Brief
This issue brief discusses State development and implementation of marriage education programs to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children. It describes the objectives of the programs and types of programs, and notes research results that indicate children raised in two-parent homes with low conflict levels have a lower risk of both academic and behavioral issues and exhibit greater stability in their own relationships as adults. Strategies States and localities can use to fund marriage education are explained, and lessons learned from State and local programs are shared. Lessons…
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This report explores the decline in marriage in the United States over the past five decades, the impact on children, and President's initiatives for encouraging marriage. It begins by reviewing evidence showing that marriage is associated with better health, higher earnings, and greater wealth among adults as well as with academic success and mental health among children. It states that while the evidence shows that the differences between children reared by married biological parents and children reared by only one biological parent are modest in percentage terms, the small differences…
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Consistent emotional bonds between families and adolescents have been found to be a significant protective factor for young people and a necessary component to achieve positive outcomes. That being said, it is estimated that there are 2,473,300 children of male prisoners and 319,718 children of female prisoners in U.S. correctional facilities. Our nation's high rate of incarceration takes a heavy toll socially and economically on children, their families and communities. Supports are needed because they make communities more resilient to the effects of incarceration and serve to prevent…
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This brief is on father-involvement programs that seek to sustain and grow low-income, nonresidential fathers' emotional and financial involvement in their children's lives. Such programs can strengthen families by enabling: Low-income children to receive emotional support from both parents; Poor children to have improved economic circumstances if increased child support raises family income; Noncustodial fathers to overcome child support problems and insufficient employment, both of which are primary barriers to father involvement; and Human service agencies to attend to the whole family,…
Brief
The Building Strong Families (BSF) project aims to foster the development of programs designed to enhance children's well being by helping new, unmarried parents build stronger relationships and achieve a healthy marriage if they so choose. The motivation and design of BSF programs draw heavily on findings about unmarried parents from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. This research brief summarizes information from that study about the characteristics and relationship patterns of unwed parents. While not representative of all unwed parents, the study sample is representative of…
Brief
Durante la década pasada, se ha llegado a prestar mas atención al papel que el papá puede hacer en apoyar a sus niños durante su formación. Las personas quienes manejan los programas educativos dirigidos a los niños pequeños han comenzado a relacionarse con los papás con el propósito de promover específicamente la involucración y el liderazgo del papá. Ahora los programas del Head Start son un modelo nacional en cuanto a la participación de los padres en la educación temprana y la formación de los niños. Además, el Head Start ahora es un líder nacional de estimular la participación del…
Brief
Children who feel close to their fathers tend to do better in school, feel better about themselves, and avoid problem behaviors. This folder teaches fathers how to stay involved in their child's life even when they live apart. It acknowledges the challenges of fatherhood, and encourages readers to work cooperatively with their child's mother, spend time with their child, and be supportive in a variety of ways to create a bond with their child that will last a lifetime. (Author abstract)
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The purpose of this booklet is to make available to parents information that they can use to help their child to succeed in school. The booklet includesinformation about things that they can do at home to contribute to their child's school success; activities that they can use to help their child acquire the skills to succeed in school; answers to often-asked questions about how to work with teachers and schools; and tips on how to help your child with test taking.
Brief
This manual is intended to help fathers who are separated or divorced to cope successfully with their divorce in a way that is healthy for their children. It begins by explaining the importance of fathers and the impact of divorce on families. Eight steps are then described for keeping an active relationship with the children, surviving the divorce, and moving on to other relationships and a happy life. The steps include: surviving the initial assault; disengaging from your old love; working for a nonadversarial divorce; assessing your role as father and making a fathering plan;…
Brief
Hill County Children's Advocacy Center's tips for helping fathers build involved and nurturing relationships with their children.
