Programs and Services

As the OMI becomes aware of specific needs around the state, we try to address those needs through the implementation of programs and services within our Service Delivery System. The PREP curriculum has proven to be applicable to a wide variety of needs and is currently being used in numerous settings, including prisons, high schools and in first time offender programs. As the system grows and additional needs are determined, new service types and programs will be adopted. Please check back periodically for new information.

PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) was selected by the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative as the core curriculum for the statewide service delivery system as it is one of the most comprehensive and well-respected programs for couples in the world. PREP is a research-based, skills building curriculum designed to help partners say what they need to say, get to the heart of problems, avoid standoffs and connect with each other instead of pushing each other away. PREP emphasizes strategies under two crucial frameworks: strategies geared toward lowering risk factors and strategies for raising protective factors to help marriages succeed. This powerful approach is designed for premarital or marital couples, whether distressed or non-distressed, and can also be used within the context of work or other familiar relationships, i.e. co-workers, mothers/daughters. PREP is not therapy. It is education. It is coaching very much like learning to play tennis or golf. PREP is also modular in design which allows key components to be structured into various formats to meet the needs of couples.

In order to best meet the needs of Oklahoma populations, OMI team members have worked with PREP and other partners to ensure that the curriculum is appropriate for various ethnic, religious and socio-economic groups. While PREP has adaptations for some of its materials for African Americans, faith groups, new parents, and empty nesters, the OMI has worked with PREP to give special attention to the provision of services for low-income couples, TANF moms, high school students, youth offenders and their parents, and men and women returning to families upon release from. The following includes some of the unique programs that have adopted OMI PREP services:

Department of Corrections - Following successful workshops in a few correctional facilities, the DOC agreed to partner with the OMI to pilot varying workshop formats at three correctional facilities, Joseph Harp, Mabel Bassett, and Eddie Warrier, collecting information from participants about the applicability of these workshops to their relationships and personal situations. Following a review of the program data, DOC leaders made the decision to move forward with implementing PREP as an official agency program, with a goal of training up to 50 additional prison personnel to deliver PREP workshops as part of the agency's reintegration services.

Family and Consumer Sciences Classes in High Schools - Since the inception of the OMI, there has been broad support for providing educational services about marriage and healthy relationships to high schools students. The OMI worked closely with the developers of Connections, a relationship curriculum for high school students, and PREP, the OMI's core curriculum, to produce a framework for youth-appropriate marriage education services. The developers partnered to create a new product called "Connections + PREP", which was field-tested by 25 Family and Consumer Sciences teachers. During the spring semester, extensive feedback was collected from these teachers and students, with the number one response being, "we want more!" Based on the field test data, PREP and Connections finalized the new curriculum, and in August, 260+ additional teachers will be trained to teach this information to approximately 12,000 students during the 2003-2004 school year.

Oklahoma Association of Youth Services First Time Offender Program - OAYS provides services for first time offenders, serving both the youth and his/her parents with a minimum of 12 hours of services. After becoming familiar with the OMI and PREP, OAYS leaders decided to make a significant shift in their organizational design, revamping their entire curriculum to include PREP as the core component. They worked with the OMI to finalize program modifications which were unveiled to all statewide FTOP facilitators at an annual retreat in June. OAYS projects that 11,500 youth and parents will receive these services over the next year.

Military Bases
Head Start Parent Education Groups
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Workforce Development Classes
Churches
Universities
Community Mental Health Centers
Childcare Centers
Hispanic Groups
Tribal Groups