Strengthening Families Program in Butler and Grundy Counties
Staff involved:  Patrick Derdzinski, Bill Arndorfer, Donna Andrusyk

Problem:
The Strengthening Families Program had gotten started in Butler County through the commitment of time and money of the Butler County Parish Nursing Program. Several Butler County residents had been trained as program facilitators so funding had been sought for several months to continue the program after the Parish Nursing program grant had concluded. In mid-February, Extension was approached by Together for Families Decategorization Project staff to write a proposal for funding if the seven-week program could be implemented before the end of the school year.

Response:
School districts in Clarksville, Reinbeck and Sumner had expressed interest in the program in the past and were contacted to determine if they were committed to help get the program carried out this school year.  Because there was a core group of trained facilitators to draw from, Extension staff were able to arrange for the needed three facilitators for each session in each community. Twelve families in Clarksville and 6 in Reinbeck enrolled in SFP. This included 20 youth. Decat funds covered the costs of family meals and attendance incentives as well as paying the facilitators and local program arrangers. Schools donated the use of their facilities.

Impact:
Ten families attended all seven sessions. The outcomes requirement of Decat for child safety were met by the following responses from self-report forms completed by parents and youth:

After the program, 90% of the parent units reported they waited to deal with problems with their child until after they had cooled down "A good bit of the time" or "Most of the time." Eighty percent reported being able to tell their youth when they were upset without blaming or criticizing "A good bit" or "Most of the time."

One hundred percent of the youth reported they used the peer pressure steps when pressured to get into trouble "Most" or "A good bit" of the time.  Fifty percent of the youth said they could sit down with parents to work on a problem without yelling or getting mad "Most" or "A good bit" of the time.

Youth reported the most valuable thing they learned during the program was:
"How to just chill out when there's a problem."
"To respect my parents."
"Goals for future, understanding parents, handling stress, follow rules, handling peer pressure."
"How to handles stress and peer pressure."
"That I love my mom."
"To listen to what people are saying."
"How to handle my problems better."
"How to handle peer pressure, stress and reaching goals."
"To treat my parents good."
"What to say when someone is trying to get you in trouble."

Parents/caregivers reported the most valuable thing they learned was:
"To see things from their viewpoints. Be more aware of how to handle situations and listen without being accusing. Importance of knowing the rules and consequences."
"Feelings about family times."
"We learned what our son feels and that it is normal for his age.  It was an excellent program and has strengthened our family tremendously!"
"Learning how to communicate with your child - I have learned so much."
"To remember what it was like when I was this age and to really listen without jumping into a response too soon."
"It works."

Contact:
Donna Andrusyk
Iowa State University Extension Family Life Field Specialist
720 7th Ave. SW
Tripoli, IA  50676
Phone (319) 882-4275; FAX  (319) 882-4292
Email andrusyk@iastate.edu