TYRO Champion Dads Project Study

Services delivered by the TYRO Champion Dads (TCD) Project are designed to address the lack of skills predominately low-income Latino fathers may have, to promote healthy relationships and economic stability in their families. Activities in the TCD have three foci to help participants who are 18+ years of age, have no open criminal cases (can be deferred), with children up to 24 years old: Education-based curricula-TYRO Dads and Core Communication-are delivered as primary services to improve the parenting, co-parenting, partner relationship, and financial skills of TCD participants. Support services are offered through the Mini Clinic to increase the likelihood TCD participants benefit from primary services, and they can walk in during normal business hours without an appointment to address an array of additional self-perceived needs not met by primary services with a menu of classes delivered on site or referrals. Cycles of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) are carried out by the CQI Team using a 4-step process that ensures the intended amounts of primary services are delivered to TCD participants.

Anthem Strong Families (ASF) is reviewing the Ray of Hope curriculum as a possible addition to standard TCD services to better meet the needs of populations that may have unmet needs to address domestic violence in their families. The Ray of Hope curriculum is designed to help participants develop communication and conflict management skills like Core Communication and Couples Communication I but is a more robust approach since it is evidence-based and adds a sharp focus on the dynamics of domestic violence and related risk factors. Consequently, ASF and MER will collaborate to investigate the effects of the Ray of Hope Curriculum on outcomes for participants who receive standard TCD services. Specifically, both a treatment and control group will get standard TCD services under a shared condition. However, only the treatment group will receive enhanced services by delivering the Ray of Hope curriculum. Comparisons between study groups define the goals for this study: Goal 1: determine if treatment group participants who receive enhanced TCD services report healthier parenting attitudes compared to control group participants who receive only standard TCD services 1 year after TCD enrollment. Goal 2: determine if treatment group participants who receive enhanced TCD services report healthier financial attitudes compared to control group participants who receive only standard TCD services 1 year after TCD enrollment. Goal 3: determine if treatment group participants who receive enhanced TCD services report healthier parenting behavior compared to control group participants who receive only standard TCD services 1 year after TCD enrollment. Goal 4: determine if treatment group participants who receive enhanced TCD services report healthier co-parenting behavior compared to control group participants who receive only standard TCD services 1 year after TCD enrollment.

Standard services delivered as primary services to participants in both study groups under a shared condition are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Optional services available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from menu of courses that address a variety of needs.

Treatment group participants receive standard and enhanced services. Standard services are delivered as primary services to participants in both study groups under a shared condition, and they are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Finally, only the treatment group receives 10 hours of the Ray of Hope curriculum as an enhanced service. Optional services are available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from a menu of courses in the Mini-Clinic that address a variety of needs.

Only standard services are delivered to participants in the control group under a shared condition with the treatment group, and they are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Optional services are available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from a menu of courses that address a variety of needs.

Participants receive 16 hours of Father Factor curricula, 4 hours of The New Playbook curricula, 4 hours of Money Smart curricula over the course of five weeks. Participants also receive on-going job readiness support and post-employment support.

What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD services only (control) on healthy parent behavior 1 year after TCD enrollment? • 1 survey item measures the reported hours a parent spent with their youngest child in the last 30 days (interval). In the past month when you saw your youngest child, how many hours per day did you usually spend with your youngest child? Do not include hours the child is sleeping. More hours spent with child on average is always positive.

What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD services only (control) on healthy parent behavior 1 year after TCD enrollment? • 1 survey item measures the reported frequency a parent reached out to their youngest child using categories on a 4-point healthy parenting behavior scale (1 'Every Day or Almost Every Day', 2 'One to three times per week)', 3 One to three times in the past month', 4 'Never on the past month'). In the past month, how often have you reached out to your youngest child, even if your youngest child did not respond? This includes calling on the phone; sending email, letters, or cards; texting; or using Facebook or FaceTime. Higher scores are always positive.

What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD • 7 survey items measure the reported frequency a parent engaged in key behaviors with their youngest child using categories on a 5-point healthy parenting behavior scale (1 'Never', 2 '1 or 2 days per month', 3 '3 or 4 days per month', 4 '2 or 3 days per week', 5 'Every day or almost every day'). o Higher scores are always positive (How often have you had meals with your youngest child?).

What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD services only (control) on healthy co-parent behavior 1 year after TCD enrollment? 11 survey items measure the reported frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors using categories on a 5-point healthy co-parenting behavior scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree'). Higher scores on 5 items are positive (ex. - The mother of my youngest child and I make joint decisions about our youngest child.) Higher scores on 6 items are negative 9 (ex. - The mother of my youngest child undermines me as a father.)

What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD services only (control) on healthy parenting attitudes 1 year after TCD enrollment? • 7 survey items measure the reported frequency of healthy parenting attitudes using categories on a 5-point healthy parenting attitudes scale (1 'Always', 2 'Often', 3 'Rarely', 4 'Sometimes', 5 'Never'). Higher scores on 4 items are positive (ex. - How often do you feel disappointed with your youngest child?) Higher scores on 3 items are negative (ex. - How often do you feel proud of your youngest child?)

• What is the impact of enhanced TCD services (treatment) compared to standard TCD services (control) only on healthy financial attitudes 1 year after TCD enrollment? 4 survey items measure the reported agreement for key financial attitudes using categories on a 5-point healthy financial attitudes scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree'). Higher scores on 1 item are positive (ex. - I will have financial stability in the future.) Higher scores on 3 items are negative (ex. - I am overwhelmed when I think about my financial situation.)

Inclusion Criteria: Adult (age 18 and older) Father (children must be no more than 24 years of age) must have no open criminal cases (can be deferred) Exclusion Criteria: Minor (under the age of 18) Not a father Has an open criminal case

All participant data will be confidential and aggregated. No individual participant data will be released unless requested by the courts. This study looks at data as a whole.