Prevention of child maltreatment is approached in the context of preventing a wide range of associated health and development problems in mothers and children. These problems include: (1) Nine infants out of every 1,000 in the United States die before their first birthday; (2) More than 2.5 million children were reported as being abused or neglected in 1990, and one in three of the victims of physical abuse were less than 1 year old; (3) Childhood injuries are the leading cause of death among children aged 1 through 14; and (4) High rates of violence among adolescents, both as victims and perpetrators, threaten the safety and well-being of neighborhoods. The chapter reviews a program of prenatal care and early childhood home visitation that was tested in randomized clinical trials and that improved the outcomes of pregnancy, the qualities of care that parents provided to their children, and families' economic self-sufficiency. Figures, references