Many early childhood intervention programs have broadened their focus to include parents as well as children as primary clients. The intent is to maximize the long-term gains of early intervention programs by influencing the quality of family environments. This article examines critically the growing interest in programs that seek to train or support parents in the rearing of their young children. It investigates the rationale, scope, and effectiveness of parent programs. It also explores the critical policy issue of how standards of desirable behavior are established in programs that work with populations whose child-rearing practices deviate from those of program organizers.
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