Oklahoma families benefiting from program at center of comprehensive national study

That is the premise behind the Family Expectations program at the center of a comprehensive national study released Tuesday.

Couples who took part in the Family Expectations program created in Oklahoma were more likely to stay together, reported higher quality relationships and had fathers who were more likely to remain involved with their children, according to the findings of the Building Strong Families national report.

The findings, released in the report "15-Month Impacts of Oklahoma's Family Expectations," also showed that the program had a particularly positive effect on black families.

The study is one of the largest federal studies of its kind because the Family Expectations program, part of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, is one of the largest of its kind, national researchers and scholars said at a news conference Tuesday.

The news conference was held at the office of Public Strategies, the firm responsible for developing the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative.

Mary Myrick, Public Strategies' president, said Family Expectations was started in 2005 primarily to help low-income couples who were having a baby.

Couples who participate in the free program agree to attend a core workshop series called "Becoming Parents," then are invited to other classes designed for soon-to-be parents.

Each participating couple also is connected with a family support coordinator who assists them in a variety of ways, Myrick said.

More than 2,500 couples have participated in the program, leaders said.

Howard Hendrick, director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, said the study's findings confirm that pregnancy is "a teachable moment" for some struggling families, particularly for fathers.