As marriage rates fall across the county, states are increasingly open to ways they can promote marriage and support couples within their state. 

In 1996, leaders across the country as well as in Washington D.C. overhauled the nation’s welfare program to prioritize work, marriage and family as a way to reduce poverty and government dependence. The revamped welfare program - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - included marriage and healthy family formation among its official purposes and gave states permission and flexibility to pursue these goals. 

Since the 1990s, both Utah and Oklahoma have utilized their federal TANF dollars to fund state-wide marriage efforts to support their couples and families, but in different ways and amounts.

Grim stories about the downstream results of family dissolution make headlines daily. Crime, drug use, despair, crises in the foster care and court systems. Despite a vast amount of state and federal dollars dedicated to supporting families and children, these problems continue to accrue mounting social and financial costs. 

More than 19 million children in America live without father figures. All Pro Dad (APD) is one of the programs offered by Florida-based Family First designed to give men practical fatherhood tools and encouragement to engage with their families and reduce the numbers of fatherless children.

School Connect is one example of a nonprofit organization benefitting children and the community that’s gaining real traction in San Antonio. This innovative and successful program connects the community-based organizations and volunteers with struggling schools to undergird them with support. School Connect began in Phoenix 13 years ago under the leadership of Executive Director Tracey Beal and has mobilized thousands of volunteers to change the community of Phoenix.

Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK) is an evidence-based parenting program designed to build stronger families by empowering parents with the confidence, tools and skills they need to raise healthy, caring and responsible children.

In 2019, the Texas legislature revised its Texas Education Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) of health information that school districts are required to implement. The new TEKS applied to elementary and middle school grades, with high school being optional. It includes, but is not limited to, instruction in sexual risk avoidance, healthy relationships and marriage, preventing and recognizing abuse, and physical and mental health. The new TEKS were adopted in 2020 and put into practice in 2022.