The Better Beginnings, Better Futures Project

Although comprehensive and ecological approaches to early childhood prevention are commonly advocated, there are few examples of long-term follow-up of such programs. In this monograph, we investigate the medium- and longterm effects of an ecological, community-based prevention project for primary school children and families living in three economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada. The Better Beginnings, Better Futures (BBBF) project is one of the most ambitious Canadian research projects on the long-term impacts of early childhood prevention programming to date.

Ray DeV. Peters is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He has been the Director of the BBBF Research Coordination Unit since its inception in 1990 and is a leading expert in child development and prevention research and practice. His major research interests concern the promotion of children's well-being and the prevention of children's mental health problems. In the past 15 years, he has written extensively about effective programs for vulnerable children, prevention of childhood disorders, and early childhood development.

Alison J. Bradshaw is a Research Associate with the BBBF Research Coordination Unit. She is particularly interested in the effects of preventive interventions on the long-term health and well-being of disadvantaged children.

Kelly Petrunka has been the Associate Research Director of the BBBF Research Coordination Unit since its inception in 1990. Her major research interests include effectiveness and economic analyses of early childhood prevention programming for disadvantaged children and their families.

Geoffrey Nelson is Professor of Psychology and a faculty member in the graduate program in Community Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. His research and practice has focused on housing and self-help organizations for people with serious mental illness and community-based prevention programs for children and families.