Early Intervention
The target population of the early intervention program of Family Development is teenage parents and single parents. However, it is open to any new parents in the community. Approximately 45% of the families enrolled are teen mothers and 92% are single parents. As the program focuses on the importance of the first years of life, it stresses the role of the parent as the child's first teacher. The program is used on a four-fold philosophy:
- a successful parenting education program must meet the needs of both parent and child;
- the program must be family centered;
- the first four years of life are crucial in the development of social, intellectual, and emotional competence; and
- a combination of home and center-based services is more effective than either of these components alone.