Acknowledgments

The work discussed in this report results from the efforts of a great many individuals. They include staff at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), members of the technical workgroup and expert consultants, the research and technical assistance team, the Building Strong Families (BSF) pilot sites, the site sponsors and funders, the curriculum developers and trainers, and the participants themselves. Our thanks go especially to Nancye Campbell at ACF, who continually provides excellent oversight and patient guidance. The research, survey, and technical guidance team contributed in various ways to this report. They include staff at five organizations: Mathematica Policy Research (Sarah Avellar, Barbara Devaney, Robin Dion, Glenn Jones, John Mamer, Shawn Marsh, Sheena McConnell, Debra Strong, Welmoet VanKammen, Robert Whittaker, Robert Wood, and Heather Zaveri); MDRC (Lisa Genettian, Barbara Goldman, Marilyn Price, and Rebecca Solow); Public Strategies (Courtney Harrison and Mary Myrick); the Urban Institute (Matt Stagner); and Decision Information Resources (Russell and Rosalind Jackson). This report benefited from a review by most members of the project team and external reviewer Alicia Meckstroth. Without the courage and tenacity of the BSF pilot sites, this report would not have been possible. We applaud each of the teams at the seven sites, led by Kim Hale, Monica Herk, Petra Hutchinson, Joe Jones, Phyllis Kikendall, Jim Maddux, Carol McNally, Dena Morrison, Donald Malcolm Smith, Marty Temple, Akilah Thomas, Mike Tucker, and Carolyn Wiseheart. We also extend our gratitude to curriculum developers Julie and John Gottman; Pamela Jordan; Mary Ortwein and Bernard Guerney; and Pamela Wilson and their teams, who worked hard to design materials and provide their best guidance throughout the pilot in response to the myriad challenges faced by sites; and to Nigel Vann and Gardner Wiseheart who helped with staff training. Anne Menard provided wise guidance in the development of site protocols for identifying and addressing domestic violence. Our deepest appreciation is reserved for the couples who agreed to participate in the BSF pilot project.