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Strengthening Families series restarts in Ashland County; DHS funds local sessions
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Summary
An in‑person eight‑week Strengthening Families parent program funded by the Department of Human Services began today in Ashland County; staff reported 12 parents completed a prior cohort and 14 are signed up for the current series.
An education presenter for Ashland County Extension told the committee the Strengthening Families parent‑education series — an in‑person, eight‑week collaboration between Extension and Spark — resumed tonight with 14 parents signed up.
The presenter said the county ran a summer cohort in which 12 parents completed the full eight sessions. The presenter described survey feedback from that group showing improvements in three areas: self‑regulation (parents reported increased patience and calmer responses), communication (more open‑ended questions and fewer 'always/never' statements) and peer support (parents benefited from shared experiences). “We had 12 parents participate, and they participated in the full 8 session series,” the presenter said.
The Strengthening Families program is funded by the Department of Human Services, which requests grant reporting; Spark handles the reporting relationship, the presenter said. Committee members asked how many children were indirectly reached by the parents in the cohort; the presenter estimated roughly 20–25 children, and Charlie Ortman asked Spark staff for a short executive summary of program results to help the committee evaluate where to focus future efforts.
The committee encouraged continued collaboration between Extension and Spark and requested a concise program snapshot to inform future resource decisions.
