Georgie Brown walks the room in a casual manner, speaking in a way that demands respect but also shows compassion. She moves back and forth easily, engaging with each of the six men as she offers instruction and advice as they let their guard down and discuss their childhoods and how they plan to be better parents.

And every so often one of the men steals a peek at a table filled with stuffed teddy bears.

This is the sixth week of the Strength in Families class at Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC), and it’s a milestone. Toward the end of the class each attendee will trade in the egg they have cared for and adopt a bear. They are expected to care for that bear as they would their own children. That means never leaving it unattended, arranging care for when they go to work and even monitoring the environment around the bear to protect it from inappropriate behavior.

Strength in Families uses curriculum from Parenting Inside Out, an evidence-base model and Walking the Line, meant to improve relationships and communication skills. Incarcerated men who are fathers or father figures apply to get in and receive wraparound services from a case manager for six months after release.

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