Today's child protection system is inadequate for the life-saving tasks assigned it. Treating the child after abuse occurs is both costly and ineffective, and experts in the field of child abuse are now emphasizing prevention. Four of the demonstration projects concentrated on early and extended contact between mother and infant to establish attachment and bonding. Program services seek to encourage family participation in the birth experience, to build education and skill development networks, and to combine the above elements in order to reduce isolation and stress of the new mother. The early contact programs increased mother-infant closeness and these helped new mothers overcome unrealistic expectations of their children. Support-oriented strategies created peer groups for pregnant and new mothers. The Pride-in-Parenthood program improved parenting attitudes associated with abuse. Two programs focused on culturally relevant parent education: one of these programs addressed the unique parenting problems of ethnic and economic subcultures in the U.S.; the other dealt with the special confusions and frustrations of an immigrant population. Research indicates that both programs were successful. Overall, research suggests that bonding and attachment is more complex than previously believed. Family-centered childbirth will reduce parenting problems for some, but changes in birthing institutions are probably not enough to alter the parent-child relationship in the aggregate. The evaluation demonstrates that child abuse programs can function at the community level and that paraprofessionals and volunteers are effective in delivering support and in educating individuals on a preventative basis. Footnotes accompany the text.