Studies have shown that family support is one of the most important factors in ensuring that children thrive emotionally, physically, socially, and academically in the first 5 years of their life and beyond. To be resourceful for their own children and to other family members, parents/primary caregivers must be able to navigate and access community support services through various networks of service providers. The strengths of families must be acknowledged and respected.

California Report Card 2006-07
Children Now’s annual Report Card provides a comprehensive snapshot of the status of children in California. Well respected by policymakers, the media and advocates, the publication has been duplicated in 48 states and Puerto Rico as the original model for the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT report. Since its inception, Children Now’s Report Card has been crucial to shaping the public policy agenda in California.
Children Report Card 2005-2006 » (pdf, 1 MB)

Parental Age, Simple Test Yield Clues on Autism (2007)
In a five-year study of more than 132,800 children born at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, Kaiser researchers found that the risk of having an autistic child rose with maternal and paternal age.

Women age 40 and older had a 30 percent higher risk of having an autistic child than women ages 25 to 29. Risk among fathers 40 and older increased by 50 percent over men in their mid- to late 20s, according to the study.

List of references for parent-child interaction therapy
This link provides a list of references for parent-child interaction therapy. Some references include a link to the actual document.
http://pcit.phhp.ufl.edu/Literature.htm

List of references to research on child maltreatment (2007)
This link has a list of references to research on issues related to child maltreatment, including domestic violence, parenting skills, and mental health.
List of References » (pdf, 216 KB)

New Lives for Poor Families?: Mothers and Young Children Move through Welfare Reform (2006)
We know surprisingly little about how state welfare-to-work programs have touched the lives of young children since 1996—and perhaps altered the home and child care settings in which they are now being raised. This report helps to fill that gap. The project team followed an initial sample of 948 mothers and preschool-age children for two to four years after the women entered new welfare programs—in California, Connecticut, and Florida.
Children Report Card 2005-2006 » (pdf, 1 MB)

Ten Years of Leaving Foster Children Behind: The Long Decline in Federal Support for Abused and Neglected Children (2006)
July 16, 2006 marked the 10-year anniversary of the decision by Congress to tie eligibility for Title IV-E federal foster care assistance to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the former cash-assistance program. The decision was flawed from the start and, over the years, the negative consequences have only increased, resulting in a stunning decline of federal support and growing abandonment by our government for vulnerable children.
Children in Foster Care Report 2006 » (pdf, 220 KB)

Parent Education and Support Literature Review (2005)
The demand for evidence-based programming began primarily in the 1990s from Federal agencies addressing problems of substance use and poor mental health among youth. Capacity to provide parent education programming that has been proven to be effective is crucial as funders increasingly require evidence-based programming.
http://ag.udel.edu/extension/fam/professionalresources/parentEd/2005litr...

Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey (2004)
Applied Survey Research (ASR) worked with the Santa Clara County Office of Affordable Housing to conduct a countywide homeless census and survey.
Santa Clara County Homeless Report 2004 » (pdf, 1.9 MB)

Bottom Line - Bay Area United Way Self Sufficiency Standard Report (2004)
United Way Bay Area published this report which measures the cost of living on a county-by-county basis and documents the number of families whose incomes are too low to meet basic needs. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties are included.
Bay Area Stats » (pdf, 2.8 MB)

Promoting Positive Parenting Practices Through Parenting Education (2004)
The purpose of this report is to: provide information about the current
status of parenting education programs in the United States, present some approaches to the provision of parenting education, present some promising practices and parenting education resources.
Parent Education Practices » (pdf, 218 KB)

Family Support: Fostering Leadership and Partnerships to Improve Access and Quality (2004)
The goal of this paper is to provide a framework for thinking about family support first in terms of its philosophy, relevance to the early childhood field, strategies and service delivery platforms.
Family Support Report » (pdf, 224 KB)

Compendium of School Readiness Resources (2004)
A list of references to research studies and practical resources in the areas of early care and education, family/parenting support, health and social services, school capacity, and program infrastructure, administration, and evaluation.
Disabilities Compendium » (pdf, 117 KB)

Transition to School - Compendium of Resources (2004)
A list of articles, reports, and websites that address issues regarding the transition of young children to school.
Transition to School Compendium » (pdf, 200 KB)

Life Journey Through Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Research (2003)
Life Journey Through Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Research has been written to serve as a resource for parents of children recently diagnosed with autism.
Parent Guide » (pdf, 1.7 MB)

Early Intervention for Families of Preschool Children with Conduct Problems (1997)
This chapter discusses the prevalence of oppositional and externalizing problems in young children and cites research that suggests two pathways related to conduct disorders: early starters and late starters.
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/ed-cite/ed414694.html

Enhancing the effectiveness of self-administered videotape parent training for families with conduct-problem children (1990)
Parents of 43 conduct- problem children, aged 3– 8 years, were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: an individually self- administered video-tape modeling treatment (IVM) and IVM treatment plus therapist consultation (IVMC). Randomization also included a waiting- list control group (CON). Compared with the control group, both treatment groups of mothers reported significantly fewer child behavior problems, reduced stress levels, and less use of spanking.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/v905648035232h36/

Randomized Trial of Two Parent-Training Programs for Families With Conduct-Disordered Children (1984)
Clinic mothers of 35 conduct-disordered children were randomly assigned to a waiting list control group, 9 weeks of individual therapy, or 9 weeks of therapist led group therapy based on a standardized videotape modeling program. Mothers and their children were assessed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and 1 year later by home visits, twice-per-week telephone reports, and questionnaires.
Parent Training Report » (pdf, 1 MB)

List of references on research from the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center
This link lists research that has been conducted by associates of The Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. CASRC is a consortium of over 100 investigators and staff from multiple research organizations in San Diego County, including Rady Children's Hospital, University of California at San Diego, San Diego State University, University of San Diego, and California State University, San Marcos.
http://www.casrc.org/publications/index.html