Involving Non-Resident Fathers In Children’s Learning

Chapter 3:
Strategies for Involving Non-Resident Fathers

[ Main Page of Report | Table of Contents ]

Rene Sterling

But what we’re talking about now is getting fathers more actively involved. There are a lot of ways you can do that. First of all, we have to change our perception. And that perception is that fathers do not want to be involved. And so we need to open the doors and create avenues by which it’s easy for them to be involved. They have the capability to tell stories, to read, to do a whole lot with their children. And I think that begins to change cycles into circles that become that of development and education and fulfillment for children." – Jerry Tello, Director, The National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, Los Angeles, California, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Contents

• Create a father-friendly environment
  • Assess program readiness
  • Modify practices to include non-resident fathers
  • Prepare staff to work with fathers
• Reach out to non-resident fathers
  • Ask mothers for input and participation
  • Make father recruitment everyone’s job
  • Provide opportunities for father-to-father support
• Prepare fathers to help their children learn
  • Show non-resident fathers that they matter
  • Empower non-resident fathers to become involved
  • Strengthen fathering skills
  • Encourage school involvement
  • Promote reading and play
  • Raise fathers’ education and literacy skills
  • Improve fathers’ financial contributions
  • Find solutions to logistical barriers
  • Build the skills of young fathers
• Strengthen family networks
  • Promote cooperative parenting
  • Develop guidelines for working with families
  • Access community resources for responsible fatherhood

While institutions cannot make good fathers, they can support efforts to help men become the best fathers they can be. Individually and collaboratively, schools, family service providers, governments, the courts, businesses, faith-based organizations, fatherhood programs, and others are promoting responsible fatherhood by reaching out to fathers and providing the encouragement and the services they and their families need. Their successful efforts not only improve children’s capacity to learn but also increase parental support of, and involvement in, schools, community-based programs, and neighborhoods.

Innovative practices to support father involvement in children’s learning at home, at school, and in the community include family literacy programs, parenting classes, school outings, father support programs, and after-school mentoring programs. Additional strategies include use of evening and weekend hours, child care, mothers’ support, and flexible work schedules to give fathers time for school visits and volunteering. Finally, training and in-service programs can better prepare teachers and staff to work with fathers. The following strategies and examples offer a number of ideas for successfully involving fathers in children’s learning.

Create a father-friendly environment

“The Dads of Whittier is a group that started at Whittier Elementary School in Washington, D.C. about four years ago. We do a lot of things with young people – both the boys and the girls….I think one of the things we have to be mindful of when we talk about involving fathers and grandfathers and uncles in the education of the children is that not all of the dads feel comfortable with things like tutoring or helping with homework. So, we find other ways to get them involved. There’s a dad, for example, who is a painter. When we needed the Family Resource Center painted, he came in and did the job for us. Another dad is a short-order cook. When the PTA had their spring fair, he grilled the hot dogs and hamburgers….What we found at Whittier is that a lot of these dads probably individually would never have gotten involved in the ways that they have. But because we have created an organization that gives them a mechanism and an avenue to be involved with the school, they’re coming forward. And we’re real pleased with that.”

– Roger Glass, member of the editorial staff, American Federation of Teachers; founding member of “Dads of Whittier;” and PTA President, Whittier Elementary School, Washington, D.C., Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Assess program readiness

In Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs, Levine, Murphy, and Wilson (1998) identify four stages common to successful father involvement programs (p. 22). The first stage is creating a father-friendly environment that welcomes and supports fathers’ involvement. They suggest that a good place to start is with an assessment of the current environment. For example: Do staff welcome and value father involvement? Do they greet fathers as they drop off and pick up their children? Do intake forms provide space where a “significant male” can be listed? Do walls and brochures show images of fathers as well as mothers? Are program hours flexible? What do fathers and mothers say they want? Exhibit 1 provides more information about this publication and about some of the other tools available for assessing and improving program readiness to involve fathers.

Modify practices to include non-resident fathers

A workshop on non-resident fathers held at the 1996 federal conference on strengthening the role of fathers in families noted that, “small procedural changes to include non-residential parents in support systems can make a big difference in children’s lives. For example, schools can send report cards to both parents to keep non-residential fathers engaged in their children’s education” (Nathanson & Fiester, 1997, p. 30). In Massachusetts, state law provides a standardized process for public elementary and secondary schools to give copies of student records to parents who do not have physical custody of their children (see Exhibit 2). As always, appropriate discretion should be used to ensure safety and confidentiality.

Here is how three programs work to get fathers and significant males involved with children:

• “The Texas Agricultural Extension Service’s Fathering Project helps citizens identify the needs of their community regarding fathering, develop curricula tailored to them, train volunteers to deliver services and materials in various counties, develop library materials that support fathering, evaluate the appropriateness of training material, and identify funding” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 172)
• “The Fairfax-San Anselmo Child Care Center [in Fairfax, California] has a space on the admission application where the mother can identify the ‘significant male’ in the family, even if the male is not the natural father of the child. When there is no father at home, this is a non-threatening invitation to put down the name of the grandfather, uncle, older brother, or boyfriend” (Levine et al., 1998, p. 30).
• The Mary Hooker Elementary School Family Resource Center in Hartford, Connecticut, is one of three sites in Connecticut implementing the Head Start, Child Care, Child Support Collaboration Demonstration Project funded by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. The center predominantly serves Puerto Rican low-income families who are either bilingual in Spanish and English or speak Spanish as a primary language. Program activities with fathers, conducted in both English and Spanish and often on Saturdays or evenings with babysitting provided as needed, include parenting classes, picnics, field trips, and early education classes. Many of the 250 parents who attended the program’s Parental Involvement Meeting also attended the meeting’s fatherhood workshop (N. Flores-Rios, personal communication, September 1999).

Prepare staff to work with fathers

Staff preparation is essential. Change is never easy, and hidden resistance is not uncommon. Surveys and open discussion allow staff the opportunity to express their concerns or fears about working with men and fathers. Brainstorming sessions and team meetings enable staff to develop new ideas and insights and take responsibility for involving fathers. Education and training raise staff awareness and enhance their skills for working with fathers. Some programs have hired male outreach workers to work with fathers, mothers, and staff. In addition, educators can use the National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs (Exhibit 3) as a guide for strengthening their work with families, including non-resident fathers.

• Through its “Parent University,” the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) provides two-day workshops to prepare parents, school staff, and community leaders to conduct Parent Expectations Support Achievement (PESA) parent workshops. In addition to strengthening parent involvement and parent-teacher communication, LACOE notes that, “PESA fulfills the requirement of training parents, teachers, staff, and school administrators to work with parents under Title I of The Improving America’s Schools Act (Sec. 1118: Parental Involvement)” (Los Angeles County Office of Education, n.d.).
• Organizations such as the Families and Work Institute, the National Center for Fathering, the National Center for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community Leadership, the National Fathers’ Network, the National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, and the National Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families, Inc. provide training and technical assistance to schools, Head Start and early childhood programs, child support agencies, teen parenting programs, and others to get fathers and other significant men involved in program and school activities and in the lives of their children. In addition, these programs help staff and agencies explore their potential biases toward fathers to enable them to develop more father-friendly approaches (see Chapter 4 for more information).  

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Reach out to non-resident fathers

“I’ve worked with many student teachers and as an educator, I hear teachers all the time saying, I just can’t get the dads to come in. I can’t get parents to come in. My question is always the same. What have you tried? And you’ll get a laundry list, I’ve sent flyers, I’ve sent this, it’s been in the family newsletter. And I’ll follow up with a question. Have you picked up the phone and called? Until you have picked up the phone and called, you haven’t done everything you need to do. Call them.”

– Don Armell, Program Commissioner, National PTA; President, European Congress PTA; and Teacher, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Kaiserslautern, Germany, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Ask mothers for input and participation

Staff must be prepared for the reactions of mothers as they plan to reach out to fathers. Mothers may question the necessity of involving fathers in program or school activities or feel that their own contributions are being undervalued. Whether they are mothers, staff members, or administrators, women have a vital role to play in recruiting and supporting male involvement. Soliciting their participation in the planning and implementation of father involvement activities is essential.

• A Minnesota program which included weekly father-child sessions and other activities succeeded over a two-year period in getting 45 fathers to participate thanks to an active marketing effort by mothers (Levine et al., 1998, p. 34).
• The Inclusive Family Centered Child Care program, operated by the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus’ Graduate School of Public Health, serves a mix of children who have low-income or special needs. It has trained its staff and encouraged mothers to make a special effort to welcome and support the role of non-resident fathers. As a result, fathers have supplied much of the labor and skilled work the program otherwise could not afford, expanded the types of field trips provided, and made suggestions for games and equipment to enrich playtime (A. Williams, personal communication, August 18, 1999).

Make father recruitment everyone’s job

“Parent involvement is everybody’s job at Head Start….As we brainstormed our ideas, we decided we needed to get more men into the program. We hired male social workers, male teacher aides, so it wasn’t just the males at the top of the Head Start program, but throughout all levels.”

– Donna Glausser, Director, Hillsborough County Head Start, Tampa, Florida, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Fathers, mothers, children, staff, administrators, bus drivers, and leadership from local civic, business, and faith organizations can encourage men to be more involved in their children’s learning. Mothers, who often serve as the “gatekeepers” to father involvement, can make the most effective recruiters. Once contact has been established, providing positive reinforcement is critical for maintaining fathers’ involvement.

• Stockton Unified School District (K-12) of Stockton, California, used parent mentors to involve other parents. Services included parenting classes, which provided transportation and child care, and a district parent resource center with educational materials for parents. In one year, the program trained 61 parents, resulting in 5,000 volunteer hours and a reduction in conduct code violations by one half (de Kanter et al., 1997, p. 33; personal communication, May 31, 2000).
• “Coleman Harris, a program specialist at the U.S. Department of Education, is also a father and president of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at Mount Vernon High School in Virginia. In two years, Harris boosted his PTA’s membership from 184 to over 600 by creating parent councils (half of which are chaired by fathers) and community resource teams structured around students’ interests and activities…. By providing a catalyst for parent involvement in children’s education, the Mount Vernon PTA enables fathers and mothers to ‘be there when [their children] are successful, and help them out when they’re not,’ Harris says” (Nathanson & Fiester, 1997, p. 11).

Provide opportunities for father-to-father support

Men’s groups, fatherhood breakfasts, and other gatherings and ceremonies are effective ways to support men in their role as fathers. These activities, whether formal or informal, routine or episodic, provide a safe place for men to share their experiences as fathers and to build their parenting skills.

• “The Men’s Group at the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center [held monthly on Saturday mornings] has been operating for over a decade under the stewardship of associate director Stan Seiderman” (Levine et al., 1998, p. 47). The men prepare, serve and eat breakfast with their children then turn their children over to on-site child care workers, giving the fathers time to talk with each other and Center staff and plan special events (The Bay Area Male Involvement Network, 2000). “Over 90 percent of fathers or male friends are involved with the center in one way or another, and almost 100 percent attend parent conferences, whether or not they are living at home” (Levine et al., p. 62).
• The National Fathers’ Network, which operates out of the Kindering Center in Bellevue, Washington, started with a single small discussion group every other Saturday morning for fathers of children with special needs. This approach has now expanded to affiliated groups in 35 states (Levine & Pitt, 1995, pp. 150-153).
• The Pinellas County Head Start’s Accepting the Leadership Challenge in Florida is a male involvement initiative conducted in partnership with the Hillsborough County Head Start and the Gamma Zeta Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Head Start and the Fatherhood Initiative, 1998). The program began by taking 30 men away for a weekend and leading them through a bonding exercise which helped them to form a group (Glausser, 1999). Now in its ninth year, the number of male involvement groups has expanded. The program offers fathers training in parenting, nutrition, literacy, and computers; educational travel; and opportunities for successful family time.

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Prepare fathers to help their children learn

“We do a lot of grassroots approaches. We go door by door, knocking on doors. We also send letters home, but we do not only send letters. We put flyers and posters in gathering places like barber shops, supermarkets, everywhere that we can think of. Also, we have a wonderful relationship with the school superintendent in Hartford. We have plenty of space over there. So we can offer the parents, if they need ESL or GED classes to obtain their high school diploma, we offer the classes there. We also offer them employability skills. A lot of times they don’t know how to go and look for a job, how to fill out applications. We help with resumes. We also do referrals. And we work closely with the universities in the area and have people from the universities doing pres- entations from nutrition to how to get back into school, how to help your child when they have problems with discipline, and how to learn about child development. And it works. But you have to do it from the grassroots.”

Noemi Flores-Rios, Executive Director, Mary Hooker Elementary School Family Resource Center, Hartford, Connecticut, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

A father’s willingness or ability to be a responsible and involved parent is influenced by many factors, including his level of education or income, whether he lives with or apart from his children, his cultural and family background, whether he was married when the child was conceived or born, and his current relationship with the mother of the children (Halle, Moore, Greene, & Le-Menestrel, 1998, pp. 25-26). In addition, his ability to be a good father may be affected by the quality of his relationship with his own father. Nevertheless, all fathers, regardless of background, income, or educational attainment, can be encouraged to be responsible fathers.

Show non-resident fathers that they matter

Non-resident fathers may be reluctant to become involved in their children’s learning because they feel that their contributions do not matter or are not valued. Some fathers may be uncomfortable with taking on a nurturing role or believe that mothers are best suited to oversee the education of children. Others believe they lack any say in their children’s upbringing, arguing that they have none of their rights as parents but all the responsibilities (Braver & Griffin, 1996).

Empower non-resident fathers to become involved

In reaching out to non-resident fathers, teachers and practitioners can encourage more active involvement by emphasizing how important a father is to his children, even if he is not the child’s primary caretaker. A study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network found that fathers were more active in caregiving (e.g., diapering, feeding, and playing with their children) when they had high self-esteem and other positive psychological adjustment characteristics (NICHD, 2000). Courses of study designed for non-resident fathers can be used to increase their sense of control, build their motivation and skill at conflict management with their former spouse or partner, increase their commitment to parenting, and improve their parenting skills (Braver & Griffin, 1996).

For example:

• Since 1989, the Friends of Children of Mississippi Head Start program in Jackson, Mississippi has sponsored the Male Involvement/Empowerment Project to encourage and foster male participation in the home, the community and especially in the lives of children. The program focuses first on working with fathers to help them become self-sufficient and to build their self-esteem, self-respect, and life skills so they feel they have something important to offer their children (Head Start and the Fatherhood Initiative, 1998).
• The East Los Angeles Chapter of the National Compadres Network (NCN) hosts monthly Circulo de Hombres (“Circle of Men”) meetings where Latino men gather for a ceremony of rebalancing and cleansing to help them be better hombres, fathers, husbands, life partners and community leaders. The chapter also involves men in NCN’s El Joven Noble, a Chicano/Latino Male rites of passage and mentoring program; the Respetar y Leer (“Respect and Read”) project to encourage men to read and bond to their children; and fun activities such as professional sports events and league basketball tournaments (National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, n.d.).
• Created in Missouri in 1981, the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program has expanded to 49 states and abroad. PAT asserts that, “all families have strengths and that parents are the experts on their child” (PAT National Center, n.d.). The program includes home visits with parent educators to encourage developmentally appropriate parent-child interactions and group meetings for parents to share child-rearing experiences with other parents. Group meetings are held on weekdays, evenings, and Saturdays to allow fathers and mothers to participate. Fathers-only meetings also are available to allow fathers the opportunity to define and enjoy their role. Program evaluations note gains in children’s cognitive and social development and in parent involvement in children’s schooling (Levine et al., 1998, pp. 72-73; PAT National Center, n.d.).

Strengthen fathering skills

Teachers and providers can improve fathers’ parenting skills through education and modeling. Fathers can be encouraged to demonstrate support by listening to their child’s problems, giving advice, explaining rules, helping with homework, and giving praise. These actions positively affect children by conveying a basic sense of trust, reinforcing self-concepts of worth and competence, and promoting academic success. Moreover, studies have shown that a father’s praise (as opposed to sharp criticism or indifference) is associated with higher school achievement, higher educational goals, and better classroom behavior in his children (Feldman & Wentzel; Radin; Smith; Wentzel & Femman as cited in Halle et al., 1988, pp. 24-25). In addition, fathers can be taught that appropriate rule formation, monitoring, and discipline help children learn self-discipline and how to regulate their own behaviors and emotions.

• AVANCE, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas offers a one-day-per-week, nine-month fatherhood program at four sites in the Rio Grande Valley area. The curriculum covers such topics as child growth and development, handling stress, living without violence, and the role of the male parent. In addition, fathers participate in sports, family picnics, field trips, and other recreational activities. The program serves mainly Hispanic fathers who also may take Adult Basic Education, GED, and ESL classes offered by AVANCE (AVANCE, 1999; Levine et al., 1998, pp. 51-53).
• Oakland Healthy Start, responding to feedback that men did not feel welcomed or served by existing services and women wanted more active parent involvement by male partners, created, “an array of male-centered services including parenting classes, support groups, job referrals, counseling, and a male-focused mobile health van” (Healthy Start National Resource Center, n.d.).
• “The Paternal Involvement Project, headquartered at Kennedy-King College, Chicago, Illinois works with approximately 200 non-custodial fathers a year. The men, who are between the ages of 16 and 45, receive a variety of services, including free parenting and employment training and job placement assistance, for six to 12 months, followed by six to eight months of post-placement support and mentor-ing” (Blum, 1998). The project, which received a three-year grant from the Department of Labor in 1998, receives state and private funding and works with men referred by the state Department of Public Aid’s Division of Child Support Enforcement.

Encourage school involvement

Parental involvement is an important contributor to children’s skills in reading. In its analysis of reading literacy in the United States, the U.S. Department of Education (1996) reported that fourth grade average reading scores were 46 points below the national average where principals judged parental involvement (i.e., parent support for the school’s principles and goals) to be low, but 28 points above the national average where parental involvement was high – a difference of 74 points (p. 47). It also found that even when other factors such as parents’ education were taken into account, this gap remained, although the between-group difference fell to 44 points. The report noted that these findings are consistent with the literature on effective schools, “All other things being equal, schools in which parents are highly involved, cooperative, and well-informed are more likely to develop effective organizations than schools in which parents do not possess these qualities” (Chubb as cited in U.S. Department of Education, p. 47).

Promote reading and play

“One of our most important volunteers was a dad who worked in the library. That was great modeling for our kids because they saw a dad who was willing to share his love of reading with all of our children.”

– Carole Kennedy, Principal-in-Residence, U.S. Department of Education, and Past President, National Association of Elementary School Principals, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Reading to young children helps them acquire language and reading skills and contributes to their later overall success in school (Wells as cited in Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 1999, p. 45). How often a family member reads aloud to a young child is one way of gauging how well the child is prepared for school. In 1996, children living with two parents were more likely to be read aloud to every day (61 percent) than were children who living with one or no parent (46 percent) (p. 45).

In addition, play is critical to children’s learning, and the variations in play styles of fathers and mothers suggest that fathers offer unique play experiences to their children (Johnson, n.d.). For example, there is evidence that fathers are more likely to promote young children’s intellectual and social development through physical play, while mothers are more likely to do so through talking and teaching while caretaking (Lamb as cited in Nord and Zill, 1996b, p. A-9). Moreover, father’s play with infants typically is more vigorous than mothers’ play (Clarke-Stewart as cited in Johnson; Hetherington & Parke as cited in Nord & Zill, 1996b, p. A-9).

Educators and family service providers can facilitate children’s future academic success by encouraging fathers to play and read with their children from the start.

• Since 1982, the St. Bernardine Head Start and Adult Learning Center in Baltimore, Maryland has operated a Male Involvement Program. In addition to family support activities that emphasize the important role of both parents, St. Bernardine provides opportunities for fathers to be directly involved in their children’s learning. An Early Childhood Certification Program supports the hiring of men as teachers and support personnel. In addition, the men serve as positive male role models as they interact with the children in the program (Head Start and the Fatherhood Initiative, 1998).
• “The state [of Vermont] provides parent education to fathers through father-child playgroups that provide comprehensive services to both custodial and non-custodial fathers. Services include personalized attention, parent education, job training, counseling, and group work, in addition to child development and parenting education” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 176).
• In Kansas City, Missouri, inner-city fathers helped develop a reading program for their children through small group meetings. The R.E.A.D. to Kids Program succeeded in involving over 450 fathers in 12 schools in helping their children improve reading skills (The Call, 1999, p. 6).
• The National Compadres Network’s (NCN) Respetar y Leer (“Respect and Read”) Project launched in 1997 encourages and trains men to read books and tell stories to children. By increasing the reading, storytelling and positive involvement of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers, compadres and other significant males in the lives of children, NCN seeks to reduce the likelihood of physical and emotional abuse of children. NCN compadres read books and tell stores at various schools and other agencies where children gather. This effort also includes a public information campaign to help men reclaim their true sense of being “un hombre noble” (a noble man) (National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, n.d.).

Raise fathers’ education and literacy skills

Involving fathers in developing their own educational skills will better equip and motivate them to assist their children’s learning. More highly educated parents are more likely to be involved in the education of their children than less educated parents (Zill & Nord; Vaden-Kiernan & Davis; Stevenson & Baker as cited in Nord et al., 1997, p. 8). Parental educational level is positively associated with many indicators of long-term well-being for children. Non-custodial fathers, however, tend to be less well educated than resident fathers. Fifteen percent of non-custodial fathers have graduated from college compared with 28 percent of resident fathers. Moreover, 39 percent of non-custodial fathers have not completed high school (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 39).

• In Buffalo, New York, computer literacy courses are taught after school for parents and students, and 140 computers are available for take-home instruction. After instituting this program in the Buffalo Public Schools (K-12), all parents reported noticeable or significant improvements in their children’s math and reading scores (Funkhouser & Gonzales, 1997, B-3).
• A 1996 federal panel on fathers’ roles in children’s learning highlighted the success of Even Start programs in building parental literacy and parenting skills, noting that, “The Even Start program for family literacy experienced huge gains in father involvement by addressing fathers’ own educational needs. By helping fathers feel more comfortable in a school setting, and by building fathers’ confidence in their own abilities, Even Start promotes increased interaction between fathers and their children’s teachers” (Nathanson & Fiester, 1997, p. 28). The U.S. Department of Education reported that the program, which combines adult education with parenting skills and early child education, had a 40 percent father participation rate (Nathanson & Fiester, p. 16).

Improve fathers’ financial contributions

When a father is able to contribute financially to his children, he is more likely to remain involved with them. The converse is also true (McAdoo as cited in Halle et al., 1998, pp. 25-26). Joblessness and unstable employment of the non-custodial father can negatively affect his involvement with his children. Data from the 1990 Survey of Income and Program Participation showed that 3.1 million non-custodial fathers had low incomes that year, and that 29 percent of the resulting custodial mothers were officially poor (Sorensen & Lerman, 1998, pp. 101-102).

The National Conference of State Legislature’s guidance on fatherhood program development, Broke But Not Deadbeat: Reconnecting Low-Income Fathers and their Children, reports that, “There is growing recognition that low-income fathers are in need of the same kinds of employment and family support services that typically are made available to mothers who are making the transition from welfare to employment. This recognition is founded on the reality that income from both mothers and fathers can help prevent children from living in poverty” (Reichert, 1999, p. viii). With this growing recognition, federal, state, and community agencies are beginning to target services to low-income, unwed fathers (Reichert, p. viii). For example, 13 states are targeting fathers of children receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and will use Welfare-to-Work funds to provide job-related services (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 48).

• “A $250,000 federal grant [awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue] has been used for a partnership between the child support program and The Boston Healthy Start Initiative to offer a variety of services, ranging from employment and work skills to parenting skills and substance abuse counseling for young fathers” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 70; Massachusetts Department of Revenue, n.d.).
• The 1998 amendments to the Head Start Act direct Head Start staff to “inform custodial parents in single-parent families…about the availability of child support services for purposes of establishing paternity and acquiring child support; and refer eligible parents to the child support offices of State and local governments” (Sec. 642(b)(11)(A)(B) [42 U.S.C. 9837]). The Office of Child Support Enforcement, the Head Start Bureau, and the National Head Start Association are working with Head Start programs nationwide to assist parents to be more positive influences and provide increased financial support for their children and to improve collaboration between child support agencies and Head Start programs. In addition, the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement funds demonstrations in Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, and Minnesota designed to explore collaborations among child support enforcement, Head Start, and child care programs to promote and facilitate access to child support services.

Find solutions to logistical barriers

Distance, lack of fluency or literacy in English, conflicting work schedules, and incarceration are among the challenges that face some non-resident fathers who want to spend more time with their children or to be involved in their children’s school or other educational activities. For example, while about “46 percent of non-custodial fathers live in the same county or city as their children, 51 percent live in a different city, county or state, and 2.5 percent live in some other place such as prison or in an unknown location” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 39). Nevertheless, many programs and parents have found innovative solutions to these challenges:

• “Hueco Elementary Schools in El Paso, Texas, conducts all family-school communications, parent workshops, and meetings in both Spanish and English. To ensure that all parents can participate actively in these events, the district purchased translation equipment with Title I funds” (de Kanter et al., 1997, p. 33).
• “The Carter Lawrence Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee, added a telephone number for parents that provides a recorded message informing them of classroom and school activities. Parents can receive targeted voice messages about their own children’s progress and can leave messages detailing their reactions and concerns” (de Kanter et al., 1997, p. 33).
• A number of online services are now available to help educators use the Internet to communicate with parents. Sharon Sumner, a teacher in a rural district outside St. Louis, Missouri, created her own classroom Web page to keep parents and students up to date on classroom activities. Students display their schoolwork online and parents can provide their feedback and support through the site’s guest book. She also uses an on-line service, Schoolnotes.com, to post a newsletter and weekly spelling test and to send short, positive comments to students and their families via e-mail. For families without Internet access, printed copies of online materials are sent home (Sumner, n.d.).
• Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc. Head Start in Greenville, South Carolina joined with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in their male involvement initiative. “A unique feature of the SHARE male involvement project is its partnership with Perry Correctional Center. Members of the project visit men at the [Correctional] Center to provide inmate fathers with information on Head Start and its services to children and families, as well as mentoring and life-skills training. Likewise, their visits to the Correctional Center provide male involvement volunteers with ideas for their mentoring program with youth in the group homes, to prevent these young boys from becoming a part of the justice system” (Head Start and the Fatherhood Initiative, 1998).
• The Florida Commission on Responsible Fatherhood (FCORF) funds a variety of fatherhood projects including, “childbirth and parenting education for men, teen pregnancy prevention efforts in local middle and high schools, parenting skills for incarcerated men, and employment training for incarcerated fathers. FCORF encourages the development of innovative projects, such as the one for incarcerated men in which fathers in prison read a book to their child on audiotape. The tape and book (provided by a large bookstore chain) are then mailed to the children so they may ‘read along’ with their dads” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 72).

Build the skills of young fathers

Increasingly young fathers are seeking ways to be more involved with their children’s upbringing. A national survey conducted by Harris Interactive for the Radcliffe Public Policy Center, for example, found that in contrast to previous generations of men who centered their lives around work, “having a job schedule that allows for family time is more important to young men than money, power or prestige…. Eighty-two percent of men ages 20-39 put family time at the top of their list, keeping pace with 85 percent of women in those age groups” (Radcliffe Public Policy Center, 2000).

The age when a man becomes a father can affect his involvement with his children. Teenage fathers typically face low rates of marriage and high rates of divorce and are less likely to become involved with their children (Furstenberg et al. as cited in Halle et al., 1998, pp. 27-28). Supportive services can help these young men become responsible fathers while enabling them to further their own educational and social development. For example:

• The DADS (Diapers, Autos, Daughters and Sons) Program of the Addison County Parent/Child Center, Inc. in Middlebury, Vermont is an intensive parent/vocational training program which began in 1989 with a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Adolescent Family Life program. Young fathers receive on-the-job training, classes, support groups, and a small stipend as they work to refurbish cars in the nearby “DADS Detailing” business, prepare meals, or provide on-site childcare. They also spend 21 hours a week in an in-house parenting skills program. From 20 to 35 percent of the staff are men who serve as child care providers, parent trainers, social workers and van drivers. The Center also provides home visits for parents and works with teens through local schools and social-service agencies to help prevent premature parenthood (Addison County Parent/Child Center, 2000; Levine et al., 1998, pp. 48-50).
• Con Los Padres is a collaborative effort of Bienvenidos Family Services, the District Attorney’s office, Montebello Unified School District and Rio Hondo Community College in California to provide a comprehensive array of services to young fathers. “The program provides fatherhood parenting classes, counseling, tutoring, job training and mentoring to assist young fathers to develop positive, nurturing relationships with their children and families” (National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, n.d.).
• “In 1993, America’s oldest African-American social fraternity started Project Alpha, a mentoring program [in Chatham, Savannah] to help young males 10–16 years of age gain access to health care and to foster participation as fathers and providers for their children. In partnership with Healthy Start, the program has broadened to include a Males Only Clinic, a Male Responsibility Curriculum, a Resource Fathers program, and a Fathers Support Group” (Healthy Start National Resource Center, n.d.).

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Strengthen family networks

“We have to realize that sometimes fathers are not involved because of pain that goes on in families. Because of racism and oppression in communities. Because there are barriers that are there in terms of institutional things that keep fathers out.”

– Jerry Tello, Director, National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, Los Angeles, California, Fathers Matter! Teleconference, October 28, 1999.

Promote cooperative parenting

Whether parents live together or separately, children need parents who can establish “cooperative,” “shared,” or “team” parenting partnerships to support their children’s development and learning. In his review of the research on co-parenting, Arendell (n.d.) finds that, “Various researchers conclude that it is intraparental conflict which most adversely affects children in divorce (e.g., Johnston et al., 1989; Furstenberg & Cherlin, 1991; Emery, 1988; Ferreiro, 1990)” and that poor mother-father relationships may be a factor in the subsequent detachment of the father from the child. Just as programs and schools are developing a deeper appreciation for the role of fathers, it is just as important to help mothers understand the importance of father involvement in their children’s lives.

Develop guidelines for working with families

For the protection of family members and staff, it is important to be sensitive to the issues that may arise in encouraging greater father involvement. Developing general policies or guidelines for working with families can be helpful. Begin by talking with mothers and fathers to understand their desires and concerns. Consult with family counselors, domestic violence specialists, and others who can help anticipate issues and problems that may arise. Conflict, including violence, between divorced, separated, and non-marital fathers and mothers is not uncommon. Stress, grief, anger, and perceived loss of control can increase this tension. A longitudinal study of non-custodial parents’ involvement with their children in Maricopa County, Arizona, for example, found that non-custodial parents who continue to feel in control of their child’s destiny are financially supportive and involved following divorce, while those who feel disenfranchised withdraw from the obligations of parenthood (Braver, Wolchik, Sandler, Sheets, Fogas, & Bay, 1993).

Access community  resources for responsible fatherhood

A number of states are taking action to educate parents on the consequences of divorce and non-marital childbearing and to enable non-resident parents to maintain positive connections with their children. In Map and Track, a compendium of state responsible fatherhood initiatives, Bernard and Knitzer (1999) report that 10 states sponsor divorce and conflict mediation or counseling for divorcing or never-married couples and 17 states report having strategies to promote fathers as nurturers using access and visitation grants supported with federal funds from the welfare law (p. 49). In its review of social policy and research on fathers, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (1998) concluded that, “In general, it is essential that a concerted effort be made to ensure that fathers feel connected to their children and maintain a feeling of obligation toward them – without relying exclusively on punitive measures” (pp. 131-132).

• “The Proud Parents program [in Missouri] helps parents understand the importance of involving both of them with their children and gives fathers the tools, knowledge, and parenting skills to support their children emotionally and financially. The focus is on cooperative problem-solving. Proud Parents workshops serve as a gateway for involving parents in Parents’ Fair Share, FUTURES MARCH [Mediation Achieving Results for Children], and other supportive services. The workshops are offered to divorced as well as never-married fathers” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 134).
• At St. Bernardine’s Head Start in Baltimore, weekly Family Life Group meetings exposed feelings of anger among single mothers toward the fathers of their children, prompting some of the mothers to ask their ex- or estranged husbands to join them for a dialogue. St. Bernardine responded by opening up some of its Family Life Group sessions to men and later developed a Men’s Group and other services specifically for fathers (Levine et al., 1998, pp. 34, 81).
• “Most recently, with the advent of welfare reform, the Center on Fathering in El Paso County, Colorado has developed the Parent Opportunity Program of El Paso County (POPS), targeted to non-custodial parents, most of whom are fathers” (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999, p. 78). Supported with funds from the state child enforcement agency, POPS, “provides case management for non-custodial fathers and refers them for counseling, vocational rehabilitation, peer support, supervised visitation, mediation, and family counseling” (p. 94). In operation since late 1998, the program has served over 170 low-income non-custodial parents with difficulties in meeting their child support obligations.

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Last updated: 03/05/01