Argues that although home visiting programs themselves have mixed results in addressing family health and welfare needs, such programs, as part of a comprehensive, family-focused health and social services system, can have an important impact on the health and welfare of children. (MDM)

This report makes a research-based case for federal provision of out-of-school complementary learning supports from birth through high school, particularly for poor children, so that all students gain the skills that economists, educators, and employers agree are necessary for success in the 21st century. Four decades of consistent research…

In this study, we identified unique clusters of parenting behaviors based on parents' school involvement, community involvement, rule-setting, and cognitive stimulation with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement. In early (n = 668) and middle adolescence (n = 634), parents who provided high cognitive stimulation…

Longitudinal data from kindergarten to 5th grade on both family involvement in school and children's literacy performance were examined for an ethnically diverse, low-income sample (N = 281). Within families, increased school involvement predicted improved child literacy. In addition, although there was an achievement gap in average literacy…

Youth out-of-school time (OST) programs and activities can provide developmental benefits for participating youth. Yet little research has examined the contextual predictors of youth OST participation. To address this issue, we examined a collection of child-, family-, school-, and neighborhood-level characteristics as predictors of OST…

This volume, the last of a six-part report, is a guide that provides an overview to the Building Villages series. It discusses the need for comprehensive programs, and examines the corresponding need for change in the family-services framework. It sets forth the organizing principles of family support as the movement grows from a program to a…

This report focuses on the formulation and implementation of family support and education policies in four states, all of which have established programs that provide the core services of parenting education, early childhood development activities, parent support groups, and information about other community agencies. The initiatives are…

Part of the Harvard Family Research Project's ongoing series of case studies that examine state-level policy and programs for families, this booklet reviews initiatives undertaken by the states of Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Missouri to support and educate families with young children. Each of the booklet's five sections…

This paper briefly defines parent involvement in education, outlines several factors that are fueling new state interest in programs to strengthen families, describes programmatic initiatives in several states, and examines some of the issues states have faced in their efforts to craft effective community-based programs that are responsive to…

Discusses the Minnesota Early Childhood Family Education program and the Missouri Parents as Teachers program as examples of state-sponsored family education programs. Argues that such programs should use the school as the most approppriate setting for family support and education. (CH)

In 1998, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation asked the Harvard Family Research Project to examine current trends, gaps, and opportunities in foundation grantmaking for children and youth. Early in the process, it was clear that there were important transformations in funding goals and strategies underway. This report examines current grantmaking trends…

Noting that the disappointing findings of the first-year evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program were offered as a rationale for a requested decrease in funding in President Bush's fiscal year 2004 education budget, this report compiles expert commentary on methodological issues in that evaluation…

Family resource centers (FRC) are emerging as a promising program approach to solving urgent social problems. Evaluation plays an important role in learning how these programs work, what their impact is, and whether they should be expanded. However, FRCs pose unique challenges to evaluation. This report considers the challenges to evaluating FRCs,…

The research and evaluation evidence is mounting: out-of-school-time (OST) programs can keep young people safe, support working families, and improve academic achievement and the civic and social development of young people. Indeed, according to recent polling data, 6.5 million children are enrolled in after-school programs nationwide and…

Longitudinal data for 167 low-income children were analyzed to examine associations between family educational involvement during kindergarten, children's feelings about literacy, and children's literacy achievement from kindergarten through fifth grade. The promotive effect of family educational involvement for feelings about literacy and…