PARTICIPANT STATISTICS

Almost one out of every two marriages in the United States ends in divorce - and the rates are higher than that in the Bay Area.  One million children each year experience the divorce or separation of their parents.  Since 1989, Kids' Turn has helped over 5,500 people, half children and half parents, as their family undergoes separation or divorce.

Kids' Turn has been keeping statistics on participants since 1993. Between September of '93 and June of '98 (5 years), Kids' Turn served more than 1100 families, including 1800 parents and 1810 kids. In the 1997-98 school year, Kids' Turn served 280 families, representing nearly 900 people, half parents and half children.

Kids' Turn currently presents a total of 20 workshops each year in Marin, San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.  Workshops are six weeks long, meeting once a week for 90 minutes.

Current statistics show  that 90 percent of people who attend Kids' Turn will finish the course (six weeks). Feedback from the workshops is overwhelmingly positive. The most common suggestion for changes is to increase the number or length of sessions, so that parents can receive more information. Click here for some other comments from families.

Recent workshop statistics show that 80% of the referrals came from family law judges or attorneys, therapists or Family Court Services.

86% of parents who attended Kids' Turn said they agreed or strongly agreed that the workshops helped their children.  Almost three-quarters said they would definitely recommend Kids' Turn to other families.

Besides the regular workshops, Kids' Turn offers parent seminars on related topics, such as step parenting; teen workshops for kids 15-18; workshops with Spanish-language groups; and a program for divorcing or separating parents of infants and toddlers, which is scheduled to debut in Spring, 2000.

Workshop fees cover about 15% of the cost.  Fees are charged per adult on a sliding scale, with a waiver down to $20 (total for all six weeks) for very low-income parents.  Children attend for free.

Kids Turn receives no federal, state, county or city income.  Funding sources are as follows:

Individuals: 15%; Events 26%; Foundations 29%; Earned income 15%; Workshop fees 15%.

The Kids' Turn staff consists of three full-time workers, two part-time employees, and nearly 100 contract workers who lead the workshops and are paid on a per-workshop basis.  The total number of hours worked by all employees is equivalent to five full-time employees.