Strengthening Families Program

About the Program (download the brochure)
The Strengthening Families Program is for parents/caregivers and children, ages 3-16.  The program meets one night a week.  A free meal and free childcare for toddlers is provided.  The program is nationally recognized by the US Department of Education, Center for Prevent of Substance Abuse and Office of Juvenile Justice & Deliquency Prevention.

The program is curriculum and research based.  It focuses on enhancing communication skills between family members and helping families to increase their ability to express their feelings and concerns to one another.  This program works well as a prevention program for families with children who may be at risk for substance use problems, depression, violence, delinquency and school failure.

Program Format
-Created for parents/caregivers and children ages 3-16
-Two-hour sessions weekly
-Free family dinner and childcare provided for younger children
-Parents and children meet in separate groups for the first hour
-Each session is filled with activities and games
-Taught by trained program facilitators
-Designed to help parents and children build on their strengths
-Designed to help families grow and learn together

Works to reduce or prevent:
-Aggressive or withdrawn behavior
-Negative peer influence
-Poor school performance
-Lack of pro social goals
-Poor relationship with parents/caregivers

Children will build:
-Positive future orientation
-Peer pressure resistance skills
-Pro social peer relationships
-Positive management of emotions
-Empathy with parents/caregivers

Program Objectives
For Parents:
-Increase parenting knowledge
-Decrease parenting stress
-Increase effective discipline
-Increase positive attention and praise
-Increase parenting self-esteem or efficacy

For Children:
-Increase compliance & communication
-Increase school grades & performance
-Increase coping skills for anger & criticism
-Increase peer refusal skills
-Decrease depression

For Family:
-Prevent alcohol and drug use
-Improve family communication
-Decrease family conflict
-Increase parent/child time together
-Improve family bonding and cohesion
-Increase parent’s empathy toward child

For more information about this program, contact Selena Walker at swalker@bariumsprings.org or at 704-873-1011, ext. 280.