NRFC Quick Statistics and Research Reviews, Report
Besides their role as financial providers, fathers today are also recognized for their roles as caregivers, playmates, and nurturers. This is demonstrated by the growing research on the link between fathers’ involvement and children’s well-being, as well as the shifting focus and rigorous evaluation of programming designed to improve broad outcomes for fathers and their families. This research scan provides information on recent data with a focus on what fatherhood looks like today. (Author introduction modified)
Research shows that children and families do better when fathers are involved. Kids exhibit better school performance, increased self-esteem and improved relationships with peers, while parents feel less stress when they support each other and co-parent. This toolkit is based on a programmatic review of fatherhood involvement efforts in early childhood programs and is a collection of the many tangible steps a WIC site can take to become more inclusive of men and dads. (Author introduction modified)
This report, written by Wilder Research, a division of Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, outlines how to monetize the economic returns and avoided costs of outcomes typically associated with responsible fatherhood programs, plus additional potential, two-generation, long-term child development and family well-being outcomes of father engagement. It makes a strong economic case for investing in comprehensive responsible fatherhood programs, which would include GED programming, job placement services, diversion services as an alternative to incarceration, parenting education with play and learn…
This report summarizes findings from a number of research reports relevant to the theme of Australian National Child Protection Week 2016 “Stronger Communities, Safer Children”. Key messages are shared from research on building safe and supportive families and communities for children in Australia, building safe and supportive families and communities for Indigenous children in Australia, and what children value in their communities and what changes children would like to see in their communities. A paper on the concept of community capacity is also summarized, as well as a paper that applies…
One in six newborns were born poor over the past 40 years, and nearly half remained poor half their childhoods. These persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school and are four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years. Children whose parents did not complete high school are less likely to complete high school themselves. This paper examines the magnitude of child poverty, family characteristics related to childhood poverty persistence, and childhood poverty's lasting…
U.S. women graduate from high school at higher rates than U.S. men, but the female-male educational advantage is larger, and has increased by more, among black students and students of low socioeconomic status (SES) than among white and high-SES students. The authors explore why boys fare worse than girls in low-SES households—both behaviorally and educationally—by exploiting matched birth certificates, health, disciplinary, academic, and high school graduation records for more than 1 million children born in Florida between 1992 and 2002. They account for unobserved family heterogeneity by…
This Social Policy Report summarizes what is currently known about our nation’s military children and families and presents ideas and proposals pertinent to the formulation of new programs and the policies that would create and sustain these initiatives. We emphasize the need for future rigorous developmental research about military children and families that could more definitively inform future programs and policies. These policies and programs should build on the resilience of military children and families in order to best maintain and enhance their health and positive development. The…
Two commentaries from the report, Military and Veteran Families and Children: Policies and Programs for Health Maintenance and Positive Development, deepen the discussion about how best to support military and veteran children and families. In the second commentary, Rami Benbenishty and Ron Astor highlight the importance of considering the normative settings in which military children function (e.g., nonmilitary communities, schools) and building on those normative experiences to foster resiliency in military-connected children. They also urge researchers to include information about the…
This framework is a road map for progress in achieving the kinds of outcomes that lead to positive and enduring change for children and families. It is a research-based approach to program change that shows how an agency can work together as a whole--across systems and service areas--to promote parent and family engagement and children's learning development. (Author abstract)
