Family Strengthening Curricula, Research Effective w/Hispanic Audiences

CYFAR Site Program Possibilities

-compiled by Mary Huser, Family Living Programs-

August 2007

Evidence-based Parenting Programs

• Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 (Familias Fuertes) – if this program is part of our approach, we will likely consult with Juana Avila, Waukesha County UW-Extension community educator who has experience using the program w/Latino families; http://www.extension.iastate.edu/sfp/
• Parenting Wisely – 2 programs available in Spanish http://www.familyworksinc.com/
• Teenagers: Step-parent/step-child conflict, Solving conflicts (siblings, peers), Speaking respectfully, School and homework problems
• Young Children: Temper tantrums, getting ready for school, interrupting parents/adult conversations, acting up in public

NOTE: there are more evidence-based programs that have been used with Hispanic audiences, but I felt the above two might lend themselves best to current resources.

Parenting Programs (with some evaluation indicating positive outcomes)

• Moore County, North Carolina – 2 focus groups with Hispanic parents of school-age children, key issues identified of a) language barriers and communication; b) children’s school success; c) community relations; d) parenting skills. Topics taught via four face-to-face sessions
• “Home, a place to learn”
• “Communicating with school staff”
• Locating and using community resources”
• “Improving relationships with children”

Resource notebook developed, ongoing community support group for Hispanic parents formed, task force of community agencies/reps meeting to support and reach Hispanics in county

http://www.joe.org/joe/1998october/a1.html

• The Magic Years: Parent Education by Spanish Language Radio/Los Anos Magicos de la Infancia”, Cooperative Extension UC-Berkeley; 40, 3-4 minute parenting information radio spots for parent of infants and toddlers; enrolled by calling local Extension Office; pre and post phone surveys conducted; positive gains in awareness, knowledge; a set of one-page handouts developed for participants; see http://www.joe.org/joe/1994december/a3.html

• http://ncsu.edu/ffci/publications/2006/v11-n1-2006-june/ar-1-age-paced%20parenting.php – article “Using age-paced parenting newsletters as teaching tools in home visitation programs with at-risk Mexican immigrant families” – the age-paced newsletter used is Parenting the First Year

• Article “Culturally Sensitive Parent Education: A Critical Review of Quantitative Research” from Review of Educational Research, Volume 67, No. 3, (Autumn 1997); describes in detail culturally sensitive programs for Hispanic and African American families; Mary has copy, contact Caroline Ellerkamp for copy and refer to CYFAR materials

Language Literacy

• Children’s Books for Healthy Families/Libros de Niños Para Familias Saludables; http://www.joe.org/joe/2003april/a7.shtml
• BookWorms – the HCE project (is HCE in either Waushara or Racine counties?)
• http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/hispanic01/index.htm - “Hispanic Fathers and Family Literacy: Strengthening Achievement in Hispanic Communities” – a report from U.S. DHHS to provide information to service providers that may be helpful in designing and implementing programs that promote Hispanic fathers involvement in child and adult educational achievement; and to encourage conversations within Hispanic communities and among service providers about how to strengthen the roles of Hispanic fathers in their children’s lives

Financial Literacy

• All My Money, U of IL. Designed to teach limited resource clients skills in money management. All client materials in Spanish with supplement kit Todo Mi Dinero. $100 + $55; evaluation?

http://www.ace.uiuc.edu/cfe/mymoney/

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/staff/detail.cfm?StaffID=81

Nutrition

• “Sisters in Health” – it was developed at Cornell, but some FL colleagues here adapted it for Hispanic women. The focus is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption (not adapting traditional foods to be more nutritious) so it may not be as relevant as I thought. But, I was told it is likely being used in Racine County already by our WNEP staff AND that one of them was likely in on the adapting of the original curriculum. We might want to at least add it to a list of possible educational resources. Maybe instead of WNEP Educators teaching it, we could use it as a cross-cultural opportunity for mainstream women from the sites to teach to Hispanic women (and then have a companion piece where Hispanic women teach the white women about their traditional foods???)

Out of School Time Participation

• http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2007_06_19_RB_AttendandReten.pdf -Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Time Programs
  The benefits of out-of-school time programs are well documented, but children and youth cannot gain those benefits without first breaking through the barriers to participation. The Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Time Programs brief provides ideas for overcoming common barriers and outlines an action plan to measure attendance and retention in out-of-school programs.
• http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2007_06_19_RB_ParentEngage.pdf - The Building, Engaging, and Supporting Family and Parental Involvement in Out-of-School Time Programs brief describes family involvement and why it matters for out-of-school time programs. It also examines some of the issues that program staff face when attempting to engage parents and offers suggestions for how to encourage family and parental involvement.

Family/Parent Involvement in Education/School

• United for Students project, FL program; Mary H has program Implementation Manual and School, Family and Community Partnership Handbook (Epstein et al); this program was done in approx 5 counties in WI; series of 3 meetings designed to increase parental involvement in middle school; Manual and Handbook can be borrowed from Mary H (contact Caroline Ellerkamp at 262.5871 or caroline.ellerkamp@ces.uwex.edu to arrange during Sept-Nov)
• http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/digests/99april.html - Latino Families: Getting Involved in Your Children’s Education; fact sheet for parents from Early Childhood Digest
• http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1995/espino95.html - Hispanic Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Programs, from Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting; includes section on strategies that work
• http://brj.asu.edu/archives/23v21/articles/art9.html - Involving Hispanic Parents in Educational Activities Through Collaborative Relationships, article from Bilingual Research Journal that is based on a literature review of school districts' successful practices in involving Hispanic parents, particularly migrant and immigrant parents, in their children's school activities.
• http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/high_school_journal/v087/87.3torrez.html - “Developing Parent Information Frameworks that Support College Preparation for Latino Students”, article from The High School Journal
• General Brief “Parental Involvement in Education” from Family Strengthening Policy Center; has good bkgd. info if needed; see http://www.nydic.org/fspc/practice/practices.html
• Article “Involving Parents in the Schools: A Process of Empowerment” from American Journal of Education, Volume 100, No. 1, November 1991; focus on isolated Spanish-speaking parents; Mary has a copy (contact Caroline Ellerkamp for copy; refer to CYFAR when you talk with Caroline)
• Article “Parenting and Children’s School Achievement: A Multiethnic Perspective” from American Educational Research Journal, Volume 35, No. 1, (Spring 1998); Mary has a copy (contact Caroline Ellerkamp for copy; refer to CYFAR when you talk with Caroline)

Misc./Related

• http://extensionenespanol.net/ - Clearinghouse for Spanish language educational resources
• http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=31 – Latino Youth and the Pathway to College, Pew Hispanic Center,
• Article “Children of Immigrant Families: Analysis and Recommendations” from The Future of Children, Volume 14, Number 2; highlights strengths and challenges of immigrant families and variations across different countries of origin (Mexico included) – has some implications/recommendations for school success;  http://www.futureofchildren.org/pubs-info2825/pubs-info_show.htm?doc_id=240166
• Summary Chart “Atendiendo Familias Latinas: How to best serve new immigrant Latino families”; http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/family/pdfs/nefls_latina.pdf
• Article “Ensuring the Health of Women and Children in the 21st Century” from Cambio de Colores 2004: Latinos in Missouri: Gateway to a New Community. M.Kay Libbus, University of Missouri-Columbia.  (Mary has a hard copy)