Fresno Fatherhood: A Father-focused, Interconnected, Resilient, and Essential (FIRE) Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Study

This study was in response to Grant Number HHS-2020-ACF-OZA-ZJ-1846 from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Study enrollment began on April 1, 2021, and continued through March 1, 2024. The sample size for the study was 488. The focus of this descriptive evaluation is to assess the program’s implementation and explore whether program participants experienced significant improvements in parenting, co-parenting, employment, job readiness, and financial stability outcomes. The Fresno Fatherhood Program provided evidence-based healthy relationship education and support services related to responsible parenting and economic stability using the 24/7 Dads curriculum and supplemental job readiness workshops. This evidence-based curriculum aims to improve the knowledge, behavior, and unique skills dads possess in their parenting roles in order to create better outcomes for families. Research questions for this study, framed by a descriptive design, are as follows: a) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy parenting attitudes/beliefs/expectations after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? b) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy parenting behaviors one year after program enrollment? c) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy co-parenting behaviors one year after program enrollment? d) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy employment attitudes after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? e) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy employment behaviors one year after program enrollment? f) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy financial attitudes after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? g) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy financial behaviors one year after program enrollment? Implementation study research questions are as follows: a) What extent is the primary curriculum offered to and completed by participants? b) To what extent were supplemental services offered and provided as intended? c) To what extent did the CQI Team carry out the steps in the CQI Plan each program year? Participants in the study resided in Fresno, California area. The average age of participants was 37, and just over half reported that they were single. At 82%, most participants had either one or two children under the age of 24. The average age of their youngest child was almost eight years of age. All participants were male. The majority of participants (60%) indicated they are Hispanic, with exactly 50% reporting their race as White and 26% as Black or African American. About 69% of participants reported being unemployed, which is unsurprising considering a large proportion of participants in this study were recruited from treatment centers. Paired t-tests were conducted on continuous constructs using timepoint 1 (nFORM Entrance, OLLE Pre) and timepoint 2 (nFORM Exit, OLLE Post, OLLE Follow-Up) data. For categorical variables—such as yes/no questions about having a checking or savings account or a resume—McNemar’s chi-square tests were used to compare pre- to post-test differences in proportions. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, and no adjustments for multiple comparisons were made. Tests were reported in terms of p-values. Study results showed significant improvement for participants across all outcome measures, except for co-parenting behaviors. We can say that after participating in the program, participants of the program experienced positive changes in their parenting attitudes and behaviors, financial readiness and well-being, and employment readiness.