Research Programs
Much of our research has been focused on social service
programs designed to ameliorate difficulties faced by young
parents. These programs include: ParentLink- Nurturing Young
Parents program and Teen ParentLink of Catholic Social Services
of the Miami Valley. Funds for these programs have come
from both private and governmental sources.
Other
programs designed to help adolescents to make positive
decisions, avoid health-risking behaviors, and postpone sexual
activity and parenting have also been evaluated by Center
staff. For example, the Youth Development Program, funded by
the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children and Families, is a broad-based multifaceted
program for seventh thru tenth grade students throughout the
region delivered by Elizabeth's New Life Center, Inc. The Teens
Making a Choice/Choices Teens Make program is directed at
Montgomery County youth who have come into contact with child
protection authorities and is funded by US Department of Health
and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs,
and is provided by Catholic Social Services of the Miami
Valley. Through individualized, relationship-based counseling,
supportive case management, and education, this program is
designed to help the participants negotiate early adolescence,
strengthen the relationships they have with the adults in their
lives, and increase the chances that they will avoid
health-risking behaviors.
Center staff also work on
the evaluation of a number of projects focusing on
strengthening the educatiional systems in the area. These
include the Neighborhood School Centers project which currently
involves five Dayton public elementary schools and the
neighborhoods in which they are located. It is funded through
both public and private monies.
Another focus of the
Center has focused on efforts of local social service agencies
to reduce the chances of family violence and child
maltreatment. Dr. Brenda Donnelly, Research Director,
developed, the monitoring and evaluation systems used at Erma's
House Family Visitation Center. The efforts of this center to
intervene on behalf of children in need of protection and
support are funded by public sources through Montgomery County
Job and Family Services.
Family and Children First Council Research Division
Serving as the lead collaborative for health and human
services in Montgomery County, the FCFC collects data on the
health and well-being of the county and its residents. The
Center's Family and Children First Research Division has had
the lead responsibility for producing the Montgomery County
Family and Children First Council�s hallmark publication � a
series of annual Reports to the Community on Outcomes and
Indicators. This effort has put Montgomery County in the
forefront of communities attempting to implement �Results-Based
Accountability.� FCFC has also provided support regarding
issues as diverse as low birth weight, early childhood
development, infants and toddlers at risk for � or with �
developmental delays or disabilities, school readiness, child
fatalities (with particular emphases on child suicides and
layover deaths), juvenile sex offenders, teen pregnancy, and
the needs of the frail elderly. The FCFC Research Division is
housed within the Fitz Center to enable interaction with
University students, faculty, and staff.
Visit the FCFC Community Indicators
>>
Fitz Center Scholarship, Applied Research and Evaluation
The research of the Fitz Center focuses on families in economic distress, young families, child maltreatment, and the interfaces among work, family, schools, community, and religion. Portions of this work have been published in a number of professional journals, texts, and monographs. Researchers of the Fitz Center have been actively involved in the development of effective human service programs to support fragile families and to help young people learn all the skills they need for today�s complicated world. Much research has been focused on social service programs designed to ameliorate a range of difficulties faced by families throughout the region and to find new strategies for effective evaluation of those social service programs. Various methods to support very young parents in their attempts to improve their child�s life-chances at the same time they are attempting to gain self-sufficiency are explored. Other research is designed to find effective ways to help empower young people, to postpone early parenthood through sexual abstinence, and to reduce other adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Researchers of the Fitz Center have also been involved in the efforts of a number of social service agencies to decrease the chances of family violence, child maltreatment, and violence within the schools. They have worked closely on program development, grant writing, and evaluation for service providers such as Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, Dayton Public Schools, Elizabeth�s New Life Center, and Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services.
