The NRFC Library is a collection of materials to build a knowledge base around fathers, fatherhood, and operating a Responsible Fatherhood program. It also houses all resources created by the NRFC, including fact sheets, PSAs, and past webinars.
Use the search options provided below to find resources that you are interested in.
This tips sheet highlights 10 helpful tips for young dads to encourage them to continue being the best dads they can be.
Dad Joke Bot
Do you have something you think is appropriate for the library? While library staff scour various resources seeking items for the collection, it is not possible for staff to have access to all marriage and family-related resources.
In recent years, fatherhood programs and other social service providers have become more aware of how traumatic experiences can impact program participants. However, there is still a need to ensure that practitioners incorporate recognized trauma- informed practices into their services.
This brief provides practical information and easy-to-use tools designed to support trauma-informed practices in a fatherhood program context. These tools, plus a list of additional resources, can help organizations create healing experiences for fathers, mitigate the effects of previously…
Many fathers, including those who participate in fatherhood programs, have experienced trauma that can have lasting negative effects on how they think, feel, behave, and relate to themselves and others. This can impact many areas of their lives including how they parent, their relationships with their children and co-parent, and other personal or work relationships. The benefits of using a trauma-informed (TI) approach in programs that serve fathers have been well documented. But the quality of the research about fatherhood programs and the experiences of study participants can also be…
There is a significant need for services that encourage returning fathers to rebuild and strengthen their relationships with their children and families. In this information brief, we summarize the existing literature on the impacts of incarceration on fathers and draw on the research base to identify and describe seven ways to help returning fathers overcome challenges and rebuild and strengthen relationships with their children, coparents, and spouses.
In this National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse information brief, Dr. Andrew Freeberg, Director of Family Stability for Goodwill- Easter Seals Minnesota, draws on his 20 years of experience overseeing the organization’s FATHER Project to provide a case study of leadership, innovation, and sustainability. He also shares strategies that other leaders of fatherhood programs might employ.
This NRFC information brief draws on research on the impacts of parental incarceration for children and families and offers suggestions to help fatherhood programs, correctional agencies, and other community service providers support families impacted by incarceration.
Social media poses risks and challenges, but it can also be a powerful tool for youth activism. Here’s what the Global Fud for Children (GFC) has learned about digital civic engagement.
Picking a "good" school is quite different than scrolling for five-star reviews when online shopping. And it turns out the decisions we are making are perpetuating segregation in many communities. Here is what you need to know when choosing a school for your child.
Many fathers who participate in fatherhood programs do not live with all of their children. They often seek help from fatherhood programs to navigate the child support system, determine how they can spend more time with their children, or improve their coparenting relationships. Unfortunately, it can be quite complicated for programs to provide this assistance, particularly when working with unmarried fathers.
This brief delves into the challenges that can arise and discusses parenting time and child support information that fatherhood programs can use to help unmarried fathers…
To help unmarried parents improve their coparenting relationship, this National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) spotlight on research provides a quick look at findings from a recent journal article, “Harder Being Without the Baby”: Fathers’ Coparenting Perspectives in Responsible Fatherhood Programming (Randles, 2020).
The research drew on interviews and focus groups conducted with 64 low-income fathers who participated in a federally funded responsible fatherhood program in California. The program is referred to as “DADS” in the article and in this spotlight.
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Early childhood is a critical period of development. Home visiting programs support a safe and nurturing environment for children by promoting positive parenting and school readiness and by reducing the risk of child maltreatment (Avellar & Supplee, 2013; Peacock et al, 2013). Evidence of their effectiveness in supporting positive child outcomes has propelled expansion of these programs in the United States (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000; Michalopoulos et al, 2019).
The purpose of this brief is to explore possible barriers to father engagement in home visiting programs,…
Do you have something you think is appropriate for the library? While library staff scour various resources seeking items for the collection, it is not possible for staff to have access to all marriage and family-related resources.