DadTalk Blog

August 2016 celebrated the 21st anniversary of National Child Support Awareness Month. On August 5, 1995, President William J. Clinton signed Proclamation 6814 highlighting the importance of providing for our children as the “sum of our past and the promise of our future,” and acknowledging the role of all child support programs to ensuring children receive the necessary financial support to “lead secure and healthy lives.”

Today,...

The Thanksgiving holiday is the perfect time to reflect on what we have to be thankful for in our lives, spend quality time with family, take a break from work and school, and of course, eat some pie! Whether you travel to visit others or stay at home this year, here are some ideas for getting the most out of this Thanksgiving holiday with your kids.

November is a great month. For sports fans, baseball, football, hockey, and basketball are all active at the same time (if only for a few days of baseball). For lovers of the outdoors, cool weather and changing leaves in many parts of the country are a great opportunity to take a walk or hike as a family. At the end of the month many families will come together to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.

November is also a month where we...

Ed note: This post originally appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog. View the original post here.

Domestic violence is a national public health challenge that crosses racial, cultural, and geographic boundaries. On average, 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the United States — that’s about twelve million people each year.

We know the numbers of those experiencing such violence are far...

For many responsible fatherhood programs, workforce development and financial empowerment are seen as key components. For many workforce development programs, however, responsible fatherhood and parenting skill building is not as often seen as a critical program piece. To help bridge this divide, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) and the Center for Urban Families (CFUF) held two listening sessions. The first with...

Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have suffered from domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner.1 Although some of us may have heard this shocking statistic before, it still bears repeating. Domestic violence is an issue of national importance, and it falls on each of us to make a promise to ensure that every victim of domestic violence knows they have a supportive community to which they can turn. It is in light of this need for...

Effective responsible fatherhood program practitioners are aware of the various circumstances that program participants may experience.  Each father brings with him his own set of lived experiences and set of beliefs that shape the way he behaves as a father. Effective group programs are built on a foundation of trust that encourages self-reflection, personal sharing, peer support, and ongoing growth.1 A key part of building this foundation...

Ed note: This post originally appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog. View the original post here.

It is time to rethink monitoring approaches across early care and education programs.

Last month, the final Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regulations were published in the Federal Register. Based on the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, the regulations strengthen many important health, safety, and...

National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated September 15 to October 15, recognizes the important contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States, as well as celebrates their history and culture. September 15 was chosen as the starting day of Hispanic Heritage Month because it is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.1  During Hispanic...

Ed note: This post originally appeared in the ACF Family Room Blog. View the original post here.

Poverty rates are higher for rural children and rural families are more likely to live in extreme poverty. These families also face unique challenges, many made worse by geographical isolation. Many rural residents lack connections to jobs, resources, and programs intended to improve economic outcomes. Families lack transportation, housing...