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What is Strengthening Families Initiative (SFI)?

Strengthening Families Initiative is an approach to preventing child abuse and neglect by strengthening families through early care and education. The fundamental principle it that certain Protective Factors contribute towards family resiliency and strength. Early Care and Education Centers play a prominent role in building these protective factors among the families they serve.

Protective Factors:

• Parental Resilience
• Social Connections
• Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development
• Concrete Support in Times of Need
• Healthy Social & Emotional Development

Research shows that these factors reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect by providing parents with what they need to parent effectively, even under stress. By building relationships with families, programs can recognize signs of stress and build families' Protective Factors with timely, effective help.

• The Protective Factors have been demonstrated to work and are informed by extensive, rigorous research.
• Activities that build the Protective Factors can be built into programs and systems that already exist in every state,  such as early childhood education and child welfare, at little cost. 
• Strengthening Families have widespread support from social science researchers, state child welfare officials, early childhood practitioners, and policy experts.  Currently, the Strengthening Families approach is being applied in 36 states.
• Early Childhood educators want to strengthen families: a National Association for the Education of Young Children survey shows that 97% want to do more to prevent maltreatment.

How will SFI Benefit Your Center  or Family Childcare?

Through SFI you will provide high quality child care which can benefit families with the following:

• More rewarding interpersonal relationships
• Fewer behavioral problems
• Less delinquency and trunancy
• Higher high school graduation rate
• More durable family life
• Better health and well being for all

If you are interested in becoming involved with SFI please contact your county's Quality Care office.