Supporting children and families in the schools: the school of the 21st century.

The School of the 21st Century, a model designed to address the soaring need for child care, is housed in an institution already present in every neighborhood-the public school. Its potential to serve as a primary prevention program, through provision of child-care and family-support services for children from birth through age 12, is described. Examples of program effectiveness are offered, and the additional benefits of integration with related programs are outlined.