Community Development Approaches for Early Intervention

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of a project that used a community development framework to implement change in early care and intervention services in two culturally diverse communities. Two aspects of community development are emphasized: the change process, which involves creating a community planning team to identify and implement change strategies; and empowerment theory, to develop and test new ways of giving consumers a voice in shaping community-based reform. This article describes how community forums and parent leadership training assisted in change efforts, reports results associated with four short-term outcomes, and discusses lessons learned from implementing and evaluating reforms in culturally diverse and traditionally underserved communities.