Extension Service and Healthy Families

This article describes the process of developing collaborative partnerships for the purpose of providing parent education and support services for new parents in Oklahoma. Through partnering, the Oklahoma Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service have expanded Healthy Families from a pilot site to fourteen programs within three years. Experiences in Oklahoma suggest that collaboration, while bringing additional resources and supports, takes time, effort, and new ways of thinking and interacting.