Teaching the Right Curriculum Strengthening the Values of Latino Families

Presentation made at Latinos in the Heartland (9th : 2011 : Columbia, Mo.) and published in the annual conference proceedings.Research in the field of family studies shows increasing evidence that the health of the couple relationship in a family has significant impact on children's development. In practice, however, addressing this vital part of healthy family functioning and stability is often overlooked. While many curricula exist to provide families with healthy relationship/healthy marriage education, often the teaching materials, the format, and the facilitators need many changes to be successful in working with a Latino audience. The University of Missouri Connecting for Families program created a program for low-income parents that works for Latino families with the goal of building healthy relationships, which help foster healthy children. Each lesson has been piloted and revised to best fit the needs of the target audience