Wade Horn, Ph.D., Comments on Child Welfare

Helping the Hidden Victims: Mentoring the Children of Prisoners

The children of incarcerated parents are seven times more likely than others to become prisoners themselves. The Bush Administration believes that above all else, children of prisoners need positive adult role models who can help them beat the odds.

Improving Head Start: A Common Cause

Although the Head Start program has been shown to have many benefits for parents and children, we need to do a better job of determining how well Head Start children across the country are being prepared for academic success once they enter school. President Bush's "Good Start, Grow Smart" initiative challenges us to improve the effectiveness of Head Start programs by developing a systematic nationwide approach to assessing every child's school readiness.

Better Futures for Waiting Children

Finding safe, secure, and permanent homes for foster children through adoption is one of the highest priorities of the Administration for Children and Families. We are working in a variety of exciting ways to help States promote and support adoptions, using the promise of new technology, private-public partnerships, and all the incentives we have at hand to make sure that more children get what they wish for and deserve—a forever family.

Articles by Dr. Horn are featured in Children's Bureau Express, a monthly online digest for professionals concerned with child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. Visit the latest issue of Children's Bureau Express for information about federal legislation and funding opportunities, recent research, promising practices, and more.