The Strengthening Families Program was held in a correctional setting for the first time in South Carolina.
In seven years of administering the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) with local partners across the state, Children’s Trust has seen the program staged in a variety of settings – from community centers to schools to churches.
However, a program first in South Carolina was completed in August with a cycle that took place in a correctional facility. With the S.C. Department of Corrections serving as the funded grantee, nine moms at the Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood completed the 14-session program in coordination with their children participating virtually at home.
Sherri Caldwell
Sherri Caldwell, the Children’s Trust director of community initiatives who oversees SFP in South Carolina, was pleased with the delivery of the program in these unique circumstances.
“This was an awesome cycle,” Caldwell said. “It was amazing to see the moms and the kids be able to bond over the 14 weeks.”
During the graduation ceremony, the families were saluted for their dedication to completing the program by Caldwell; Anastasia Brownlee, the site coordinator; and Prentiss Meyers, the division director of women’s mental health at the S.C. Department of Corrections. They thanked Patricia Jones-Yeldell, the Leath warden, for being open to trying the program and supporting it in her facility.
Brownlee and Caldwell expressed how proud they were of the participants, and they thanked the moms and the program’s group leaders for helping the children learn in an innovative and creative way. During the ceremony, Meyers noted that kids of incarcerated parents can struggle, which makes outreach efforts like this one so significant.
Bryan Stirling
Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections, is pleased that SFP got off to such a promising start in the correctional system.
“It’s so important for incarcerated people to have strong bonds with their families,” Stirling said. “We’re grateful for this partnership and the work being done to help strengthen and maintain these family bonds.”
The evidence-based program, which is currently being delivered in 30 counties, serves families with children ages 6 to 11. It designed to help families develop positive discipline practices, stay resilient in tough times, reduce conflict, improve parenting skills, and assist children with social skills, relationships, and school performance. With funding from The Duke Endowment and the S.C. Department of Social Services, SFP works to help families reach their maximum potential as part of a greater mission to prevent child abuse and neglect in South Carolina.
The two-hour weekly sessions begin with a family meal before splitting into parenting classes and child classes. Everyone comes together again as a full group to practice new skills at the end of each evening. In this cycle, the children put these lessons into practice at home with their caregivers before the next week’s session. The shared family meal that generally starts every SFP session was accomplished in this virtual space by having restaurant meal cards provided to the external caregivers.
Prentiss Meyers
“The parent-child bond is so important and integral in a child’s ability to cope with life’s complex challenges as well as in providing purpose for an incarcerated mother and to support a more successful re-entry,” Meyers said. “We are grateful to Children’s Trust for their support and leadership in this collaboration to provide the Strengthening Families Program for mothers at SCDC.”
During the ceremony, children presented vision boards they had created that spoke to their future hopes and dreams. They were a combination of hopeful, inspirational, funny, and poignant.
- One young boy hoped to live as a family at the beach when his mom is released, and he also wanted to make the A-B honor roll in school.
- One daughter wanted to see her mom, get a puppy, and become a hair stylist one day.
- Another daughter wished to become a doctor “to help people feel better.”
- One son wanted to ride a rollercoaster at Six Flags, but most of all, he hoped for “love and change” in his life because he wants his mom to be there again.
- A young girl spoke of loving her mom, her sister, her guinea pig, and anime.
- Another son talked about being a mathematician and a wood-carving specialist, and he noted, “When mama comes home, I want to shove doughnuts in her mouth like I used to do.”
Anastasia Brownlee
The moms spoke of what they had learned in the program and what its lessons could mean for them in the future. All have hopes for success and making memories together again with their families. One grandmother serving as a caregiver at home appreciated what SFP does to strengthen relationships between moms and their children during a difficult time.
And the program’s group leaders spoke of how phenomenal and uplifting the program was for the children, especially since it’s tough to determine how much stress they are going through. Brownlee felt a great sense of satisfaction at the cycle’s conclusion.
“This program has been nothing short of amazing,” Brownlee said. “To bring a heart-warming smile to these children and their mothers was our main goal while providing skills that will last them a lifetime.”
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