Maternal Substance Abuse and Children\u27s Exposure to Violence

This article focuses on exposure to violence and violence-related activities (i.e., crime and drug use) in 70 children whose mothers are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and explores maternal characteristics associated with violence exposure. Results suggest that exposure to violence is relatively common for these children, with many exposed to repeated violence in both the home and community. Findings also suggest higher levels of exposure to violence among children whose mothers reported fewer symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and held beliefs and attitudes about child rearing that have been associated with abusive and neglectful parenting. Levels of violence exposure were also higher when mothers reported more severe drug use in the recent past. These findings point to the need for assessment and treatment for children whose mothers abuse alcohol and other drugs

Supporting Family Engagement with Parents of Infants and Toddlers

Engaging families of preschool children in partnerships with early childcare providers includes, among other activities, engaging in meaningful conversation, linking parents to needed services, and supporting parents as they capitalize on family protective factors. Early childhood programs struggle to implement systematic processes to support teachers in engaging families and documenting the interactions. This report summarizes the development and implementation of a tool designed to facilitate family engagement with childcare. The study targets a rural, multi-center agency serving Early Head Start families using an inventory called The Family Map. This report provides evidence of the feasibility of implementation, the reliability, and validity of the screening questions, and the range of risk and strengths identified in Early Head Start families served

Family Engagement: Establishing a System to Support the Parent-Teacher Partnership

The Family Map Inventories were developed to support programs in their efforts to engage parents and understanding family needs and strengths. The Family Map Inventories are supportive of the framework put forth by Office of Head Start’s National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement (NCPFCE) and were developed with the Head Start performance standards as a guiding principle. This study provides evidence of the feasibility and usefulness of the Inventories used with parents of Infants and Toddlers. Parents and teachers were accepting of the Inventory. The Infant – Toddler Family Map Inventory appeared to provide an accurate assessment of the risks and strengths in the home and parenting environments of young children. The potential for use by educators is discussed