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This webinar allowed the NRFC  and other stakeholders to connect with practitioners who are currently serving Latino fathers to discuss promising practices regarding service provision that is culturally and linguistically appropriate and inclusive.

During this webinar, we focused on tips and strategies for recruiting, engaging, and retaining Latino fathers in fatherhood programs.

Opening Remarks

Taffy Compain, CPM, Branch Chief, Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, Washington, DC

Presenters

The Real Dads Read program places little libraries in barbershops to encourage fathers to read to their children while they wait for a haircut. Fathers are able to share books in the barbershop and also take the books, which are intentionally chosen to be culturally relevant for African American families, home for free. Georgia State University received funding from the FRPN to examine barbers’ implementation of Real Dads Read in 21 barbershops located in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings from qualitative interviews demonstrate that barbers had varying degrees of knowledge about and buy-in to the…

Over one-quarter of all children under 21 years of age have one of their parents living outside of their household. When this occurs, it is often the legal obligation of the noncustodial parent to provide financial support to help pay for the costs associated with raising their children. This report provides an overview of these children and their custodial parents, including their socioeconomic characteristics and the types and amount of child support received from noncustodial parents.

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)

Four presenters from three states answered the questions below and identified innovative practices states are utilizing to engage fathers in the 13th FRPN learning community webinar.

Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play--both financially and emotionally--in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work experience, and criminal records, which impede their success in the labor market as well as their ability to provide for their children.Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative presents findings from P/PV's evaluation of Fathers at…

Early childhood home visiting programs typically target pregnant women and mothers of young children, but increasing attention is being given to the practice of engaging fathers as well. This study aimed to understand how home visiting programs engage fathers, what fathers’ experiences are in those programs, and the perceived benefits of fathers’ participation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with home visiting program administrators, staff members, and participating fathers and mothers in five programs implementing strategies to engage fathers in home visiting services. The findings…

We use new data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort study in twenty large U.S. cities, to investigate the level and predictors of fathers' involvement with children approximately three years after a nonmarital birth (N=3,009). We examine the frequency of fathers' spending time with their child, their engagement in various father-child activities, and their help toward the mother with household and child-related tasks. We explore differences in fathers' involvement by parents' relationship status at birth, defined as cohabiting (n=1,449), visiting (…

This paper examines the ways in which families with children have changed over the course of the twentieth century in the United States and the rise of single-parent families. It begins with a discussion of the negative effects of single parenthood and findings from research on the economic and developmental disadvantages of children raised in single parent families. Factors that have influenced the prevalence of single parenthood are explored and include the birth control pill and legalized abortion that have weakened the link between marriage and childbearing, changing sexual mores that…