Background | SFP in Adams County | Why SFP is Needed | Why SFP Works | Contact Information

Background

Research shows that a strong bond with a caring adult is one of the most powerful influences on the growth of a child into a responsible, caring, and competent young adult. Parents or caregivers genuinely desire the best for their children.  Yet, as their child enters the teenage years, the transitions and developmental changes, often pose new challenges for the family.

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) for parents and youth (age 10-14) is one of the very best of its kind in the country and is recognized as a scientifically proven effective program by many national agencies, such as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, the US Department of Education, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  Strengthening Families has also received global acclaim and has been recognized by a World Health Organization sponsored review by the Cochrane Collaboration as the best program available for substance use prevention.  The program allows parents to protect and empower their children through communication of family values, their standards regarding substance use, and their hopes for their child’s future.

Strengthening Families Program in Adams County

Collaborating For Youth (CFY) has just been awarded funding through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Deliquency (PCCD) to provide the Strengthening Families curriculumm throughout Adams County, except within the Littlestown Area School District which offers the SFP curriculuum to youth and families residing in the Littlestown Area School District through the PROSPER Program.

The CFY Strengthening Families Program coordinator will be attending training required program training in mid-November and scheduling local training for Strengthening Families Program facilitators shortly thereafter.  CFY plans to implement seven-week SFP sessions for youth and families in two areas of Adams County within the first year of operation and within four areas beginning in the second year of operation, including one seven-week session for families and youth needing bi-lingual services. 

Keep checking this website for program updates and session announcements! 

Why is the Strengthening Families Program Needed?

Youth entering the teen years may experience new stressors, such as new schools, new friendships, and new peer influences.  They also have a more demanding school curriculum, increased homework, added responsibilities, and increased opportunities for independent decision-making.  In addition, youth are exposed to many media influences and often confusing messages from TV and the Internet.  During this time of growth and transition, it is important to strengthen family bonds and to help youth learn skills to handle the new challenges and to make healthy decisions.

Why Does the Strengthening Families Program Work?

The Strengthening Families Program is an exciting opportunity for families because the program gives families a chance to spend quality time together while learning new skills through games and fun, interactive activities.   Parents and youth attend one evening per week for seven weeks and have lots of fun together while learning ways to promote family bonding, to keep the lines of family communication open, and to use family strengths to solve problems together.  Youth spend the first hour of each session together learning about topics such as empathy, how to deal with stress, and peer pressure resistance. Parents meet separately for that first hour to discuss parenting strategies and how to guide their youth in setting goals, making good decisions, and fulfilling responsibilities.  The second hour of each session is spent together working on FUN family activities that promote strong family relationships.

Contact Information

If you would like more informationo about the Strengthening Families Program coordinated through Collaborating For Youth, please contact Samiah Slusser at (717) 338-0300 x 11 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

If you are living within Littlestown School District and interested in participating in the PROSPER Program, please contact Ed Bender at (717) 359-4146 or http://www.lasd.k12.pa.us/LHS/Academics/Technology/prosper/Benderbc.htm.