Resources
Helping Children by Strengthening Families: A Look at
Family Support Programs
by MaryLee Allen, Patricia Brown, and Belva Finlay,
Children's Defense Fund, 25 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001At a time when young families are facing extremely high levels of stress in our society due to a cycle of falling incomes, increasing family disintegration, and rising poverty with all of its negative repercussions, much attention is being directed to possible solutions to these conditions. One solution often mentioned is the network of Family Support Programs in the United States and the roles they play in this national dilemma.
This report from the CDF provides child advocates and others who work for the well-being of children with a clearer idea of what family support programs do, how they operate, and why they are effective. The report is divided into three parts. The first part identifies basic principles of family support, traces its history, and contrasts the family support approach with traditional services. In this section a summary of the basic principles of family support is provided and discussed on pages 8-12. The principles are:
The second part of the report describes a variety of family support and parent education programs across the country, along with other types of programs that have added a family support or parent education component. Also in this section, some research demonstrating the positive impact of parent education and family support activities on children and parents is discussed.
- Emphasize the family unit.
- Build on family strengths.
- Make participation voluntary.
- Address family needs comprehensively.
- Develop parenting skills.
- Provide nurturing connections with others.
- Respond to individual and community needs.
- Work to prevent crises.
- Respect individual and cultural differences.
- Coordinate and cooperate with other agencies.
In the third and final part of the report, the challenges of establishing successful and lasting family support programs are examined and the importance of incorporating family support principles into other human service systems is discussed briefly.
Head Start readers may wish to review this report with a view to ward determining how well their respective programs meet all of the criteria set forth for being considered a Family Support Program.
How Families Teach, Support, Learn, Make Decisions:
Ways for Families to Help Children Do Better in SchoolRMC Research Corporation, Chapter 1 Technical Assistance Center, Hampton, NH, has developed the above-titled booklet. A copy may be accessed through ERIC, the U. S. Department of Education's Educational Resources Information Center. The listing for the booklet is ED344962 UD028630.
The booklet contains ideas on how families can help children in school by 1) teaching their children; 2) learning new things to help their children learn; 3) supporting children and the school; and 4) making decisions about what and how children learn. For each of these areas a chart is included so that families can evaluate and record their progress in specific activities. Suggestions are also given to help parents understand and use student progress reports. Another area discussed is meeting with the teacher and using the information from parent conferences. A final section lists six resources that parents can turn to for more help in supporting children in school.
To obtain a copy of this publication, or for more information on ERIC, call 1-800-LET-ERIC, or write:
ACCESS ERIC
1600 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850