strengthening families THROUGH EARLY CARE & EDUCATIONstrengthening families THROUGH EARLY CARE & EDUCATION
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Resources


Based on four years of research and work with practitioners in the field, CSSP has developed the following resources to support early childhood programs, policymakers, and advocates in strengthening and retooling existing early childhood programs so that they build the protective factors and reduce child abuse and neglect.

The following are available as downloadable PDFs by clicking on the links below:

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  1. What is the Strengthening Families Initiative?
    1. Informational Brochure
    2. One-Page overview
  2. Understanding the Protective Factors
    1. Protective Factors Handout
    2. Literature review (54 pgs, 1.41 mb) by Carol Horton, Ph.D, on protective factors and their links to reducing child abuse and neglect
  3. Implementing Strengthening Families in your early care and education program
    1. Program handbook and self-assessment tool (113 pgs, 2.09 mb) for programs that are interested in enhancing their ability to support and strengthen families.
    2. Self-assessment only (29 pgs, 134kb) includes the self-assessment and introductory text for each section.
    3. Monographs on program elements that build protective factors against child abuse and neglect:
      1. Family Support Services (10 pgs, 184 kb)
      2. Promoting Children's Healthy Social and Emotional Development (9 pgs, 183 kb)
      3. Staff Leadership to Create Relationships that Protect Children (11 pgs, 176 kb)
      4. Mental Health Consultation (10 pgs, 197 kb)
      5. Including Men (9 pgs, 175 kb)
      6. Use of Physical Space (10 pgs, 180 kb)
      7. Relationships with Child Welfare Agencies — This resource will be added soon.
    4. Descriptions of the exemplary programs studied
    5. Powerpoint on Implementing SFI in ECE programs
  4. Implementing Strengthening Families in Your State or Locality
    1. Hallmarks of a Successful Strengthening Families Agenda
    2. Guidelines for tracking statewide implementation for tracking Strengthening Families
    3. Powerpoint on Implementing SFI in States or Localities
    4. A commissioned paper and executive summary by Sharon L. Kagan, Ed.D. on Advancing Protective Factors Recommendations for early childhood infrastructure improvements that would allow early childhood programs to more effectively build the protective factors and reduce child abuse and neglect
    5. Power Point on Strengthening Families and Child Welfare
    6. Voices: Building a Local Collaboration Around Strengthening Families Principles
    7. Voices: Mary Anne Snyder, Wisconsin’s Children’s Trust Fund, talks about being a pilot state
  5. Keeping up with what’s happening
    1. Spring 2005 Newsletter( 2pgs, 28kb) about Strengthening Families Through Early Care and Education
    2. Fall 2005 Newsletter ( 2pgs, 557kb) about Building Professional Practice Around Protective Factors
    3. Summer 2006 Newsletter ( 2pgs, 62.9kb) about Strengthening Families Through Early Care & Education
    4. Articles
    5. Join our mailing list
  6. Further Learning
    1. Research
      1. A Power Point on the Research Behind the Strengthening Families Initiative
      2. Resources on the economic impact of early childhood education: http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/studies/earlychild/
      3. Longitudinal study of the impact of early care and education shows 51% decline in child maltreatment: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/cbaexecsum4.html
      4. A paper referrals and connections to community resources provided by childcare programs
    2. Resources
      1. Promoting children’s social and emotional development: http://csefel.uiuc.edu/index.html (includes a series of downloadable training modules and "What Works Briefs")
Center for the Study of Social Policy