This study indicates several teacher characteristics and other aspects of early childhood programs are directly related to overall program quality. A total of 14 “assets” were identified as being critical factors contributing ...

Increased health literacy would decrease costs of health care.

The total size of Missouri's early childhood workforce is unknown. We do know that approximately 16,000 early childhood professionals work in the over 4,000 licensed programs. The workforce also includes about 5,150 persons who are paid to care...

As many as 1 in 3 children spend some childhood years living with a stepparent, and stepparents often play an important role in stepchildren's lives, emotionally as well as economically. However, stepparent-stepchild ...

Although there are many types of prepared childbirth classes that teach the skills of birth utilizing many different techniques and philosophies, the goals of these classes are essentially the same--to have a happy, healthy, ...

Graphic presentation addressing material hardships among American families. Data presented in charts, graphs, and maps....

This study is a qualitative inquiry investigating how perspectives of welfare reform implementation may change or evolve from (a) state level policy makers, (b) county or local administrators responsible for implementing the policies, (c) social...

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 represents a fundamental change in our country's approach to supporting families in economic need. Since the enactment of PRWORA, researchers have been studying...

Millions of American workers who qualify for family or medical leave don't take it because they cannot afford to go without pay. Family and work patterns have shifted dramatically in recent decades, yet workplace policies have not kept pace...

that 20-25% of families that receive welfare assistance have a child or adult in the household with a developmental disability. Studies have shown potentially bidirectional connections between poverty and developmental disabilities....

To prepare children for success in school, policies must provide support for all the contexts that influence child development starting from birth, and must seek to optimize children's functioning across all domains of development. This paper...

This policy brief examines the problems related to over-consumption, excess, and obesity in Missouri. The topic is analyzed, and policy recommendations are explained....

Each year the United Health Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation dedicated to improving health outcomes and promoting healthier communities, releases “America's Health Rankings.” Each state is evaluated on ...

In 2000, university researchers and state child care program partners in four states (Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska) initiated the Midwest Child Care Research Consortium (MCCRC). The focus of the Consortium's work is to conduct a multi...

The uninsurance rate in Missouri has been decreasing over the last decade, largely due to the implementation of the Missouri's Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). This program expanded Medicaid services to many ...

During 1997 and 1998, a large study called Project REACH (Rural EArly CHildhood Professional Development Initiative), was conducted in a series of interventions over a 16 month period in rural Missouri. The training and follow up was intensive...

22% of Missouri's young children live under the poverty level. Research shows that a child's development is affected negatively by circumstances of poverty. Children raised in poverty are more likely to have poorer physical health and growth, poorer...

to age 5 received PAT services; 46% of Missouri families with children birth to age 3 received services. PAT is a program for all families with young children, but districts are able to provide more home visits to families with high needs. The Columbia...

By 2020, the segment of the population 65 and older will have increased by 42% to reach over one million persons and those 85 and older will number roughly 129,000. These trends indicate an increase in the demands for ...

Payday lending is commonly considered to be predatory lending. Practices typically involve high interest rates, excessive fees, deceptive and aggressive marketing, and a general lack of concern for a borrower's ability to repay. Missouri has a high...