Third in a series of guides on encouraging father involvement in Head Start programs for young children, this guide discusses assessing program effectiveness in involving fathers and identifying what changes might need to be made to ensure that the program is as father-friendly as possible. It begins by explaining six stages of becoming a father-friendly program: understanding and appreciating fathers' vital contributions to healthy child development, creating an environment where fathers feel welcomed and valued, deciding what to do, recruiting fathers, operating the program, and sustaining…
Exemplary early childhood centers engage men in activities as staff members and participants. The programs actively communicate with fathers and encourage their involvement by sponsoring special events and by addressing the interests of men. The inclusion of men helps to reduce risk for child maltreatment by demonstrating the benefits of flexible gender roles, alleviating social isolation, developing networks of care for children, and improving relationships between adults and between parents and children. This brief includes profiles of four early childhood programs that involve men.
This InfoSheet is a brief review of information for family services practitioners and fatherhood advocates, which highlights basic recommendations for making a father-friendly Early Childhood Family Education program. (Author abstract modified)
New families, in particular new fathers, face a world that can be very exciting but also very daunting. Most of the teachers in the early-childhood classrooms are women. Many of the parent education teachers are women. One way to help fathers feel at ease within these classrooms is to identify male teachers or volunteers who can helprecruit and welcome men into the group. This InfoSheet provides a few ways for ensuring the fathers that need help will ask for it. (Author abstract modified)
This report presents a review and analysis of Region V's Fatherhood Special Initiative (FSI) and Early Head Start Fatherhood Demonstration grants. The grant awards were designed to promote father involvement and children's early literacy and language development (In this document, the terms "father involvement" and "male involvement" are used interchangeably). The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) spoke with Head Start and Early Head Start staff members over a four-month period to identify unique and innovative practices utilized by these grantees. (Author abstract)
A fundamental principle of child development underpinning early childhood practice is that children need stable, nurturing relationships with both men and women to develop strong gender identities. With more than 60% of young children in non-parental care during part of their day, it is of serious concern that less than 5% of the early childhood workforce is comprised of males. The low wages typically paid to early childhood teachers is often cited as the reason for this under-representation. However, this explanation only partly explains the phenomena as there are numerous low paying…
Since its beginnings nearly 40 years ago, Head Start has understood that loving, intentional parental involvement is an essential factor in healthy child development. Head Start works with parents because it believes that a healthy family is a child's best and most powerful resource. Strong families help to ensure positive outcomes for children and that they enter school ready to learn and succeed in their years there. However, getting children prepared for life-long learning is typically viewed as mother's work. Dads are too often seen as optional in this part of their children's lives.…
Father involvement has a unique impact on children's outcomes, including cognitive development, achievement, math and reading scores, as well as behavior. Father involvement coordinators, parent involvement specialists, and other staff members who work with families can find this handbook useful as it provides insight into why fathers are important in their children's lives. Many studies conclude that children with highly involved fathers, in relation to children with less involved fathers, tend to be more cognitively and socially competent. (Author abstract).
Head Start staff members are well-trained and accustomed to building trusting relationships with families and their children. However, working with fathers may be less familiar. As observed in earlier Building Blocks, staff may need to change some of their notions and attitudes about fathers that stem from lack of or negative interactions with fathers in the past. Staff need to realize the deep extent to which fathers can make unique, positive contributions to their child's development because of the various ways fathers differ from mothers. All staff members should be aware, celebrate, and…
