This paper describes a comprehensive inservice training program for family day care providers that allows them to give early intervention services to preschool children with handicaps. The model, Project Neighborcare, is based on an ecological framework and a consultative approach to training, on the basis that early intervention services ought to meet the needs of families as well as children. The services are designed for working parents of handicapped preschool children who need early intervention services in a child care setting. In keeping with the ecological framework, the form of child care targeted is that most frequently selected by parents of nonhandicapped children. The model is evaluated in terms of improvement in family day care quality, caregiver early intervention skills, and social validity of program outcomes.
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