Introduction
Healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs aim to support the well-being of families by teaching them skills to improve communication and conflict management, how to recognize the characteristics of healthy romantic relationships, and how to strengthen existing relationships. HMRE programs may pair a relationship skills curriculum with other services, such as individualized job development or instruction on financial planning, that aim to promote economic stability or content on parenting skills.
When policymakers and practitioners are considering a new program, cost is typically a key concern. Cost affects many aspects of a program, including the number of people a program can serve, the type and intensity of services a program can offer, staffing levels, and program sustainability.
Purpose
This brief provides a framework for thinking about cost when planning an HMRE program. The framework in this brief comes from the Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services (STREAMS) evaluation, sponsored by ACF. In 2015, ACF contracted with Mathematica and its partner, Public Strategies, to conduct the STREAMS evaluation to identify strategies for improving the delivery and effectiveness of HMRE programs.
Key Findings and Highlights
From STREAMS, we learned that HMRE programs can vary widely in cost and that the primary drivers of cost fall into the following four interrelated categories: (1) program design, (2) program services, (3) partnerships, and (4) personnel costs. When planning an HMRE program, providers can assess where they are likely to fall on the cost spectrum by considering the following questions:
- Program design. Does your organization provide HMRE programming as a supplement to an existing program or service? Or does the program operate more independently? More independent programs must account for the resources needed to support the program’s basic infrastructure (such as administrative personnel and physical classroom space), which can increase direct cost.
- Program characteristics. Does your program offer supplemental services in addition to an HMRE group workshop? Supplemental services can make up a sizeable portion of a program’s total cost.
- Partnerships. Does your organization rely on formal or informal partnerships to help with recruitment, service delivery, or other aspects of the program? Formal partnerships can involve contracted services and payments that add to program cost.
- Personnel costs. Accounting for program design, program characteristics, and partnerships, how many personnel do you need to operate the program? Getting an accurate staff count is important because personnel costs can make up the largest share of an HMRE program’s total cost.
Methods
The cost estimates and framework presented in this brief are based on the experiences of four HMRE programs that participated in the STREAMS evaluation and provided cost data to the evaluation team. All four programs offered common HMRE services such as group workshops, individual case management, and referrals. To calculate the cost estimates presented in this brief, members of the STREAMS evaluation team first identified all resources each organization required to deliver its HMRE program, such as administrative staff, workshop facilitators, curriculum materials, office supplies and equipment, and other shared administrative and indirect resources. The team then assigned a dollar value to each resource identified. These dollar values formed the basis for the summary estimates of program cost presented in the brief.
Citation
Brian Goesling and Chidinma Nwankwo. “Cost Considerations for Planning a Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Program.” OPRE report #2022-326. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022.