ACF OPRE: Strengthening Families with Children Born Out-of-Wedlock

APPENDIX B

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS

**Table B.1. Summary of Program Characteristics**
Program	Primary Program Goal	Population Served	Point of Contact	Outreach/Services Provided	Program Intensity	Extent to Which Program is Faith Based	Program Size	Other Important Characteristics
African American Family Life Education Program (Multiple sites)	To prevent long-term family problems	Black couples, married or in committed relationships Varying income levels	At any point	Some outreach Couple relationship skills Parenting skills Life skills Assessments for other services Referrals for other services	7 weekly classes	Secular	Small, operated in only two sites	Not currently offered on on-going basis

Baby Makes Three (Seattle, WA)	To ease the transition to parenthood and prevent relationship deterioration	Couples expecting a child All income levels and race/ethnicities	Pregnancy to 6 months after birth	Some outreach Couple relationship skills Parenting skills Father involvement	1 weekend workshop, 12 support group meetings over 6 months	Secular	Medium, program being tested with 140 couples at 1 hospital	Currently being evaluated in longitudinal 3-year study

Becoming Parents Program (Longwood, FL)	To strengthen marriages or relationships of couples who are pregnant with first child	Primarily married, middle-income, white, first-time parents	Pregnancy to shortly after birth	Recruit mainly from one church congregation Couple relationships skills Parenting skills Referrals for other services	6 weekly classes	Setting is church, participants recruited from church congregation, and begin classes with prayer or scripture reading	Small, but part of nationwide program

Becoming Parents Program (Naperville, IL)	To strengthen marriages or relationships of couples who are pregnant with first child	Primarily married, middle-income, white, first-time parents	Pregnancy to shortly after birth	Recruited from hospital Couple relationships Parenting skills Referrals for other services	3 weekly classes, 2 hours long	Secular	Small, but part of nationwide program

Bienvenidos Family Services (East Los Angeles, CA)	To strengthen families, prevent child abuse, help families become self-sufficient, and support stable and healthy home environments	Low-income Latino families	At any point	Some outreach Couple relationship skills Co-parenting skills Health education Life skills Substance abuse prevention and recovery Family violence prevention Pregnancy prevention Assessments for other services Referrals for other services	Home visits: 1-4 times per week Groups/classes: 2 hours per week	Secular	Large	Comprehensive approach to strengthening couple relationships

Boot Camp for New Dads (Denver, CO)	To provide education and support for expectant fathers	Fathers, most first-time Some low-income Some Latino and black	When expecting child	Some outreach Couple relationships skills Co-parenting skills Father involvement Parenting skills Referrals for other services	One time, 3 hour class	Secular	Large, part of nationwide program	Low-income fathers receive incentives for participation

Building Strong and Ready Families (Multiple sites)	To provide couples with skills necessary to build strong and lasting relationships	Married enlisted soldiers in Army Some minority	When couple has been in Army less than six months	Some outreach Couple relationship skills	Two all-day workshops, plus overnight retreat	Offered by Chaplain, but otherwise secular	Medium, offered in 17 Brigades	Heavily based on PREP; also research based

Christian Family Community Mediation Services: Parenting for Positive Results and Relationship Skills Groups (St. Louis, MO)	To encourage moree ffective parenting and improve relationship skills	All low-income noncustodial fathers, single mothers, some couples Most black or Hispanic	At any point	No outreach, all clients referred Relationship skills Parenting skills Co-parenting Family mediation Financial management skills Referrals for other services	Classes: 6 weekly 2-hour sessions Mediation: 4-6 contacts per week for 1-2 years	Offered by a Christian organization and sometimes classes are provided in churches, curriculum is secular	Small

Constructing a Godly Home (Braddock, PA)	To prepare couples for stable relationships and marriages	Premarital middle-income couples and singles, unwed mothers Many low-income Largely black	Before marriage	Some outreach Couple relationships skills Co-parenting skills Parenting skills Financial management skills Referrals for other services	Varies, from 1 all day class to 18-week 2-hr classes	Faith-based curricula and setting	Small	No established/consistent curriculum

Couples' Relationship Enhancement Program (Multiple sites)	To teach couples skills to create happy and intimate relationships	Couples Some low-income, African American, Native American	At any point	No outreach Couple relationships skills Referrals for other services	Varies, typically 90 min to 2 hours for 14 to 16 weeks	Some clergy provide program	Large, nationwide program	Research-based and evaluated curriculum

Family Star Early Head Start (Denver, CO)	To improve parents' relationship with child, encourage co-parenting, provide parents with resources necessary for this	Parents of infants and children less than 3 in Early Head Start Largely low-income Latino From all family structures	While child is in Early Head Start	Outreach only among Early Head Start participants Co-parenting skills Parenting skills Couple relationships skills Assessments for other services Referrals for other services	Co-parenting: three 90 min. classes (in planning stage)	Secular	Family Star program is small	Program scheduled to begin operation at beginning of March, but not yet in operation

First Things First (Chattanooga, TN)	To reduce the divorce rate, reduce the number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and increase father involvement in the community	Couples, families, and fathers Community-wide	At any point	Some outreach Media campaign Couple relationship skills Co-parenting skills Parenting skills Referrals for other services	Varies by program	Some programs faith-based, others secular	Large, community-wide initiative	Extensive collaboration with community-based organizations, including black churches

Greater Grand Rapids Community Marriage Project (Grand Rapids, MI)	To increase frequency of marriage preparation, decrease the divorce rate, and reduce out-of-wedlock births	Couples and families Community-wide	At any point	Some outreach Media campaign Couple relationships skills Referrals for other services	Varies Premarital classes include a 1-time 4-hr class and a 3-session, 12-hr class Also depends on partner organizations	Some programs faith-based, others secular	Large, community-wide initiative	Extensive collaboration with community-based organizations

Healthy Start, Heart of America United Way (Kansas City, MO)	To decrease maternal and child morbidity and to improve child and family health	Low-income pregnant women, infants, children up to 2, and their families Fathers of babies enrolled in Healthy Start Primarily black and Hispanic	During pregnancy, and after child's birth	Extensive outreach, using community residents Case management Co-parenting skills Parenting skills Services to promote father involvement Employment services for mothers Health education Assessments for other services (mothers only) Referrals (mothers only)	Fatherhood program is 6-class series	Secular	Large program with 84 sites nationwide	Lessons learned from outreach of Healthy Start could identify promising strategies for reaching the target population

Healthy Start, (Pittsburgh/Allegheny County,PA)	To decrease maternal and child morbidity and to improve child and family health The Male Initiative Program designed to increase father involvement	Low-income pregnant women, infants, children up to 2 and their families Also males ages 15 to 25 Primarily black and Hispanic	During pregnancy and after child's birth	Extensive outreach, using community residents Case management Parenting skills Services to encourage father and other male involvement Health education Assessments for other services Referrals for other services	Male Initiative Program involves 12 sessions	Secular	Large program with 84 sites nationwide	Has been operating longer than the Kansas City project

Nurse-Family Partnership (Multiple sites)	To improve women's health during pregnancy; improve care of infants and toddlers and prevent maltreatment; prevent unintended pregnancy, school dropout, welfare dependence and unemployment	Low-income first-time mothers and their babies	During and after pregnancy, until child is 2 yrs old	Some outreach Couple relationships skills Parenting skills Co-parenting skills Referrals for employment services Assessments for other services Research-based curriculum	Weekly, bimonthly, or monthly home visits, depending on mother's circumstances from pregnancy until child is 2	Secular	Nationwide program	Findings from two experimental evaluations have shown program reduces child abuse, subsequent pregnancy, and incidence of behavioral problems due to substance abuse

Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills (PAIRS) (Multiple sites)	To teach couples "emotional literacy" in order to improve their relationships	All couples, some singles, usually middle-income	At any point	Some outreach Couple relationships skills	Varies Includes 8-week seminar to 120-hour seminar	Both secular and faith-based versions	Large, nationwide program

Prepare/Enrich and Building Relationships (Multiple sites)	To help couples prepare for marriage, help enrich marriages of married couples Goal of Building Relationships is to help develop relationship skills of youth	All premarital, married, and cohabiting couples, and youth	At any point	Some outreach Couple relationship skills General relationship skills	Adult programs vary but recommend minimum of 6 hours of counseling Youth program 6-8 sessions, 90 min each	Secular curriculum but counseling often provided by clergy	Large, nationwide program

Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) (Multiple sites)	Preventing marital dissatisfaction and divorce	Largely white, middle-income committed and married couples	At any point	Couple relationship skills Research-based curriculum	6 weekly 2-hour sessions, weekend or 1-day workshops	A Christian based version of the curriculum exists	Large, nationwide program	Studies have shown that program is effective, though some methodological problems with studies

Responsible Choices TANF Agency (Baltimore, MD)	To prevent subsequent pregnancies among first-time parents, increase positive parent involvement, support low-income families	Unmarried pregnant parents or within three months of birth of first child Largely low-income, black	Pregnancy or shortly after birth of first child	Some outreach Couple relationship skills Couples mediation Co-parenting skills Parenting skills Services to encourage father involvement Employment services Family planning services Assessments for other services Referrals for other services	Varies, home visits (45 min to 1 hr) once a week at start, then less often unless needed	Secular	Medium, local program	We may want to consider this TANF program for technical assistance.

Torres Martinez Desert Indian Consortium TANF Agency (Los Angeles and Riverside, CA)	To promote marriage and encourage father involvement	All TANF recipients	At any point	No outreach Premarital counseling Couple relationship skills Employment services Assessments for other services Referrals for other services Financial incentives for marriage including marriage bonus and payment of some costs of traditional weddings	Varies	Secular	Local program

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