Family Strengthening Case Studies
National Assembly member organizations are already leading the way in innovative applications
of the Family Strengthening approach. The following initiatives demonstrate key components
of a place-based, family-strengthening approach. For a more in-depth look at family
strengthening practices, please take a look at the
Policy Briefs section of this website.
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters is a parent involvement and school readiness program
that offers free home based early educational services for parents and their three, four, and five year
old children. The HIPPY curriculum enables parents to help their children build early literacy skills
while parents build the confidence to teach their children. By employing local parents as home visitors,
HIPPY provides community residents with employment and the opportunity to develop professional skills while
serving the community. Through group meetings, HIPPY parents are able to establish meaningful
relationships with other parents and build on their knowledge through workshops and presentations.
The HIPPY program has also been recognized as a tool to address other important goals, including drop out
prevention, crime prevention, child abuse prevention, family literacy, migrant education, community mobilization,
and job training.
Through its family emergency shelter, transitional housing, and follow up programs, Volunteers of America
in Kentucky is working to keep families intact and helping them to thrive by focusing on the development
of self sufficiency skills. Family support activities include help in finding employment, affordable
housing and educational opportunities. Families can also receive life skills and financial management
training and medical services. Seven out of every ten families in the program return to stable,
independent living.
Through its Community Family Clubs initiative, Camp Fire has established 400 Community Family Clubs that
are helping to revitalize families and strengthen communities across the country. Community Family
Clubs strengthen once fragmented families, building support networks for both youth and adults. Families
come together to share meals and activities and learn to communicate more effectively. Both parents
and youth can develop support groups, learn about resources in their neighborhood that they never knew
existed such as referrals to community services and economic resources, participate in English language
classes, and experience a genuine sense of community. The work of the Community Family Clubs has resulted
in increased parental engagement in the lives of their children, stronger connections and relationships
built between families, parent and family involvement in service projects that benefit the community, and
greater participant access of services and benefits like immigration law resources, job training, and EITC
benefits.