Building Real Solutions

for Real People

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Healthy Marriage Initiative
This document was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families 

(www.acf.hhs.gov), Office of Family Assistance under a contract with ICF Consulting, Contract No. 233-02-0094.
1

 President George W. and First Lady Laura Bush

“ To encourage marriage 

and promote the well-being 

of children, I have proposed 

a healthy marriage initiative to 

help couples develop the skills and 

knowledge to form and sustain 

healthy marriages. Research 

has shown that, on average, 

children raised in households 

headed by married parents fare 

better than children who grow 

up in other family structures. 

Through education and counseling 

programs, faith-based, community, 

and government organizations 

promote healthy marriages and a 

better quality of life for children. 

By supporting responsible childrearing and strong families, my 

Administration is seeking to ensure 

that every child can grow up in a 

safe and loving home.”

 President George W. Bush
Making Happily Ever Afters Happen

ACF Efforts Have I

n fairy tales, healthy marriages are easy. They seem to require 

Empowered More only the right size glass slipper or a prince charming on Than 100 Programs horseback. In reality, healthy marriages don’t just happen. in Five Key Areas:

They take work and commitment from both spouses. They • Services and Support 

for Married and Engaged also require an ability to weather the conflicts and challenges 

Couples that occur throughout a lifelong partnership. Across the nation, 

• Ser vices for Non-Married hundreds of government agencies and community and faith-based 

Parents groups are striving every day to provide real people with the 

• Specializ ed Strategies tools, techniques, and skills they need to build healthy marriages for Unique Populations in their own unique circumstances. • Public Awareness 

and Resources

• Growing New Leaders 

for the Future

2
“ We don’t have all the 

data yet, but in my 

heart I know there is 

a little boy out there 

whose parents were 

helped and whose 

family is stronger 

because of the Healthy 

Families Nampa 

grant. I know the 

collaboration that is 

occurring because of 

this project. We are 

preventing problems 

and community spirit 

is growing.” 

 Brenda Freeman

 Director 

 Families, Etc.

What Is the Healthy Marriage Initiative?

In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy Marriage 

Initiative. ACF designed the initiative to support President Bush’s goal of 

increasing healthy marriages by focusing attention and action on strengthening 

marriages and preparing interested individuals and couples for healthy marriages. Through the initiative, ACF seeks to improve the well-being of children 

and families by funding and facilitating the provision of marriage strengthening 

services to families already receiving help from other ACF programs, as well 

as by supporting the development of community-wide initiatives that involve 

many different types of organizations interested in taking steps to increase 

healthy marriage.

Using grants from ACF, these organizations have helped thousands of people 

learn what it takes to build a successful marriage. This publication showcases 

some of the programs that organizations have developed using ACF grants and 

demonstrates how these programs are helping to create successful marital partnerships. This publication also provides insight into some of the lessons learned 

along the way that other agencies and organizations can use to promote healthy 

marriages in their communities. 

For more information about the Healthy Marriage Initiative, including future 

funding opportunities for organizations interested in promoting healthy marriages, visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage.

Why Are Healthy Marriages Important?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 90 percent of all Americans will marry someday. Virtually all of these people aspire to the same thing: a happy, healthy, lifelong 

marriage. The reason they aspire to this, quite simply, is because healthy marriages 

make a difference for everyone—individuals, children, and communities. 

Individuals: Researchers have found many benefits for individuals who are in 

healthy marriages. For example, most men and women in healthy marriages:

 • Live longer,

 • Have better mental and physical health,

 • Report being happier, and 

 • Have higher incomes and build more wealth.

Children: Healthy marriages are the cornerstones of family life. They also are considered the ideal environment in which to raise children. Children raised in healthy 

marriages are more likely to grow into strong, healthy, and successful adults. 

3

“ Healthy marriages 

contribute to the 

common good.”

 Dr. Wade Horn

 Assistant Secretary of the 

Administration for Children 

and Families
Children raised in a healthy marriage also are: 

 • More likely to attend college,

 • More likely to succeed academically,

 • Less likely to engage in delinquent behaviors or abuse drugs and alcohol, and

 • Less likely to divorce when they get married. 

Communities: Communities are strong when families are strong and marriages are 

healthy. The many benefits for communities that have higher percentages of couples 

in healthy marriages include:

 • Higher rates of physically and emotionally healthy citizens,

 • Higher rates of educated citizens,

 • Lower crime statistics, and

 • Less need for social services.

These are just a few of the reasons why healthy marriages are so important and why 

providing programs that support healthy marriages is worth the effort.

What Is a Healthy Marriage? 

Although every marriage is different, a healthy marriage is easy to spot. It is a marriage that is built on a foundation where both spouses feel mutually enriched and 

have a deep respect for one another. A healthy marriage also is defined by the commitment from both spouses to ongoing growth and the ability to communicate and 

effectively resolve conflict. Managing conflict marks the difference between couples 

who stay married and those who do not.

How Do You Build a Healthy Marriage?

Healthy marriages come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of how marriages look 

on the outside, they all rely on their strong foundations to keep them stable. Even if a 

marriage has a strong foundation though, “happily ever after” does not just happen. 

Every marriage has its own conflicts and challenges, and no marriage comes with an 

instruction book or fairy godmother to encourage a happy ending. That is why building a healthy marriage takes effort and dedication from both spouses. However, just 

as fairy tale princesses can learn secret spells and wave magic wands to live happily 

ever after, individuals and couples can acquire the necessary skills to build healthy 

marriages. 

“ Our emphasis is on 

healthy marriages that 

provide a strong and 

stable environment for 

raising children. It is 

about helping couples 

who choose marriage 

for themselves gain 

access to the skills and 

knowledge necessary 

to form and sustain 

healthy marriages.”

 Dr. Wade Horn

 Assistant Secretary of the 

Administration for Children and 

Families

4

“ The ACF grant 

gave the agency the 

capacity to expand 

its services to include 

marriage education. 

Marriage education is 

a totally new service 

for the agency.”

 Sheila Spears

 Southeastern Louisiana University

 Project Director

 Louisiana Healthy Marriage 

Knapsack Project 
Support for Married and Engaged Couples

Once Upon A Time...

An engaged couple began to plan their new life together. 

Both partners were from different backgrounds and 

family structures, and certain issues seemed to recur 

in their discussions. The partners recognized that they 

each had different communication styles and could use some help 

in managing conflicts. 

To build a healthy marriage, both partners knew they needed 

information on how to communicate with one another. 

A healthy marriage doesn’t happen without the work and commitment of both partners. Over the past several years, ACF has provided grants to several organizations 

that provide support and services designed to teach married and engaged couples 

the skills they need to have a healthy marriage. Most of these organizations do not 

provide counseling or therapy, and they have shown that licensed professionals and 

expensive sessions are not always necessary to teach people what they need to know 

about marriage. Instead, many of the programs are led by regular people and are 

provided to couples for free or at low cost. 

“ The most beneficial 

part of the program 

was learning how to 

blend our two families 

and how to listen to 

one another...The most 

important thing was the 

support and guidance 

of other families that 

have been through these 

same things.”

 Brian and Christina

 Family Night Out Series Participants

5
Through these programs, ACF helps both married and engaged couples learn better ways to communicate, manage expectations, and develop productive ways of 

handling conflict, all of which contribute to successful marriages. In programs for 

engaged couples, participants learn to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their 

relationships before getting married, set realistic future expectations, and highlight 

the types of issues that will need particular attention in the future to create a strong 

partnership. Examples of such programs are described below. 

Ideas in Action

Healthy Marriage Knapsack Project

In Louisiana, organizers of the Healthy Marriage Knapsack Project are increasing the 

capacity of local Family Resource Centers by training staff members to become marriage education facilitators. These facilitators then work in groups to teach marriage 

skills to couples. To ensure that the facilitators are prepared to help all types of families, the marriage education curricula developed for the project have been adapted 

for use with multiple family structures. 

Heritage Community Services

By collaborating with local churches and faith- and community-based organizations, 

South Carolina’s Heritage Community Services works to identify married couples in 

long-term, healthy marriages to serve as mentors to other married couples. Mentor 

couples then receive training on specific strategies that can help nurture the development of other married couples’ relationships. Mentors also work with engaged 

couples to complete a relationship inventory, which serves as the basis for ongoing 

support sessions between the mentors and the couples. 

Marriage Investors—United Way of Johnson County

In Johnson County, Indiana, couples can participate in Family Night Out, a program 

organized through the Marriage Investors program. This weekly event provides 

couples with an opportunity to network with other couples and learn relationship, 

parenting, and financial management skills. Dinner and child care are provided. 

Marriage Investors also helps facilitate agreements with local counselors and faithbased organizations that commit to helping couples through premarital and marriage counseling and mentoring.

The Bottom Line

Marriage skills can be 

learned. One way couples 

can do this is in a community 

setting from people just like 

themselves. For example, 

ACF grants for services and 

support for couples have led 

to the following:

• More than 500 people in 

South Carolina learned 

about healthy marriage 

resources through Heritage 

Community Services.

• More than 75 faith- or 

community-based 

organizations participated 

in Heritage Community 

Services’ marriage 

education and preparation 

experiences.

• Heritage Community 

Services has trained at least 

120 couples as marriage 

mentors.

• As part of the Healthy 

Marriage Knapsack Project, 

staff members at nearly 30 

Family Resource Centers 

have received training on 

how to deliver marriage 

education services, and 

nearly 150 couples have 

received these services. 

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Once Upon A Time...

A young, non-married couple had a child together. While 

the couple took care of their new baby, they began to 

contemplate marriage, and started asking questions 

about what they could do to succeed in marriage. 

If we marry, how would we maintain a healthy relationship while 

caring for our small child? Would our decision to marry or not 

marry affect our child?

Many non-married parents want to learn more about what it takes to have a healthy 

marriage, and many of these couples and individuals express an interest and intent 

to eventually marry. ACF, therefore, has given grants to several organizations with 

programs designed to provide support and services for non-married parents who 

want to prepare for marriage. 

A key strategy of these programs is helping non-married parents develop the skills 

necessary to form and maintain a healthy marriage, if they choose to be married. 

These programs also help couples improve the communication and conflict resolution skills necessary to create optimal co-parenting situations. In addition, some 

grantees have developed specialized ways of helping unmarried couples think more 

about marriage.

“ We’ve been to other 

programs that helped us 

with the baby and that’s 

great. But this is the 

first time we’ve gotten 

to talk about us and 

how we get along and 

how we can be strong 

together. We know 

working on that is really 

good for the baby too.”

 Participant from Mobile, Alabama

 Family Connection Program

7

Services and Support for Non-Married Parents
Ideas in Action

Family Connections—The State of Alabama Child Abuse 

and Neglect Prevention Board/The Children’s Trust Fund

In Alabama, the Family Connections program works with low-income, mostly 

African-American mothers and fathers to teach individual, relationship, and decisionmaking skills and help parents understand the importance of two-parent involvement and healthy marriages. In addition, participants in the program learn practical 

skills to manage stress, communicate, and listen. Family Connections also helps 

people recognize abusive relationships, navigate stepparent relationships, and work 

through co-parenting issues with former partners. Phase II of the Family Connections 

program, which will begin in 2006 in Huntsville, will serve African-American and 

Hispanic couples. The impacts of Phase II will be documented over a 3-year period.

Healthy Families Nampa

Through the paternity establishment program used in the local hospital and by other 

community partners, Healthy Families Nampa targets new parents and encourages 

the signing of a paternity acknowledgment. They also provide new parents with 

the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for a healthy marriage, should they 

choose to marry. Faith- and community-based providers offer several other services 

to encourage positive parenting. The project also sponsors community events to 

promote healthy marriage and parenting. In addition, Healthy Families Nampa has 

undertaken special projects to target vulnerable and at-risk populations. For example, 

they provide classes in Spanish and have community partners that provide services 

through the Head Start program and Crisis Pregnancy Center. They also offer targeted 

services to incarcerated parents. 

Healthy Marriages/Healthy Relationships—Grand Rapids

Working with partners at 10 organizations, the Healthy Marriages/Healthy 

Relationships project provides family wellness, parenting, and marriage education 

classes to low-income parents in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Community- and faithbased organizations work with a local coalition, Healthy Marriages Grand Rapids, 

to deliver these services. Interested parents are recruited through the neighborhoods 

and human service organizations. The goal of the Healthy Marriages/Healthy 

Relationships project is to strengthen the relationships between parents in order to 

improve the well-being of their children. The majority of the participants are AfricanAmerican and Latino parents who have not had access to relationship skills training.

The Bottom Line

Although some parents may 

choose not to marry, they still 

are interested in acquiring 

the skills necessary to form 

a strong relationship and be 

good co-parents. Many of 

these individuals are eager 

to participate in programs 

adapted from existing 

marriage education curricula. 

For example,

• More than 130 people 

completed the Family 

Connections program in 

Alabama during its pilot 

phase. After completing 

the program, participants 

demonstrated improved 

problem-solving skills, 

less stress, and better 

relationship function and 

quality. Many participants 

wished they could go back 

for more.

• More than 800 people have 

participated in Michigan’s 

Healthy Marriages/Healthy 

Relationships program.

• More than 430 people 

have received marriage 

education through Idaho’s 

Healthy Families Nampa 

project. These services 

have impacted the lives 

of more than 1,000 

children. In addition, more 

than 50 facilitators have 

been trained, including 7 

bilingual facilitators. 

8
Specialized Strategies for Unique Populations

Once Upon A Time...

A couple moved to the United States from another 

country seeking a different life. Once they arrived, 

however, the couple was under tremendous stress, 

arguing more and communicating less, which only 

increased their anxiety as they adjusted to their new life. 

The couple considered counseling and heard about marriage 

education classes, but they knew that the benefits would come 

from a program that considered their unique needs as a new family 

in this country.

While every marriage can benefit from general healthy marriage programs, 

some couples face more challenging situations, such as becoming adoptive 

parents, raising a child with special needs, or becoming displaced from their 

homes, that require more customized services. Other couples may need marriage education strategies designed from a different cultural perspective that 

account for diverse customs and values. 

“ Coming to the healthy 

marriage class taught us 

to communicate better. 

We liked the class very 

much. We are now a 

happy family.”

 Kheun Kuoy and Peav Reun

Jewish Family and Community 

Services of Chicago 

Program Participants

9
Because these special situations require a more tailored approach, ACF distributes 

grants to organizations that offer specialized strategies for unique populations. Since 

receiving these grants, many of the grantees have made a difference in serving populations with unique challenges. 

Ideas in Action

Bethany Christian Services

In Atlanta, Bethany Christian Services developed a specialized marriage education 

curriculum that is geared specifically toward the needs of adoptive parents, including 

parents that adopt older or special needs children. In particular, this program offers 

overnight classes for couples to learn techniques and skills to strengthen their marriages.

Chickasaw Nation

This organization customized a mainstream marriage education curriculum to the 

customs, traditions, and values of the Chickasaw Nation. In addition, marriage education has become part of the training provided to all Tribal employees. In this way, 

marriage education is helping improve the overall well-being of children and families and helping members of the Chickasaw Nation learn communication and conflict 

resolution skills that they can use in other areas of life.

HIAS Affiliate Jewish Family Services

HIAS Affiliate Jewish Family Services works specifically with refugee populations 

to teach them important marriage and family education skills. Participants work 

through a specialized curriculum that has been adapted for a wide range of refugee 

populations, including Bosnians, Cambodians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Ethiopians, and 

other Pan-Africans. Operated at multiple sites across the United States, this program 

teaches marriage education and relationship skills that participants can use in other 

types of relationships developed during the resettling process. 

The Bottom Line

The organizations that 

have received ACF grants 

for programs for unique 

populations demonstrate that 

effective communication and 

conflict resolution transcend 

culture and language as tools 

to strengthen marriages. For 

example:

• 96 percent of participants 

from Bethany Christian 

Services learned new skills 

to help their marriages.

• 92 percent of participants 

from Bethany Christian 

Services reported a change 

in the way they look at their 

relationships.

• 4,000 individuals and 

couples have completed 

the Chickasaw Nation’s 

relationship enhancement 

training.

• Many refugee communities 

(approximately 15 so far) 

now are able to access 

culturally appropriate 

marriage education services 

because of the efforts of 

HIAS Affiliate Jewish Family 

Services and its partners. 

HIAS Affiliate Jewish Family 

Services modified curricula 

to be culturally sensitive, 

trained trainers from refugee 

organizations, and have 

translated some materials 

into several languages, 

including Arabic, Bosnian, 

Farsi, French, and Russian.

10
Public Awareness and Community Resources

Once Upon A Time...

T

here was a young, married couple with two children who 

was trying to adopt a third child in foster care. The couple 

knew that taking marriage education and parenting classes 

would increase their chances of adoption.

Where could the couple turn? How could they learn about what 

resources were available in the community?

Real people want real information on how they can improve their families and relationships. The challenge for service providers, however, is finding the most appropriate communication channels to ensure that every person searching for marriage 

education services can find the information they need. To help overcome this challenge, ACF has provided healthy marriage grants to several organizations that have 

undertaken efforts to increase public awareness and improve community resources 

about healthy marriage programs. 

“ People say that marriage 

is 50/50, but I say it 

takes 100/100 from 

both people to make 

it work. Participating 

in the Prevention 

and Relationship 

Enhancement Program 

[PREP] made our 

relationship stronger, 

and we are now more 

understanding of each 

other.”

 Charles Thomas

 Knapsack Program Participant

11
The examples below highlight three of the most successful public awareness and 

community resource programs that were made possible in part through ACF grants.

Ideas in Action

Heritage Community Services

In South Carolina, Heritage Community Services has held community forums and 

conferences to recruit mentor couples, share information, and educate the public 

about ways to build healthy marriages. In addition, representatives from Heritage 

Community Services have networked with churches and other organizations to 

train mentor couples on how to work with couples. Through their work with local 

schools, representatives from Heritage Community Services also have talked with 

teens about the benefits of and preparations for marriage. 

Marriage Investors—United Way of Johnson County

In Indiana, the Marriage Investors program maintains a Family Resource Center 

stocked with books, quizzes, workbooks, videos, and other materials and self-guided 

tools for couples and individuals searching for information on how to build a healthy 

marriage. Marriage Investors also has a website and distributes a quarterly newsletter 

with information on project activities, community events, and additional community 

providers. To spread the word about the resource center, Marriage Investors reaches 

out to couples applying for marriage licenses. The program also distributes brochures 

and fliers through several channels—by sending them home with children attending Head Start at local United Way agencies and distributing them at local fast food 

restaurants and in low-income housing communities.

Healthy Marriage Knapsack Project

In Louisiana, organizers of the Knapsack Project have developed a cadre of resources 

that Child Protection caseworkers can select from and place into knapsacks tailored 

to the circumstances of individual families. These resources include videos, brochures, and self-guided materials, all of which can be used to facilitate family discussions. Although knapsacks are tailored to individual families, special materials have 

been developed for teens, African-American families, married couples, unmarried 

families, and cohabitating families. 

The Bottom Line

Action starts with information. 

So far, the organizations 

receiving ACF grants for 

public awareness and 

community resource projects 

have provided a wealth of 

information to the public on 

healthy marriages, which 

likely will spur much action. 

For example:

• Nearly 500 people attended 

marriage mentor training in 

South Carolina presented 

by Heritage Community 

Services.

• More than 100 people 

attended the “Building 

and Strengthening Healthy 

Marriages” conference 

cosponsored by Heritage 

Community Services to 

kick-off their mentoring 

program.

• 900 people applying 

for marriage licenses in 

Johnson County, Indiana, 

received information from 

the Marriage Investors 

program.

• More than 200 hits per 

month were logged on the 

Marriage Investors’ website.

• Nearly 1,000 families have 

received home visits and 

educational materials from 

the Knapsack Project in 

Louisiana.

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Growing New Leaders

Once Upon A Time...

A therapist started seeing an increasing number of 

cases where it was evident that the client and his 

or her spouse both needed to improve their conflict 

management skills if their marriage was to survive 

special circumstances, such as the adoption of a child or the birth 

of a child with special needs. However, the therapist had never 

worked in these areas.

To ensure that her clients were receiving the best possible service, 

the therapist needed to learn more about working with couples 

who have unique needs.

Counselors, social workers, and other social service providers tasked with teaching 

people to build healthy marriages must adapt to the special needs of a diverse client 

base. This helps ensure that individuals and couples receive the most appropriate 

services for their circumstances and learn to apply the lessons, skills, and techniques 

learned from the services in the correct manner.

“ This class and the work 

we do could not have 

been done without 

Federal funding. The 

class takes the family 

therapy model and 

integrates it into social 

work.”

 Mary McGrath

 Former Student/Participant in the 

Syracuse University Program

13
However, the training that students receive in a traditional social work program may 

not include practical marriage and family therapy techniques. At the same time, individuals training to become marriage counselors or therapists may not be taught in 

the most culturally competent ways to address the needs of low-income populations 

or families in challenging circumstances. 

Thus, ACF provides grants to programs that will help grow a new crop of leaders

that have the right combination of theoretical and real world skills and knowledge to 

meet every client’s needs. In particular, ACF has funded a program that emphasizes 

training in groups, which facilitates learning and develops leadership. 

Ideas in Action

In New York, Syracuse University is implementing the “Promoting Child Welfare: 

Training Professionals to Support Healthy Marriages, Relationships, and Families” 

project. This curriculum and training offer opportunities for students and professionals to enhance their ability to facilitate and conduct client-appropriate activities that 

strengthen marriages. The program was developed and is taught by an interdisciplinary staff who ensure that students learn to view marriage and relationships in a 

culturally appropriate way.

A critical part of this project is to integrate Social Work, Marriage and Family 

Therapy, and Child and Family Studies into Children Services. In this program, marriage and family therapists learn to identify community resources and how to make 

better connections between families and resource providers. At the same time, social 

workers learn intense therapy skills that focus on building healthy relationships. 

Everyone in the program receives lessons about policy and research. The students 

also learn concrete skills to ground their theoretical work. 

The Bottom Line

Social workers, therapists, and 

researchers need new tools 

and training to prescribe the 

most appropriate approaches 

to building a healthy marriage 

regardless of their clients’ 

challenges or needs. ACF 

grants for these types of 

programs help to develop 

the tools and training. For 

example, the Syracuse 

program already has:

• Led to the creation of new 

assessment tools to help 

workers better understand 

each family’s situation and 

map appropriate solutions.

• Trained more than 25 

professionals.

• Led to the development of 

a training curriculum that 

can be replicated at other 

educational institutions.

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A Few Lessons Along the Way

S

ince distributing the initial grants under the Healthy Marriage 

Initiative, ACF has learned numerous lessons based on the 

hard work of the grant recipients, who used many different 

approaches for delivering healthy marriage services to a 

variety of families, couples, and individuals. These lessons are critical 

for organizers of future programs as they embark on new endeavors 

to promote healthy marriages. 

Recruiting participants can be challenging, but the challenges can be 

overcome. 

 • Many successful programs recruit participants by reaching out to people 

already involved in other programs, such as Head Start, or accessing other 

services, such as job centers.

 • Every program should distribute information about their services using multiple approaches, such as face-to-face encounters, flyers, community events, 

newspaper advertisements, and word of mouth. Neighborhood settings, such 

as barber shops or recreation centers, are good locations for posting materials.

 • Past participants represent an important resource for recruiting new participants, and their testimonials help build credibility.

15

“ Effective programs 

share several common 

features, including this 

one: They send a clear 

message that a healthy 

marriage makes a big 

difference to both 

parents and children.”

 Dr. Wade Horn

 Assistant Secretary of the 

Administration for Children and 

Families
Mentor couples are a valuable asset.

 • Numerous successful programs include services where mentor couples work 

with participants who value hearing from other married couples who have overcome their own challenges and conflicts.

 • Mentor couples should serve as real-life role models for how a marriage can work. 

Creative approaches are necessary to ensure client participation 

and program completion.

 • Parents and other people are more likely to participate in a program if child care 

or transportation services are offered. Classes also should be offered at a variety 

of times, locations, and settings to accommodate busy lifestyles.

 • Modest incentives, such as door prizes and gift certificates, encourage participants’ ongoing attendance.

 • Some programs should use males as instructors and in other roles to increase 

male participation.

Small group settings work well for participants. 

 • Participants should be allowed to interact with other individuals and couples 

with similar characteristics and challenges.

 • Rather than trying to serve multiple types of groups at once, it is more successful to serve participants in groups based on their characteristics (i.e., married 

couples, dating couples, singles). 

 • Alternate methods for engaging individuals or couples. Although most participants prefer group settings, explore different group situations, such as home 

visits, overnight retreats, or specialized workshops.

Healthy marriage education programs can be helpful in unintended ways.

 • Client participation can help uncover other issues such as domestic violence, 

mental health challenges, or substance abuse.

 • Programs should encourage the development of communication and conflict 

resolution skills, which can help foster improved family relationship situations.

Unwed parents desire more information about healthy marriages.

 • Unmarried parents want to learn more about commitment and the institution 

of marriage, in addition to knowing how to develop the skills to form a healthy 

marriage. 

 • Most unmarried parents want to get married and to know how to go about 

being married.

Work with what you have.

 • Fancy facilities or new staff are not necessary to conduct a good marriage 

strengthening initiative. Existing staff can be trained to offer effective services.

 • A lot of money and resources are not needed. Many low-cost or no-cost 

approaches and assistance are available to help build new marriage strengthening services.

16
A Proactive Approach

T

raditionally, the government has almost exclusively 

focused on helping families pick up the pieces after 

they break down. An ounce of prevention goes a long 

way, however, and the government is now taking a more 

proactive approach by providing services that support families by 

making them stronger before they break down. The agency at the 

forefront of this new approach is the Administration for Children 

and Families (ACF).

ACF: Producing Healthier Marriages and Happier Endings 

17

“ To the extent to which 

we are successful in 

promoting healthy 

marriages, we will be 

successful in preventing 

many of the social 

ills that impede the 

healthy development of 

children, families, and 

indeed, nations.”

 Dr. Wade Horn

 Assistant Secretary of the 

Administration for Children and 

Families
Operating within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACF oversees 

65 different social programs, including child welfare, child support enforcement, and 

anti-poverty initiatives, and welfare programs. Many of these programs were created 

or expanded to help solve the problems created by the break up of families and marriages. However, ACF is now launching new programs, such as the Healthy Marriage 

Initiative, to turn this tide and help couples form and sustain healthy marriages and 

families and begin preventing problems before they start. 

Using What We Have

When the Healthy Marriage Initiative was launched, ACF did not need to invent a 

new service delivery system to get marriage education services to families. It already 

was connected to families through its existing programs. And through these existing programs, ACF provided more than 100 grants, totaling more than $25 million, 

through five of its key program offices, connecting directly with state and community 

service providers that serve families. Because the service providers were familiar with 

local issues and needs, they were able to develop customized programs that met the 

needs of families in their communities. 

Just Getting Started

Providing grants through existing networks is only one part of ACF’s strategy. In addition, ACF has been involved in conducting research on healthy marriage services, 

providing technical assistance, developing and disseminating information, and working internally to find appropriate ways to include healthy marriage services in other 

federally supported programs. Currently, ACF is developing programs that focus on 

African-American and Hispanic communities. 

ACF has come a long way in a short time in helping to provide services that produce 

healthier families and happier endings, but a long journey is ahead. We can’t say, 

“The End” yet. ACF is just getting started.

The Healthy Marriage 

Initiative Is:

• Focused on increasing the 

percentage of children 

raised by married parents 

and free of domestic 

violence.

• Focused on increasing the 

percentage of couples who 

are in a healthy marriage.

• Focused on increasing 

awareness about the value 

of a healthy marriage.

• Focused on equipping 

couples, youth, and young 

adults with skills to choose, 

form, and sustain a healthy 

marriage. 

• Focused on supporting 

and encouraging research 

on healthy marriages and 

marriage education.

The Healthy Marriage 

Initiative Is Not:

• About forcing anyone to get 

or stay married.

• About trapping anyone in an 

abusive relationship.

• About running a federal 

dating service.

• About reducing or 

diminishing in any way the 

important work of single 

parents. 

• About withdrawing support 

for single-parent families or 

their children.

18
Healthy Marriage Initiative 

Grantees

Bethany Christian Services of Georgia

Tracy Hall

15 Dunwoody Park

Atlanta, GA 30338

(770) 274-3005

thall@bethany.org

www.bethany.org/atlanta

Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma-Ada, 

Oklahoma

Rick Kelley

The Chickasaw Nation, Youth and Family Services

224 Rosedale Road

Ada, OK 74820

(580) 436-1222

rick.kelley@chickasaw.net

Family Connections-Alabama 

Children’s Trust Fund

Marian Loftin

Children’s Trust Fund

(334) 242-5710

Dr. Francesca Adler-Baeder

Auburn University 

(334) 844-4151

adlerfr@auburn.edu

Heritage Community Services

Mary McLellan

2810 Ashley Phosphate Road, Suite B7

Charleston, SC 29418

(843) 863-0508 ext. 122

mmclellan@heritageservices.org

www.heritageservices.org

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Nampa Healthy Marriage Project

Tammy Payne

823 Park Center Way

Nampa, ID 83651 

(208) 442-9975

paynet2@idhw.state.id.us

www.healthyfamiliesnampa.org

Jewish Family and Community Services

Maria Teverovsky

333 Seventh Avenue, 17th Place

New York, NY 10001

(212) 613-1471

maria.teverovsky@hias.org

Louisiana Healthy Marriage Knapsack Project 

Anthony Ellis 

Office of Community Services

P.O. Box 3318

Baton Rouge, LA 70821

(225) 342-6509

aellis1@dss.state.la.us

www.selu.edu/orgs/frp/knapsack/index.html 

Marriage Investors-United Way 

of Johnson County

Kevin Short

2525 N. Morton Street

Franklin, IN 46131

(317) 736-7840

kshort@uwjc.org

www.marriageinvestors.org

Michigan Department of Human ServicesGrand Rapids

Healthy Marriages/

Healthy Relationships

Carol VanderWal

Healthy Marriages Grand Rapids

P.O. Box 165

Grand Rapids, MI 49501

(616) 831-2605

carol.vanderwal@pinerest.org

www.healthymarriagesgr.com/index.htm

Syracuse University

Keith Alford

119 Euclid Avenue (309 Sims Hall)

Syracuse, NY 13244

(315) 443-5112

Kalford@syr.edu

www.thrivingcouplesthrivingkids.syr.edu

Administration for Children 

and Families Healthy Marriage 

Initiative Links

National Healthy Marriage Resource Center 

www.healthymarriageinfo.org

Healthy Marriage Initiative 

www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage

African American Healthy Marriage Initiative

www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/aa_hmi

/AAHMI.html

Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative

www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/about

/hispanic_hm_initiative.html

19

For Additional Information

The projects highlighted in this publication represent just a few of the ACF-funded 

projects and activities from the following ACF program offices: The Administration 

for Native Americans; the Children’s Bureau; the Office of Child Support Enforcement; 

the Office of Community Services; and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 

We invite you to contact our grantees directly to learn more about their exciting efforts.
20
21
Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Family Assistance

370 L’Enfant Promenade

Washington, DC 20447

www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage