Learning Skills

This chapter discusses the experiences parents have early on in the year in which they are enrolled in the relationship education program; this is when their participation is most intense, often including weekly workshop attendance. Researchers have debated whether relationship education programs have a substantial impact on participants, and they have critiqued programs’ ideological underpinnings and ability to resolve participants’ financial needs. Three months after enrolling in Family Expectations, the participants described learning relationship skills, including specific techniques for facilitating healthy communication and avoiding destructive conflict; some also described becoming more knowledgeable and confident parents. They often described the program as having benefited their relationship by increasing its quality and making them feel more hopeful about its future. In short, they felt the program helped solidify their relationship as a social asset—a protection against social poverty.