assumed that children living in public housing are at greater risk of experiencing academic and behavioral problems than other low-income children, there is little research available documenting the circumstances and experiences of these children and examining whether differences in outcomes between them and their…

The nation's youth are increasingly affected by violence, both as its perpetrators and as its victims. Many violence prevention programs aim to reverse this trend, but few have been rigorously evaluated, and even fewer have been shown to work. To devise better programs, researchers need more information. To that end, RAND researchers identified…

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa face the greatest challenges to healthy development of any region in the world. This report presents reviews of 11 Early Childhood Development programs, studied to define financial and institutional conditions necessary to sustain early intervention efforts. Interviews and existing documentation from governmental and…

This book is a compilation of summaries of newly enacted state legislation affecting children and families. It documents legislative activity, emerging trends, and innovative policies in the states, providing information essential to effective policymaking. Part 1 describes the National Conference of State Legislatures' Children and Families…

In 1986, Congress enacted Public Law 99-457, which outlined requirements for statewide early intervention systems and preschool services to assist young children who are either developmentally delayed or who have certain conditions which carry with them a high probability of resulting in developmental delay. Now known as the Individuals with…

Noting that the protective factors that support positive development despite adversity are becoming better understood, this workbook discusses the importance of encouraging resilience in school-aged children living in challenging circumstances and shows how to evaluate resilience through the use of checklists and background information. The…

A summary of recent research shows that more than 11.5 million children lived in poverty in 2001 and likely will experience long-term negative effects of poverty, such as dropping out of high school, compromised physical growth and cognitive development, and reduced physical and psychological well-being as an adult. Improving the home life of…

This policy paper focuses on what emerging research tells policymakers about why it is so important to intervene to help young children at risk for poor social, emotional, and behavioral development, and what kinds of research-based interventions seem most effective. The paper addresses the relationship between early academic learning and…

This report presents the collective results of studies funded under the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention congressional directive. The studies confirm that young African-American males are disproportionately involved as offenders and victims of violence, that firearms play a large role in juvenile violence, and that gang…

This training package helps Florida educators working with substance-exposed children in day care programs and prekindergarten, kindergarten, and elementary school classrooms. The workbook was developed to be used within a 1- or 2-day training session facilitated by trainers or as a self-instruction learning tool used in conjunction with a…