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Serving Montgomery County, Illinois & the surrounding area

multigenerational smiling family of moms, dads, children

Strengthening Families Program

Presented by Cross Over Ministries

logo cross and bridge and organization name

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) helps families give their children what they need to thrive. It’s about taking advantage of your unique strengths as a parent and ensuring you have the skills and supports you need to make sure your child, and your family as a whole, are safe, secure, and happy.

SFP classes will begin February 7 in Hillsboro and March 28 in Litchfield from 6:00—8:30pm.
Classes forming now. Call 1-217-608-0266 to register your family or for more information.

Are you interested in having...

  • A happy family
  • Strong bonds of love & respect
  • Well-behaved kids
  • A joyful marriage relationship
  • Kids kept safe from alcohol & drugs

About the Program, overview

Parents and youth attend 6 weekly classes together, learning parenting skills and youth life and refusal skills. They have separate class training for parents and youth for an hour, followed by a joint family practice session for an hour. There are participation incentives and graduation gifts for each family.

Age Ranges

This free program is for youth ages 7-17 with free childcare for children under that range.

Time Commitment

The free program lasts 6 weeks, with sessions lasting a total of 2.5 hours each week.

Free Dinner Provided

A free dinner will be provided for all families each week before sessions begin.

Why sign up for SFP?

  • Increases family bonding and helps to foster warm, loving relationships
  • Assists parents in setting clear, firm boundaries such as rules against drug use
  • Trains parents to monitor their children’s emotional well-being and activities
multigenerational family
Like a car, every family can use a tune-up at times—and this program provides a fun, easy way. It will also train your children in skills to help them be successful all the rest of their lives!

Youth Mental Health

Statistics for Hillsboro, IL

  • Children of parents who abuse drugs are 2-18x more likely to abuse drugs themselves depending on inherited genetic risk, family disorganization, and stress
  • 1 in 5 youth in Hillsboro has considered suicide in the past 12 months
  • 1 in 4 youth in Hillsboro has abnormal levels of depression and anxiety
  • 12% of youth in Hillsboro have severe clinical depression
  • Recruitment and retention improved by 40% when culturally-specific adaptations were implemented
  • Hillsboro Area Hospital’s David A. Imler Initiative was developed to help with youth mental health in the Hillsboro community

Why Choose SFP?

  • Cost-effective
  • Over 30 years of research and program development
  • Independently reviewed and evaluated
  • Practiced in over 30 countries
  • Strategically designed to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for substance abuse and depression among youth
  • 1 of 3 science-based, substance abuse prevention programs selected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
nuclear smiling family of mom, dad, children

Register for SFP

Call 1-217-608-0266 for more information or to register!

6-Week Strengthening Families Program is FREE, but space is limited!
Classes are forming now to begin February 7, 2023 (in Hillsboro) and March 28, 2023 (in Litchfield) from 6:00—8:30pm.
Hosted at Cross Over Ministries’ home: 102 N. Main Street, Suite #1, Hillsboro, IL 62049
and Litchfield High School Cafeteria: 1705 N. State Street, Litchfield, IL 62056

Please let us know the Names, Ages, and Current Grades of all those who will be attending with you.