DadTalk Blog

The way that children begin to understand themselves and the world around them is mediated through play. The value of play is in the way that children learn to navigate their world. The benefits are far reaching. For example, self-regulation learned through play helps with social relationships, academics, and at work.

Despite the benefits, busy routines mean that time for play is at risk. Academic pressures in school contribute to...

What comes to mind when you hear the term “new parent?” Maybe it conjures the image of a frazzled and sleep-deprived adult. Parents both new and old are often seen as chronically tired, which has well-documented ramifications on their health and well-being. What about children, though? Although kids seemingly have boundless energy, their sleep needs and cycles are profound and ever-changing. Quality sleep at all stages of childhood is even...

Funded by the ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN) promotes rigorous evaluation of fatherhood programs that serve low-income fathers and works to expand the number of researchers and practitioners collaborating to evaluate fatherhood programs. The FRPN has funded 19 grant awards of $1 million since 2014.

On a regular basis, the FRPN leads webinars on topics of interest...

Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) recently reviewed 21 studies of fatherhood programs to identify program policies associated with high rates of attendance, and how program outcomes differed for fathers with varying rates of attendance. We found that while attendance is a problem for most fatherhood programs, with fathers attending half or fewer sessions, the following program formats appear to help:

Like many parents, my time is split among work, household duties, errands, managing finances and appointments, spending time with the kids and being a supportive partner to my wife. I also have ADHD and struggle with attention, focus, time management and memory. All of which are things that I’m trying to teach my kids to manage. And they have learning and attention issues, too. Sounds like a mess, right?

In the past it has been. But...

Having a parent in jail or prison can harm children’s emotional and physical wellbeing, so it is important to support the more than five million U.S. children who will have an incarcerated parent (most often a father) at some point in their childhood. 

One way to support these children is to help improve their relationships with their incarcerated parent and non-incarcerated parent or caregiver. A 2017 study looked at young children’s...

Rural Areas often face a lack of access to resources needed to support fathers: employment, transportation, housing, healthcare

Being a father is tough. However, being a father while living in a rural, small community comes with a unique set of challenges of its own. Unlike urban areas, where resources are often more available and more accessible, rural areas often lack access to resources needed to support fathers, such as employment...

“When we talk about a child losing a parent to incarceration and we are interpreting the ACES [adverse childhood experiences] literature only through a child maltreatment lens, the meaning that gets made (intentionally or not) is that children of incarcerated parents are maltreated children, harmed by their parents and thus better off without them. If, however, the parents who are in prison or jail are seen as potential supports for these...

Project Fatherhood is a program of Children’s Institute, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. We have worked with more than 15,000 fathers and 23,000 children across Los Angeles County since 1996. Some of the fathers we work with are required to attend parenting classes to satisfy child welfare case requirements; some are referred from community partners; many come to us needing help with employment. They often face challenges related to criminal...

The season of dads and grads is upon us. It is a time when celebration and thoughts of warm summer nights are in the air. The spring air is activating our joy of transitioning seasons and the promise of what the future holds for graduating youth is challenging our inclination to resist change. For dads, having Father’s Day fall during this season is like having your birthday fall on Christmas. You’re excited, but everybody else is somewhat...