Resilience in Reentry: An Implementation and Impact Evaluation of the Social Resilience Model in the PREPARE Program in New York City

Formerly incarcerated individuals often face systemic barriers that limit their ability to reconnect with family and reintegrate into society. Historically, parenting programs have focused on mothers, leaving out fathers and the roles they play. In response, The Osborne Association created the PREPARE program to support fathers returning from incarceration by offering integrated services in parenting, employment readiness, healthy relationships, and emotional regulation. PREPARE Plus builds on this foundation by adding the Social Resilience Model (SRM), a neuroscience-based set of skills to manage stress and trauma.

This evaluation study, conducted by Child Trends, seeks to understand the outcomes of PREPARE Plus on fathers’ perceptions, behavioral intent, behaviors, and knowledge related to parenting, relationships, financial stability, and recidivism. The study explores both within-group (PREPARE and PREPARE Plus participants individually) and between-group (comparing PREPARE vs. PREPARE Plus) outcomes, hypothesizing that SRM-enhanced programming (PREPARE Plus) will yield stronger improvements across all outcome areas.

Acknowledgments

This project and evaluation report would not have been possible without the support, expertise, and dedication of numerous individuals and organizations. The authors extend their deepest gratitude to everyone who played an essential role in bringing this work to fruition.

First, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to current and former staff at The Osborne Association for their tireless efforts in supporting program implementation and providing critical insights throughout the evaluation process. We are especially grateful to Michelle Portlock, Steuben Vega, Sharon Livingston, Petal Fogenay-Foster, Gyasi Headen, Jenny Santiago, Dwight Stephenson, Darryl Ojeda, and Steve Nesselroth. Your commitment to serving returning citizens and fostering positive change laid the foundation for this work. Special appreciation is extended to Laurie Leitch, creator of the Social Resilience Model, whose thoughtful insights were instrumental to the success of both the program and research teams.

In addition, we acknowledge the outstanding contributions of the team at Child Trends, including current and former colleagues who contributed to this report: Mindy Scott, Catherine Schaefer, Lisa Kim, Sunny Sun, Elizabeth Cook, Elizabeth Karberg, Abigail Wulah, and Zabryna Balén. Your expertise, research guidance, and steadfast collaboration were critical to the success of this evaluation.

We are profoundly grateful to all who contributed to this project and supported the work in meaningful ways.