The DadTalk blog features insights from dads and Responsible Fatherhood practitioners from around the country. Its goal is to start conversations about important issues surrounding fatherhood and programs for fathers today.
Have you ever talked with your kids about cyberbullying? Some parents don’t know how serious cyberbullying can be, so they don’t talk about it. When I speak with fathers about child safety, I encourage them to include this topic in their…
As technological innovations grow and expand into so many facets of our lives, it often seems that students are reading books less and less. Parents can easily hand their child a tablet with a game or some other app to keep them occupied, whether at the store, waiting for a doctor appointment, or at home. Although it can be beneficial for so many reasons, technology is only one aspect of learning - reading books is another, and something for which newer generations of students may find themselves struggling to find a passion.
Across studies and reports, rates of reading and numbers…
Ed note: This post appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog and was originally posted by the Department of Education. View the post here.
Back to school time can be a hectic time for both you and the kiddos. These are some of our best back to school tips to help ensure this school year gets off to a great start!
#1: Visit the school
Walk or ride the route your child will take and make note of school patrols…
Ed note: This post originally appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog. View the post here.
Having a college degree is a key factor in long-term economic stability. Research consistently shows that individuals with a college degree have higher earnings than those without. Yet many low-income people neither enroll nor complete their education. How can we help them achieve college success?
The Pathways to Advancing Careers and…
During the summer months, it is easy to put learning on the back burner. Summer activities, vacations, and other priorities often get in the way, and kids can lose some of the math and reading skills they spent the previous school year building. Children risk significant ‘learning loss’ between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next. Even though all children have some learning loss during the summer, research shows that low-income youth lose up to three months in reading achievement. Additionally, many children also lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in math…
Benjamin Franklin famously stated that the only two certainties in life are “death and taxes.”
Let us add “homework” to Franklin’s list.
Nearly everybody – child or adult, man or woman – has dealt with the challenges and responsibilities of homework during their lives. Schoolwork does not stop at the final bell, and the work completed at home often reinforces skills and drives achievement. Research shows that time spent on homework, especially in grades 7-12, can have a tremendous impact on student outcomes. Parents should work to make sure their children have the time,…
Ed. Note: This is a repost from the ACF Family Room Blog on October 22, 2015. View the original post.
At the Office of Child Care, we know the need for care doesn’t end when children enter their elementary school years. And as the mother of two school-age children, I know first-hand how important it is to know my children have a safe and enriching place to go at 3 o’clock each day. The need for high quality afterschool care is no…
When you look around in August and September, you begin to see autumn in the air. You feel the weather beginning to change, you see the leaves turning colors, and you see back-to-school sales advertised. As a new season takes shape, there is a sense of a new beginning as families get back into the routine that comes with kids returning to school. As the son of a teacher and coach, a former teacher, a recovering principal, and the father of two sons, I love the beginning of a new school year. The halls of the school are shiny and clean, the whiteboards (remember blackboards?) are clean,…
Fathers can play an important role in promoting early learning and literacy. Unfortunately, as some colleagues and I discussed in a recent NRFC webinar, not all dads realize this or know how to go about it. Fatherhood programs can help fathers understand the benefits of early literacy skills for their children, demonstrate ways to make reading fun, and show how engaging in literacy-related activities together can cement bonds between fathers and their children.
Here…
Fatherhood can be challenging at every phase of a child’s development, especially when that child heads off to college. The challenges that come with guiding the development of a college-bound child require a combination of patience, commitment and preparation.
Here are eight tips that should be on every dad’s radar as their child prepares to continue their education after high school:
1. How to Pick a School that’s the Right Fit When it comes to choosing the right school, the more information you have the better. To help you and your child weigh college options, costs and…
When tackling the big task of raising smart kids, dads have to use every resource possible; including their tablets and smartphones. In the July NRFC Webinar, Strengthening Literacy and Father-Child Relationships through Reading, our presenters shared a number of ways that dads can encourage and support literacy, including how the ways in which we read and get information has changed over the years. One modern way to build literacy skills can be through interactive apps. As…