Knowing how to be a good parent isn't necessarily a skill that you're born with. It can be particularly hard for men. In this Break the Cycle report, we show you a program that can help men succeed in raising healthy children.

It is a program for people who want to be better parents. Many of these dads are really struggling. The good news is they are finding support in a program called Fathers' Journeys.

You could call it Parenting 101, but the real name of this class is Fathers' Journeys. The men enrolled have something in common: they are all striving to break the cycle of abuse and neglect and be better fathers to their children.

"But most of all, giving fathers a chance and giving them support, so they don't abandon their kids and they are part of their kid's lives," said Frank Buck of Fathers' Journeys.

Frank Buck teaches Fathers' Journeys for Cook Inlet Tribal Council. He says it's important to teach men strategies to get through the inevitable tough times.

"You know, stress management, anger management, a lot of them don't know their role as a father through the development of the ages of their kids. So we go over that a lot in class," said Buck.

Many of the men in Fathers' Journeys are here because they have to be. Some are court ordered to take classes, if they want to be part of their children's lives. Mark Tubin says that was his story the first time he took the course. Back then, he was fresh out of jail. His kids were in foster care and he made a promise to get them out.

"I promised them when I got out, I'd work my hardest to get them out. It took me two years to do it, but I finally got my boys out," said Mark Tubin, who is taking classes.

Now Tubin is taking the class again, for no other reason than he wants to be a better dad.

"Just the joy in my children's eyes when I take them out snowmaching and sledding. The happiness and joy I see in their eyes is just rewarding," said Tubin.

Buck says, with proper support, there is no reason that all these dads can't experience the same thing. The Fathers' Journeys program is run by Cook Inlet Tribal Council, but it is for any dad who has a need. The 13 weeks of classes are paid for with a federal grant, so they are absolutely free to participants.

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To contact Lauren, call 907-273-3186.