Conclusion
The hallmark of the Better Beginnings, Better Futures Project is the successful establishment of eight locally operated, community-based organizations. Faced with an extremely broad and complex mandate, high expectations, and relatively little explicit direction, each of the communities developed an organization characterized by significant and meaningful local resident involvement in all decisions. This alone represents a tremendous accomplishment in neighborhoods where 15 years ago, many local residents viewed government programs and social services with skepticism, suspicion, or hostility. In developing their local organizations, Better Beginnings projects have not only actively involved many local residents, but also played a major role in forming meaningful partnerships with other service organizations. They have developed a wide range of programs, many designed to respond to the locally identified needs of young children and their families, and others to the needs of the neighborhood and broader community. As they strengthened and stabilized over the 7-year demonstration period from 1991 to 1998, each Better Beginnings project increasingly gained the respect and support not only of local residents, service-providers, and community leaders, but also of the Provincial Government which, in 1997, transferred all projects from demonstration to annualized funding, thus recognizing them as sustainable.
The short-term findings from these projects reported in this chapter are encouraging, and provide a unique foundation for determining the extent to which a universal, comprehensive, community-based strategy can promote the longer-term resilience of young children, their families and their local neighborhoods.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bradenberg, H. A., Friedman, R. M., & Silver, S. E. (1990). The epidemiology of childhood psychiatric disorders: Prevalence findings from different studies. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 76–83.
Campbell, S. (1995). Behaviour problems in preschool children: A review of recent research. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 113–149.
Costello, E. J. (1989). Developments in child psychiatric epidemiology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 836–841.
Cynader, M. & Frost, B. J. (1999). Mechanisms of brain development: Neuronal sculpting by the physical and social environment. In D. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Developmental health and the wealth of nations (pp. 153–184). New York: Guilford Press.
Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.) (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Durlak, J. A., & Wells, A. M. (1997). Primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 115–152.
Garmezy, N. (1971). Vulnerability research and the issue of primary prevention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 41, 101–116.
Garmezy, N. (1991). Resilience in children’s adaptation to negative life events and stressed environments. Pediatrics, 20, 459–466.
Gomby, D. S., Culross, P. L., & Berman, R. E. (1999). Home visiting: Recent program evaluations—analysis and recommendations. The Future of Children, 9, 4–23.
Government of Ontario. (1990). Better Beginnings, Better Futures: An integrated model of primary prevention of emotional and behavioural problems. Toronto, Canada: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.
Hertzman, C., & Wiens, M. (1996). Child development and long-term outcomes: A population health perspective and summary of successful interventions. Social Science and Medicine, 43, 1083–1095.
Karoly, L., Greenwood, P., Everingham, S., Houbé, J., Kilburn, M., Rydell, C., et al. (1998). Investing in children: What we know and don’t know about the costs and benefits of early childhood interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Loeber, R., & Dishion, T. (1983). Early predictors of male delinquency: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 94, 68–99.
Lynam, D. R. (1996). Early identification of chronic offenders: Who is the fledgling psychopath? Psychological Bulletin, 120, 209–234.
McCain, M. N., & Mustard, J. F. (1999). Early Years Study: Reversing the real brain drain. Toronto, Ontario: Ontario Children’s Secretariat; www.childsec.gov.on.ca.
McCain, M. N., & Mustard, J. F. (2002). The Early Years Study three years later. From early development to human development: Enabling communities. Toronto, Ontario: Founders Network; www.founders.net
McCarton, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Wallace, I., Bauer, C., Bennett, F., Bernbaum, J., et al. (1997). Results at age 8 years of early intervention for low-birth-weight premature infants: The Infant Health Development Program. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 126–132.
Moffitt, T., Caspi, A., Dickson, N., Silva, P., & Stanton, W. (1996). Childhood-onset versus adolescent-onset antisocial conduct problems in males: Natural history from ages 3 to 18. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 399–424.
Mrazek, P. J., & Brown, C. H. (2002). An evidenced-based literature review regarding outcomes in psychosocial prevention and early intervention in young children. In C. C. Russell (Ed.), The state of knowledge about prevention/early intervention (pp. 42–144). Toronto, Canada: Invest in Kids Foundation; www.investinkids.ca.
Offord, D. R. (1996). The state of prevention and early intervention. In R. DeV. Peters & R. J. McMahon (Eds.), Preventing childhood disorders, substance abuse and delinquency (pp. 329–344). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., Szatmari, P., Rae-Grant, N. I., Links, P. S., Cadman, D. T., et al. (1987). Ontario Child Health Study. II: Six month prevalence of disorder and rates of service utilization. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 832–836.
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., & Racine, Y. A. (1989). Children at risk. Toronto, Canada: Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Offord, D. R., Kraemer, H. C., Kazdin, A. E., Jensen, P. S., & Harrington, R. (1998). Lowering the burden of suffering from child psychiatric disorder: Trade-offs among clinical, targeted and universal interventions. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 686–694.
Olds, D. L. (1997). The Prenatal Early Infancy Project: Preventing child abuse in the context of promoting maternal and child health. In D. A. Wolfe, R. J. McMahon, & R. DeV. Peters (Eds.), Child abuse: New directions in prevention and treatment across the lifespan (pp. 130–156) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Olds, D. L., & Kitzman, H. (1993). Review of research on home visiting for pregnant women and parents of young children. The Future of Children, 3, 53–92.
Olds, D. L., Eckenrode, J., Henderson, C. R., Kitzman, H., Powers, J., Cole, R., et al. (1997). Long-term effects of home visitation on maternal life course, child abuse and neglect, and children’s arrests: Fifteen year follow-up of a randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 637–643.
Peters, R. DeV., Arnold, R., Petrunka, K., Angus, D., Brophy, K., Burke, S. et al. (2000). Developing capacity and competence in the Better Beginnings, Better Futures communities: Short-term findings report. Kingston, Canada: Better Beginnings, Better Futures Research Coordination Unit Technical Report; http://bbbf.queensu.ca.
Peters, R. DeV., Petrunka, K., & Arnold, R. (2003). The Better Beginnings, Better Futures Project: A universal comprehensive, community-based prevention approach for primary school children and their families. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 215–227.
Ramey, C. T., & Campbell, F. A. (1984) Preventive education for high-risk children: Cognitive consequences of the Carolina Abecedarian Project. American Journal on Mental Deficiency, 88, 515–523.
Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (1998). Early educational intervention and early experience. American Psychologist, 53, 109–120.
Reid, J. B. (1993). Prevention of conduct disorder before and after school entry: Relating interventions to developmental findings. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 243–262.
Reynolds, A. J., Temple, J. A., Robertson, D. L., & Mann, E. A. (2003). Age 21 cost-benefit analysis of the Title I Chicago child-parent centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24, 267–303.
Rockhill, B., Newman, B., & Weinberg, C. (1998). Use and misuse of population attributable fractions. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 15–19.
Rothman, K. J., & Greenland, S. (Eds.). (1998). Modern epidemiology. New York: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Rutter, M. (1979). Protective factors in children’s responses to stress and disadvantage. In M. W. Kent & J. E. Rolf (Eds.), Primary prevention in psychopathology: Social competence in children (Vol. 8, pp. 49–74). Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.
Schweinhart, L. J., Barnes, H. V., & Weikart, D. P. (1993). Significant benefits: The High-Scope Perry Preschool Study through Age 27. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.
Scott, K. G., Mason, C. A., & Chapman, D. A. (1999). The use of epidemiological methodology as a means of influencing public policy. Child Development, 70, 1263–1272.
Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into early development. New York: Families and Work Institute.
St. Pierre, R. G., & Layzer, J. I. (1998). Improving the life chances of children living in poverty: Assumptions and what we have learned. Society for Research in Child Development Social Policy Report, 12, 1–25.
St. Pierre, R. G., Layzer, J. I., Goodson, B. D., & Bernstein, L. S. (1997). National impact evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program: Final report. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates.
Tu, S. (2003). Developmental epidemiology: A review of three key measures of effect. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 187–192.
Tuma, J. M. (1989). Mental health services for children: The state of the art. American Psychologist, 44, 188–199.
Webster-Stratton, C., & Taylor, T. (2001). Nipping early risk factors in the bud: Preventing substance abuse, delinquency, and violence in adolescence through interventions targeted at young children (0–8 years). Prevention Science, 2, 165–192.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1989). Vulnerable but invincible: A longitudinal study of resilient children and youth. New York: Adams, Bannister, Cox (originally published by McGraw Hill, 1982).
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (2001). Journeys from childhood to midlife: Risk, resilience, and recovery. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Willms. J. D. (Ed.) (2002). Vulnerable children. Edmonton, Canada: The University of Alberta Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peters, R.D. (2005). A Community-Based Approach to Promoting Resilience in Young Children, Their Families, and Their Neighborhoods. In: Peters, R.D., Leadbeater, B., McMahon, R.J. (eds) Resilience in Children, Families, and Communities. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23824-7_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23824-7_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-48655-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-23824-1
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)