A survey was distributed to service providers in Connecticut working with newborn to 6‐year‐old handicapped children to examine the degree to which service activities currently focus on the family. Most service‐provision goals elicited by the survey were child‐focused clinical goals, but family‐focused goals were frequently cited However, 30% reported spending no time with families during a typical week. Published programs or curricula were rarely used. The providers felt they were successfully achieving goals set for families but that they encountered some problems, including a lack of time to work with families. Comparisons were made between those working with children from birth to 3 years of age and those working with children 3 to 6 years of age. Suggestions concerning the implementation of the family‐focused agenda were made.

A questionnaire was distributed to a representative sample of teachers of birth to six-year-old handicapped children from Connecticut. The questionnaire asked teachers to describe their current instructional practices, their attitudes related to these practices, and their perceptions of the factors that impeded their services. Teachers reported using a variety of curricula including test protocols, specially designed curricula for handicapped children, and traditional preschool curricula. Almost all teachers used IEPs, and the majority taught children in groups using structured didactic methods. Teachers felt that they were highly successful at achieving their instructional goals. They had very positive attitudes about their in. structional procedures which they felt did not impede their effectiveness as teachers. The implications of these findings for teacher training are discussed.