From 2015-2020, though a campus-community partnership, Project FREE integrated healthy marriage and relationship education into family and children services.
This initiative was made possible thanks to the hard work of 26 faculty & staff, 114 students (including Graduate Assistants, MSW Interns, Undergraduate Interns and Volunteers), and 86 community support staff (including Facilitators, Child Care Support, and Field Assessors). Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant #90FM0081.
Together, we strengthened the couple and co-parenting relationship of 1,371 families.
Families Served
We promoted the safety and well-being of youth and families in Northeast Georgia by serving: expectant and new parents, parents with older children, kinship caregivers and foster parents.
- 568 Single parents enrolled in the Together We Can program
- 803 Couples enrolled in the Elevate: Take your relationship to the next level program
- 381 Families enrolled the Discovering Money Solutions program
Goals and Results
Our mission is to foster healthy, safe and stable homes where children thrive.
During 2015-2020, we helped parents develop healthy couple and coparent relationships that enhanced parenting quality, family functioning, and adult and child well-being. Through our DMS program, we also helped families make progress toward lasting economic stability.
After our program, participants reported:
-
More positive couple interactions (e.g., greater affection; more positive interactions; effectively manage stress and conflict)
-
More cooperative and supportive co‐parenting relationships
-
Stronger couple and family functioning (e.g., stronger commitment; greater family harmony; increased stability)
-
Improved adult well‐ being (e.g., lower psychological and parenting distress)
-
Using more effective financial management practices.
-
Increased economic stability and mobility (e.g., decreased financial distress)
Hear past participants speak about their experience.