Web sites serve as an invaluable component to the marketing strategy of any healthy marriage and relationship education program. You not only need to know how to develop your web site, but you also need be able to promote it in on-line, as well as in off-line settings. In addition to a web site, you […]
In the late 1990s, a handful of states began to fund healthy marriage and relationship (HMR) programs and initiatives intended as a promising new strategy for strengthening families and improving child well-being. The states were soon followed by the federal government, which launched a healthy marriage initiative in 2002. The following questions initially were raised […]
Culture influences marriage and it is helpful for practitioners to understand this influence in order to offer culturally relevant marriage education services. Although Asian Americans make up a relatively small portion of the U.S. population (4.4 percent, Census, 2002), they are highly represented in interracial marriages. Other common characteristics in Asian American households include high […]
Healthy marriage policy and programs are the ""new kid on the block"" in social policy. In the mid-90s several states and communities began to engage in marriage-related reforms and services designed to strengthen marriage and reduce divorce rates. In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched a Healthy Marriage Initiative and began funding […]
This brief offers recommendations for working with faith-based organizations to support State or local Healthy Marriage Initiatives. It explains that faith communities can offer a solid base of volunteers who are invested and passionate and who can be empowered and equipped to carry on the sustained work of healthy marriage programs. Recommendations are then discussed […]
This brief offers recommendations from a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State administrator who included marriage-related initiatives in the State’s TANF budget. Recommendations for implementing marriage initiatives include build collective ownership, be sure people know how to utilize or apply a good idea or services, grow champions, and document success. The following three-step approach […]
Data shown here are provisional and include only events occurring within the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia).
This brief offers recommendations from an Oklahoma State policymaker on managing a statewide Healthy Marriage Initiative. Information is provided on the development of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI), the goals of the program, and the strategies used. Recommendations include: deliver evidence-based or research informed services; be prepared to change based on emerging research; include potential […]
This report discusses findings from an evaluation of eight organizations that implemented the Building Strong Families (BSF) program, a program designed to teach relationship skills to unmarried, romantically-involved couples who were expecting or had recently had a baby. For the evaluation, over 5,000 interested couples were randomly assigned to either a BSF group that could […]
This brief draws on the personal experience of the Project Director for Family Services of Greater Houston in Texas, to offer tips for lobbying a State’s legislature for the implementation of marriage preparation and relationship strengthening services. Recommendations include: know your legislators, know the lobbyists, do your homework before you pick up the phone, be […]