Faculty and students from the Digital Media Production Program have a new project on their plate – developing a toolkit for Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce.

Fueled by a $250,000 grant from the Vandermark Foundation, Florida State University is working to create a new online toolkit designed to help create healthy co-parentings in families going through a separation or a divorce. The project is a collaborative effort by the College of Education, College of Communication and Information and the College of Social Work. Florida State is seeking to implement an online course that will be a mandatory parenting program for divorcing parents in Florida and Massachusetts. There is potential for expansion to all states to mandate this procedure.

Andy Opel and Malia Bruker from the School of Communication will produce a series of videos for the project. The videos will provide engaging material that shows effective modeling and real-life testimony to help parents navigate the divorce process.

“This project demonstrates the amazing power of a university,” said Opel. “Our interdisciplinary team is combining social science research with creative media production to create a toolkit that serves the public interest and provides a valuable resource to families going through the turmoil of divorce.

“We’re very excited to be working with the College of Education and the College of Social Work on this project,” said Bruker. “It’s great to know that these videos will have such direct and widespread benefits.”

The toolkit will be available at no cost for a variety of families who experience divorce every year, including the family members, mental health professionals and lawyers who support these families through the divorce process.