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and at their highest level of achievement, we work to keep the family alive."
--Maya Angelou
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The Knapsack Project is a service added to the already existing Menu of Services offered to families served by the Family Resource Centers, both Child Welfare Resource Centers and Foster/Adopt Resource Centers. Funded by a Healthy Marriages Initiative grant administered through OCS, the Knapsack Project seeks to enhance and stabilize the environment in which children live, by training their caregivers in skills that enhance their relationship. With improved communication, understanding and negotiation, caregiver stress may be reduced and mutual support may be increased, thereby reducing the risk of child maltreatment. Resource Centers that opt to participate in the Knapsack Project will be provided the requisite training and materials to offer this additional service to clients.
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Healthy relationships between adults are not flukes. They are necessary for healthy, happy, more financially stable adults, and healthy, well-adjusted, financially-stable children. Relationship skills are a necessary part to foster, nurture, strengthen, and maintain healthy adult relationships. Skills such as these can be learned and used to stabilize and enhance relationships between caregivers of children.
Education Based Similar to a parenting education curriculum, Knapsack is a curriculum-based educational service that is either delivered in group or in-home settings, depending on how the respective resource center already structures service delivery and on client needs.
Culturally Relevant The Knapsack Project replenishes materials and curricula yearly to keep up with relevant cultural changes of the people served. The Knapsack Committee includes representatives from the participating resource centers who make recommendations on which materials should be included in the Knapsacks.
Community Based The Knapsack Committee recommends materials for the Knapsacks that are appropriate to the client population in their respective service areas. This ensures that materials are appropriate to the learning styles and the social issues of their clients. |
The Knapsack
consists of three components; each component is implemented each of the three
years of the Knapsack Project.
PREP is a nationally-renown, well-researched, relationship enhancement curriculum designed to be administered in group settings. Among some of the skills reviewed are:
Materials in the Knapsacks are a collection of educational products, such as videotapes, books, workbooks, newsletters, pamphlets, audio tapes, props, etc., that accompanies a relationship-enhancment curriculum designed with these products recommended by the committee. The curriculum may be used either in group settings or for in-home settings. The curriculum may be used either as a stand-alone skills training, OR as supplementary material to PREP.
Evaluation of the Knapsack Project focuses on effectiveness with clients as well as worker satisfaction. OCS is bringing the full force of Southeastern Louisiana University research capacity to bear on this evaluation. Dr. June Williams, Visiting Professor at Southeastern, is overseeing the program evaluation. Click here for a more detailed description of the evaluation design.
Who May Administer the PREP and/or Knapsack Components? | |
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Anybody who works for the Resource Center and are trained, including:
*Those administering PREP must be trained and certified by an Authorized PREP Trainer. |
What types of Knapsacks are there?Family Resource Centers have indicated that the following Knapsacks would be beneficial to families they serve:
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Informational Links |
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Knapsack Links:
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Knapsack Committee Knews! | |
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Relationship-Enhancement Program