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Families strive to find the best ways to raise their children to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. Parents are often concerned about whether their children will start or are already using drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and others, including the abuse of prescription drugs. Research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has shown the important role that parents play in preventing their children from starting to use drugs.The following five questions, developed by the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon, highlight parenting skills that are…
Brief
In this introductory paper, we chart the transitions into parenthood of the 31 young men recruited for our longitudinal study. We explore whether their entry into parenthood was planned; what, if any, choices the young men were able to exercise; and to what extent they were able to adjust to their new role and develop a long term commitment to their child. (Author abstract modified)
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Involved fathering is a defining characteristic of our species, with different features having evolved at different times and in different contexts.4,5 Yet paternal behaviors and roles also vary across and within sociocultural contexts, in turn yielding an array of influences on children.3,6,7 Fathers may provide protection, material resources (e.g., salary, livestock, inheritance), direct care (e.g., changing diapers, physical play), indirect care (such as arranging marriages in some cultures) and may serve as social models. Impacts on children may be measured in terms of fertility (number…
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Father involvement in early childhood (EC) programs has increased over the last several decades supported by recent attention on the positive influences of fathers on children.1,2 Program initiatives such as Early Head Start, and the fact that the majority of children ages 0 to 5 are enrolled in one or more programs in the U.S. make EC programs an important context for engaging fathers and supporting positive father involvement.3 This chapter will review the different types of EC fatherhood programs and summarize what is known about the effects of these programs on fathers and children. […
Brief
This brief provides a general overview of four Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grantees involved in the Parents and Children Together (PACT) Evaluation. The brief: 1) provides a general overview of two approaches to service delivery in fatherhood programs; 2) documents how service delivery is linked to fathers’ characteristics; and 3) describes how service delivery approach may be linked to program participation and retention rates. Data gathered via staff interviews, program observations conducted during site visits in fall 2013; ongoing interactions with leadership at each program; and data on…
Other, Fact Sheet
This webpage describes the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program (HIPPY), a home-based early intervention program that helps parents teach skills important to school readiness and success to their 3 to 5-year-old children. This free service is delivered by HIPPY home visitors who live in targeted high-need communities. It explains that all HIPPY programs around the world follow the HIPPY model: a developmentally appropriate curriculum, role play as the method of teaching, a staff composed of home visitors from the community and supervised by a professional coordinator,…
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The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network Coparenting Relationship Scale is designed to assess fathers' coparenting relationships with the mother of their non-residential children. The measure was validated with a sample of fathers very similar to those served in U.S. responsible fatherhood programs. A scoring guide can be found here. (Author abstract) Brief
This brief explains the importance of father engagement in child welfare services. It begins by discussing the rising number of children being raised by single mothers and the disengagement of fathers from their children’s lives. Federal efforts towards nationwide programs that strengthen two-parent families, promote healthy marriage, encourage responsible fatherhood and increase father engagement are noted, and the benefits of paternal engagement are explained. Following sections review effects associated with poor parental engagement, causes of low engagement, and promising interventions to…
Brief
One of the most important relationships in families with children is the coparenting relationship, which involves the ways in which adults work together in their roles as parents. The quality of coparenting support is particularly important for nonresidential fathers, who may not have access to their children without mothers’ (or other coparents’) cooperation. For this reason, many fatherhood programs promote healthy coparenting as a means of encouraging active and engaged father-child relationships. This brief reviews new findings on low-income nonresidential fathers' views of coparenting…
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This graphic was designed to be used on social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to advertise the June 2015 #DynamicDads Fatherhood Buzz effort.
