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There are many individuals and organizations ready and willing to assist organizations that are administering AFI Projects by strengthening the families and couples that participate in them. The following resource list highlights a few of them. If you need further assistance locating resources, please contact the AFI Resource Center at the Office of Community Services.
Family and Marriage Strengthening
Resources in this section are organized as follows:
- Organizations
- Training Providers
- Curricula and Publications
- Premarital and Marital Inventories
- Parenting Programs
- Stepfamily Programs and Tools
- Youth Programs and Tools
Organizations
Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment (ACME)
This international nonprofit organization promotes better marriages by providing enrichment opportunities and resources that strengthen couple relationships and enhance personal growth, mutual fulfillment, and family wellness.
http://www.bettermarriages.org
First Things First (FTF)
This nonprofit organization helps to strengthen families through community education, research, skills training, media outreach, networking, and collaboration. FTF has partnerships with more than 80 local and national organizations. Look for the Marriage and Family Resource Center on the web site.
Lutheran Social Services
This network of approximately 300 health and human service organizations provides care in 3,000 communities in the United States and the Caribbean . To learn more, search for the word "marriage" under the service locator portion of the organization's web site.
http://www.lutheranservices.org
Smart Marriages, The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couple Education
This organization sponsors an annual conference and training for family-strengthening and marriage educators. The web site presents many different resource pieces and links to related organizations.
Training Providers
Relationship Learning Center
This organization, based in Winter Park , Florida , offers "Getting the Love You Want" and "Keeping the Love You Find" workshops. It offers training on teaching these marriage strengthening workshops, as well as counseling and other resources.
http://www.relationshipjourney.com
Institute for Soul Healing Love
This organization, based in Cookeville , Tennessee , uses Christian principles for counseling and support. Resources include training manuals, audiotapes, and videotapes that target children of divorced parents and those in counseling and pastoral professions.
http://www.SoulHealingLove.com
Marriage Alive Seminars
This faith-based program offers a approaches for building marriages using biblical teachings, skill building, and creating fun and learning "dates" with your partner. Seminars are offered regularly.
Center of Relationship Enhancement
The Center of Relationship Enhancement (CORE), based in Doylestown , Pennsylvania , provides training to trainers and couples on skills for creating satisfying, close, and stable relationships. This organization offers week-long courses, as well as day and partial-day workshops for couples and families.
http://www.relationshipenhancement.com
Curricula and Publications
Active Relationships: Active Money Personalities
Active Relationships enhances awareness and teaches acceptance of personal responsibility for relationship success. Active Money Personalities is one of the four core projects that make up the Active Relationships Mastery Series. The others include Active Living, Active Communication, and Active Romance and Intimacy.
http://www.activerelationships.com
Couple Communication
Couple Communication is a curriculum provided by Interpersonal Communication Programs, Inc., of Evergreen, Colorado . The curriculum teaches practical ways to help marital partners increase communication, enhance listening skills, and align values and goals. The program, which has introductory and advanced levels, includes a workbook, "relationship maps," and materials for trainers.
http://www.couplecommunication.com
Couple Talk: Enhancing Your Relationship
CoupleTALK is a non-credit, Internet-based distance education course offered by K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University . This adult education course helps couples build skills to make their relationship stronger and more satisfying. This course is provided free of charge to enrolled participants.
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/famlf2/mf2297.pdf
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ctalk/
Debt Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony, by Mary Hunt
This book was written specifically for couples. It discusses money personalities, ways to get out of debt, and how to plan for a successful financial future. An accompanying workbook is included. It is available online and at bookstores.
Divorce Busting Program
Based on Michele Weiner-Davis's book, "Divorce Busting," this program teaches "out of the box" strength-based, solution-oriented marriage enrichment. The program's website includes materials, workbooks, DVDs, and CDs for individuals, couples, and trainers.
Empowering Couples: Building on Your Strengths
This marriage-strengthening self-help publication is provided by the Life Innovations, Inc. in Minneapolis , Minnesota . Topics include communication, conflict resolution, sexuality, and spiritual beliefs. The curriculum is available on the web site listed below. The site also includes links for locating counselors and for information on train mentoring couples and other program development tools.
http://www.lifeinnovations.com
Enriching Your Marriage: Relationship Exercises for Couples
This booklet features 20 practical marriage-enrichment exercises for couples on a wide range of topics including communication, resolving conflict, and sharing feelings. It is suitable for use by couples individually or in group settings.
Family Wellness
The Family Wellness Associates of Scotts Valley, California, offers "The Strongest Link: The Couple" curriculum. In addition, the group provides instructor training and resources.
How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk
This educational, research-based program is provided by the Life Changers organization based in Medina , Ohio . Resources include the "How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk" book, which presents the Relationship Attachment Model and spells out how singles can pace their relationships in five crucial areas. The organization also provides a number of other resources including instructor certification, secular and faith-based workbooks and tools to teach the course in churches, agencies, military bases, schools, and singles organizations.
Love, Money and Marriage: Understanding and Achieving Financial Compatibility Before-and-after-You Say "I Do," by Gail Liberman and Alan Levin
This book helps couples discuss money before marriage. Topics include money styles and how to develop a compatible approach to financial management. It is available online and at bookstores.
Money and Marriage: Making it Work Together: A Guide to Smart Money Management and Harmonious Communications, by Steven Pybrum .
This book offers a "how-to" for couples to learn to communicate about money issues and achieve financial goals. It is available online and at bookstores.
PAIRS - Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills
The PAIRS Foundation of Weston, Florida , offers a number of training curricula and other resources for marriage strengthening. The PAIRS curriculum is a relationship skills-based approach designed for couples and individuals who are interested in preserving, strengthening, and enhancing their relationships. There are several different versions available including PAIRS for marriages, PAIRS FIRST for pre-marriage and newlywed couples, and PEERS for teens.
PREP - Preventive Relationship Enhancement Program
The PREP curriculum is provided by Prep, Inc. in Glenwood Village , Colorado . The curriculum provides skills and principles-building to aid communication and increase a couple's connection with each other. The curriculum is available on video and audiotape and in print version. The Prep, Inc. organization provides many other resources and training on marriage strengthening topics.
Power of Two Marriage Skills Workshops
The Power of Two organization, based in Denver , Colorado , provides a full range of resources including, books, CDs, DVDs, and VHS versions of its conflict resolution materials, as well as skills workshops for couples and leader training.
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, by John Gottman
This book, published by the Gottman Institute of Seattle, Washington, teaches couples how to foster respect, affection and closeness; build a deeper connection with each other; and manage and resolve conflict. It is available online.
You Paid How Much for That? How to Win at Money Without Losing at Love
A guide written by PREP (Preventive Enhancement Relationship Program) to assist couples in (a) discovering hidden issues, expectations, and gender differences in financial management within the relationship; (b) establishing ground rules and practices to effectively solve real problems and communicate issues; (c) developing a better understanding of money management including borrowing, insurance, taxes, saving, and investing; and (d) defining and reaching financial and emotional goals.
When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages
Les and Leslie Parrot provide insights and guidance into how to get marriages back on track. Other publications on the site address couples mentoring and relationship assessment.
http://www.realrelationships.com
50 Wonderful Ways to be a Single-Parent Family , by Barry Ginsberg
This book is a guide on how to have fun together, learn to share decisions, develop family traditions and rituals, find common ground, and feel like a team. It is available in bookstores and online.
Premarital and Marital Inventories
FOCCUS ( Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study)
FOCCUS includes 180 questions designed to cover issues of communication, finances, sexuality, cohabitation, and interfaith differences. REFOCCUS is a version for use by married couples seeking marriage enrichment. Originally developed for use in Catholic premarital preparation courses, FOCCUS is now available in four editions: General, Christian Non-Denominational, Catholic, and Alternate (for learning impaired).
PREPARE/ENRICH
The PREPARE/ENRICH Inventories contain 195 items in 20 different relationship areas, including communications, conflict resolution, finances, family or origin, and sexuality. The Inventories ask each partner to answer the questions and then create a Partner Report consolidating the individual partner's responses. It also includes six exercises for improving your relationship. There are also materials for training and certification with the method.
RELATE: Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire
The RELATE tool provides comprehensive assessment of premarriage and married couple relationships across a range of categories including communication, conflict management, and childhood/background. It is available on-line. There is a charge for each assessment.
Parenting Programs and Tools
Active Parenting
The Active Parenting Publishers, Inc. produces a number of curricula, workbooks and publications designed for parents of children ages 5 to 12.
http://www.activeparenting.com
Parenting Wisely
The Family Works, Inc. organization based in Athens , Ohio , developed and distributes this curriculum to address behavior problems in children and teens. Available in CD-ROM format, it can be self-administered or used in groups/classes and with low-literacy. It is available in Spanish.
STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) Program
This curriculum, distributed by Pearson Global Publications, of Shoreview , Minnesota , teaches essential skills for family relationships, in five versions: regular, teens, early childhood, Spanish language, and biblical. Each version has seven sessions and includes video and an extensive Leader's Resource Guide. Other packages target fathers, single or divorced parents, and early childhood.
Stepfamily Programs and Tools
Smart Step for Adults and Children in Stepfamilies
The Stepfamily Association of America (SAA) publishes this research based and "teach out of the box" curriculum. It includes a leader's guide that is adaptable to different organizations. SAA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping stepfamilies create successful relationships.
The Stepfamily Foundation
The Stepfamily Foundation offers coaching, counseling, and educational resources for stepfamilies.
Youth Programs and Tools
Building Relationships: Developing Skills for Life
This workbook is based on the PREPARE/ENRICH curriculum. It builds awareness of dating and interpersonal relationships for teens. Topics include dating, communication, conflict management, affection, goal setting, and budgeting. Teachers' manuals are available.
http://www.prepare-enrich.com/indexm.cfm
CONNECTIONS: Youth Relationship Skills Series
This curriculum is published by the Dibble Fund for Marriage Education, which is a nonprofit organization based in Berkeley , California . This series of readings and skill-based interactive exercises helps teens prepare for healthy dating relationships and marriage. Topics include communication, self-esteem, and conflict resolution.
http://www.buildingrelationshipskills.org
The Art of Loving Well: A Character Education Curriculum for Today's Teenagers
This book is published by the Boston University School of Education. It is an anthology of 40 ethnically diverse selections. It has three sections: "Early Loves and Losses," "Romance," and "Commitment and Marriage." The curriculum helps teens develop strong personal ideas and learn social and emotional skills for relationships.
http://www.bu.edu/education/lovingwell
Asset Building
National Resources
Assets for Independence Resource Center -- Office of Community Services
The AFI Resource Center , managed by the Office of Community Services, is the mechanism for providing training, technical assistance and information to Assets for Independence Program grantees, their sub-grantees and sub-contractors, partners, nonfederal funders and other organizations. A key component is the Assetbuilding website, which provides a wealth of information on designing, funding, and administering an AFI Project and other IDA efforts and asset building strategies.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding
Center for Social Development
The Center for Social Development (CSD) is a component of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis , Missouri . CSD is the home of the IDA concept. It managed the American Dream Demonstration (the first national study of the effectiveness of IDA s), and continues to research asset building strategies.
CFED
The CFED organization is a nonprofit that has been instrumental in supporting the use of IDAs and other asset building strategies to enable families with low incomes to succeed. It publishes an array of helpful documents, manages a special ListServ for IDA providers, and sponsors regional and national meetings about IDA and other asset building strategies.
Institute for Social and Economic Development
The Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED) is a nonprofit research and services provider with offices in Iowa and Washington , D.C. It provides an array of diverse resources for IDA programs nationwide, including interesting articles and useful tools for developing and managing IDA projects.
New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a nonprofit non-partisan policy institute based in Washington , D.C. Its Asset Building Program advances information and research on innovative strategies for reducing poverty. The program's web site includes comprehensive information on asset-building initiatives, policy developments, research projects, and data sources offered to date. IDA s are included among the topics.
Financial Education Curricula
PACE Money Wise
This interactive program was designed for use with "Families First" participants. Contact Dena Wise, University of Tennessee , dkwise@utk.edu
All My Money
A financial management train-the-trainer curriculum for persons working with limited-resource audiences developed by the University of Illinois Extension Consumer and Family Economics Team.
http://www.ace.uiuc.edu/cfe/mymoney/
Credit When Credit is Due
A 12-module financial education curriculum developed by the American Center for Credit Education (affiliated with the American Bankers Association). Students who complete all 12 modules and pass all exams will receive a positive annotation on their credit reports. Price: $20. Contact Ron Trithart at (605) 348-3104.
Dollar $ense: An Economic Literacy Curriculum for Individual Development Account Projects: Eight Steps Toward Economic Independence Through Asset Ownership
This curriculum by Central Vermont Community Action Council, Inc. provides participants with "hard information" definitions, facts, theories, and skills related to money management in the context of long-term asset building. The materials are designed for use by nonprofits and financial institutions engaged in IDA projects, but are adaptable to other asset-building projects. Contact Dawn Butterfield at 802-479-1053; dbutterfield@cvcac.org.
The curriculum, and many others, is also available from the American Express Financial Education Web site.
http://www.nefe.org/amexeconfund/materials/dollarsense.html
Helping People in Your Community Understand Basic Financial Services
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service, Product Promotion Division, 401 14 th Street, S.W. , Washington , D.C. 20227 .
Knowing and Understanding Your Credit
Fannie Mae Foundation and the National Endowment for Financial Education.
Making Money Work for You
This five-session curriculum, with teaching outlines, visual aids, and participant workbooks, is designed for people just starting out or struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck. Contact Suzanne Knight, University of New Hampshire, suzann.knight@unh.edu
Making Your Money Work
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Communication Service, Media Distribution Center , 301 South Second Street, Lafayette, IN 47901-1232
Managing Debt and Building Wealth
A basic overview of money management techniques, and lists places people can go to for help when their debts seem overwhelming. This site links to the leaders' guide.
http://www.consumer-action.org/English/library/money_mgt/2000_ManagingDebt_Guide/index.php
Money Smart
Money Smart is a training program designed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. It is available at no cost in paper and CD Rom format.
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html
National Community Reinvestment Coalition's (NCRC) Financial Literacy Manual
This manual was developed as part of NCRC's financial literacy campaign. NCRC also offers comprehensive resources in English and Spanish to complement presentations by local agencies, financial service providers, and others. Registration is required to access materials.
Your Spending, Your Savings, Your Future: A Beginner's Guide to Financial Readiness
National Endowment for Financial Education