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.