Backers of Home-Visitation Program Remain Confident

By Linda Jacobson

In January, Boston University Chancellor John R. Silber--who announced March 2 that he was leaving his post as the chairman of the state board of education--convened a meeting of state leaders to pitch the idea.

The goal is to increase the number of children being served in the state by 1,000 next fall, which would require $2 million in state funds. The National Center for the Parent-Child Home Program, which costs $2,000 per child, now reaches 420 children in Massachusetts, but it is paid for with funding from the federal Title I program and other non-state-government sources.

Even though Mr. Silber has stepped down from the state board, those involved in the program are still confident about the proposal's chances in...