Fresno FAWDB FIRE Program Evaluation

Fresno Area Workforce Development Board Family-Focused, Interconnected, Resilient, Essential Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluation

The purpose of the Fresno Area Workforce Development Board FIRE program evaluation is to determine whether primary (i.e., behaviors) and secondary (i.e., attitudes) outcomes improve for participants after completing the Fresno FIRE program. Understanding the ways in which the Fresno FIRE program supports healthy parenting relationships and financial stability is important for those providing services to at-risk fathers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fathers
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Primary Services

Detailed Description

After being informed about the study and giving consent, participants will enroll in a nine-week Fresno Fatherhood program that collects data at enrollment, at the end of the program, and 12 months following the program. Research questions in this study are framed by a descriptive evaluation design to assess whether outcomes improve for low-income fathers who participate in the Fresno FIRE program. Primary and secondary outcomes are assessed before and after participants complete core curricula - 24/7 Dads and career readiness workshops (pre to post). Primary outcome measures will indicate whether behavior improved for healthy family relationships (parent, co-parent, and partner) and economic stability (financial, employment). Secondary outcomes will indicate whether improvements were made in the attitudes and expectations that facilitate and reflect behavior for healthy family relationships and economic stability.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 488
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Fresno, California, United States, 93721
      • Fresno Areas Workforce Development Board

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (age 18 and older)
• Father/father figure of child under 24 years of age
• Residing in Fresno area, CA
• Has at-risk factors (residing in high poverty area, formerly justice-involved)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Minor (under the age of 18)
• Not a father/father figure
• Father of a child over 24 years of age
• Reside outside of Fresno area, CA

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Primary Services; Primary services: Participants receive 16 hours of 24/7 Dads curricula and at least 2 hours of career readiness workshops over the course of 9 weeks. Participants also receive ongoing job readiness support and post-employment support.	Other: Primary Services; Primary services: Participants receive 16 hours of 24/7 Dads curricula and at least 2 hours of career readiness workshops over the course of 9 weeks. Participants also receive ongoing job readiness support and post-employment support.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Healthy Parenting Behavior Measurement #1	1A) Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy parenting behaviors one year after program enrollment? Items measured include: Parenting behavior and interaction with children measured with: 9 items- frequency of engagement in key behaviors (categories, 5-point scale) Measured on the Healthy Parenting Behavior Scale #1 as: 1=Never 2=1 to 2 days per month 3=3 or 4 days per month 4=2 or 3 days per week 5=Every day or almost every day Higher ratings indicate higher frequency of engagement in parenting behavior and interaction with children, so the higher the rating, the better the score. The 9 items are measured as a construct. All items are added together and divided by 9 to create the construct score. The higher the score, the better the outcome. maximum score of 5.0, minimum score of 1.0	Change from baseline in behavior in parenting behavior (interaction with children at 12 months from enrollment).]
Healthy Co-parenting Behavior Measurement #1	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy co-parenting behaviors one year after program enrollment? Items measured include: Co-parenting behavior measured with: 11 items: frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors (interval, 5-point scale) Measured on the Healthy Co-Parenting Behavior Scale #1 as: Strongly Disagree; Disagree; Neutral; Agree; Strongly Agree The 11 items are measured as a construct. All items are added together and divided by 11 to create the construct score. The higher the score, the better the outcome. maximum score of 5.0, minimum score of 1.0	Change from baseline in co-parenting behavior at 12 months from enrollment.
Healthy Financial Behavior Measurement #1	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy financial behaviors one year after program enrollment? Items measured include: Father financial behavior measured with: 2 items: yes (1) or no (0) questions for have checking account and have a savings account (dichotomous) Yes (1) responses indicate financial readiness, so the higher the rating, the better the score.	Change in parenting attitudes (towards children) at 12 months from enrollment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Healthy Parenting Attitudes Measurement #1	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy parenting attitudes/beliefs/expectations after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? Items measured include: Parenting attitudes toward children measured with: 7 items: frequency of key attitudes (categories, 5-point scale) Measured on the Healthy Parenting Attitudes Scale #1 as: Always; Often; Sometimes; Rarely; Never The 7 items are measured as a construct. All items are added together and divided by 7 to create the construct score. The higher the score, the better the outcome. maximum score of 5.0, minimum score of 1.0.	Change in parenting attitudes (towards children) from baseline to immediately after program completion.
Healthy Financial Attitudes	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy financial attitudes/beliefs/expectations after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? Items measured include: 7 items: agreement with key financial attitudes (categories, 5-point scale); Strongly Disagree; Disagree; Neutral; Agree; Strongly Agree The 7 items are measured as a construct. All items are added together and divided by 7 to create the construct score. The higher the score, the better the outcome. maximum score of 5.0, minimum score of 1.0	Change in healthy financial attitudes from baseline to immediately after program completion.
Healthy Employment Behaviors	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy employment behaviors one year after program enrollment? Items measured include: 1 item: yes (1) or no (0) questions for having a resume (dichotomous) Yes responses indicate employment readiness, so the higher the rating, the better the score.	Change from baseline in father financial behavior at 12 months from enrollment.]
Healthy Employment Attitudes	Will Fresno Fatherhood program participants experience significant increases in healthy employment attitudes/beliefs/expectations after completing the Fresno Fatherhood program? Items measured include: 8 items: levels of agreement with key employment attitudes (categories, 5-point scale); Strongly Disagree; Disagree; Neutral; Agree; Strongly Agree The 8 items are measured as a construct. All items are added together and divided by 8 to create the construct score. The higher the score, the better the outcome. maximum score of 5.0, minimum score of 1.0	Change from baseline in healthy employment attitudes to immediately after program completion.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Midwest Evaluation & Research
• Collaborators: Fresno Area Workforce Development Board (FAWDB)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Matt D Shepherd, PhD, Midwest Evaluation & Research

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): August 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 4, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): February 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): October 1, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: #2021/03/39

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: All participant data will be confidential and aggregated. No individual participant data will be released unless requested by the courts. This study looks at data as a whole.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No