Strong Dads, Resilient Families provides educational programs for fathers/father figures ages 18 years & up in Todd (western) & Wolfe (eastern) counties. The primary goal of the project is to strengthen the parenting skills of the father figures as a means to promote family resiliency.  Long term objectives and findings include the following: 

1) Increase in the application of effective parenting skills - 

All fathers who completed the programs for incarcerated fathers in Todd and Wolfe Counties in 2017 revealed that they have improved their communication skills with their children and have a renewed sense of what a good father is supposed to be. Responses indicate a positive progression toward more effective parenting from pre-survey to post-survey. Based on the utilization of the "parenting" common measures assessment scale, participants reported slightly more of a willingness (5.07 vs. 5.26) to listen and share feelings and experiences with their children after participating in the program, indicating a greater sense of parental nurturing. Participants' perceptions of parenting also increased between pre- (5.12) and post-survey (5.28). Informal interviews with program participants continue to reveal that the fathers have a self-realization after participating in the program that, despite the face that they feel they are good fathers, they always notice areas that need improvement and state they are willing to use the information they have learned through the program to continue to improve. Staff and partners continue to observed that the fathers now speak to the value of being involved in activities and projects with their children. 

2) Improvement in the involvement of positive father/father figures in the lives of children - All participants have demonstrated an increase in parental involvement. All participants revealed that as fathers, they personally have improved the communication skills with their children and have a renewed sense of what being a good father is supposed to entail. The Todd County site coordinator has worked with the county detention center to educate inmates on the importance of responsible fatherhood. Of the 163 participants who have completed the program during the grant thus far, the percentage of those who are re-incarcerated remains very low (.006%), compared to the state average (29%). The program also develops a bond among the participants that stretch across racial and economic lines as they all learn that in the end they wish to be better fathers and can lean on each other in order to continue the growth they seek.

3) Increase in male involvement within Extension programs & the community - Initially, 22% of the participants reported that they were involved in the CYFAR project (an Extension related program) for less than an hour per week. Of the total number of participants that completed the post survey, nearly 70% reported being involved at least 2-3 hours per week. As expected, the number of educational activities planned for the project in both counties were encouraging for participants to become more engaged. Again, this reveals that the program has empowered this non-traditional audience to utilize the services provided through Extension.