A community consortium should be established to mount a communitywide effort to prevent family violence. A continuous mass media campaign should educate the public on family violence and its prevention. Health services must include some training for all new parents in the art of communicating with their babies, followed by a home health visitor program for all new parents for 1 to 2 years after the birth of the first child. A curriculum for the cultivation of interpersonal skills in students from kindergarten through the 12th grade should advance from the cultivation of basic interpersonal skills in the lower grades to courses in sexuality and parenting in high school. An adult education program needs to be provided for two categories of young adults: those who had a positive childhood experience and want a refresher course on duplicating this experience for their own children and those whose childhood experiences were negative and need guidance on providing a more positive experience for their own children. The imparting of knowledge about correct behaviors is sufficient when the behavioral change required is not complex and if attitudes are not based in a fundamental belief system. More profound changes require modeling, coaching, one-to-one interactions, and guided practice. 20 references.