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…
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…
The purpose of this information memorandum (IM) is to strongly encourage all human service agencies including child welfare agencies, courts, offices of child support enforcement, offices of public assistance, offices of child care, Head Start programs and family and youth services programs to work together across governments to jointly create and maintain an environment that prioritizes father engagement as a critical factor in strengthening families and adopt approaches to enhance paternal involvement in all family support and child welfare related programs. (Author abstract)
Families on limited incomes can struggle to navigate low-wage jobs or education and training programs while also searching for quality early care and education for their children. Some programs provide integrated services to parents and their children in an effort to solve this problem. This practice is sometimes called a two-generation or whole-family approach. This report provides: (1) key findings from a literature review, an environmental scan, and field work to identify and describe existing program models; (2) development of a conceptual framework to inform program design and research;…
Several parent training and support programs have been shown to improve parent–child relationships and otherparenting outcomes. However, relatively few are delivered specifically to fathers. The available evidence suggeststhat recruiting and retaining fathers in parenting programs is a challenge, and even less research has examined theeffectiveness of such programs. The purpose of this study was to better understand father engagement in a parentingsupport program, and also to understand whether a peer-support parenting program was effective at improvingoutcomes for fathers. (Author abstract)
Several parent training and support programs have been shown to improve parent–child relationships and otherparenting outcomes. However, relatively few are delivered specifically to fathers. The available evidence suggeststhat recruiting and retaining fathers in parenting programs is a challenge, and even less research has examined theeffectiveness of such programs. The purpose of this study was to better understand father engagement in a parentingsupport program, and also to understand whether a peer-support parenting program was effective at improvingoutcomes for fathers. (Author abstract)
The intent of the study was to compare the effects of the Circle Parents peer support network on fathers of young children receiving Head Start/Early Start services to fathers waitlisted for those services. 102 fathers were recruited to participate. Using randomization, fathers assigned to a “treatment group” were strongly encouraged to attend Circle of Parents group and received regular invitations and notifications of group meetings and activities for about a year. Fathers in the control group received usual services and were on a waitlist to join the group at the end of the study. (Author…
The Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Division of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) contracted with the Child and Family Research Partnership (CFRP) at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs to evaluate the Military Families and Veterans Prevention Program (MVP). DFPS designed the MVP program to serve military and veteran families who are at a high risk of family violence and/or abuse and neglect. The MVP program was designed to serve the three largest military communities in Texas: Fort Hood in Bell County; Joint Base San Antonio in…
The evaluation of the Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Projects (“Fatherhood Reentry”) documented the implementation of six programs designed to help stabilize fathers and their families, help move fathers toward economic self-sufficiency, and reduce recidivism. This report presents the findings from the evaluation and provides an overview of the activities implemented by the programs, describes their various approaches to implementation, and identifies the implementation challenges they faced and the solutions they used to overcome those challenges. We…
