Brief
A two-generation approach to public policies brings together worlds that are often separated (focusing only on children or only on parents) to modify or create new policies that focus on the needs of parents and children together. Two-generation policies reflect strong research findings that the well-being of parents is a crucial ingredient in children’s social-emotional, physical, and economic well-being. And at the same time, parents’ ability to succeed in school and the workplace is substantially affected by how well their children are doing. Two-generation programs and policies are not a…
Webinar
The Office of Family Assistance, through the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC), provided this technical assistance webinar for all responsible fatherhood practitioners, including current OFA grantees, and other interested stakeholders.
Fathers participating in fatherhood programs are often faced by a number of personal issues that act as barriers to achieving parenting, relationship, and employment goals. One of the most significant of these issues is substance abuse. This webinar shared lessons learned from the field and tips to help fatherhood practitioners…
Brief
This brief suggests ways that findings from research on parent education programs can inform fatherhood programs. It summarizes the research on two promising service delivery components (modeling and opportunities for parents to practice skills with their children), describes the two components, provides suggestions for implementing them in fatherhood programs, highlights examples from a small number of programs and curricula that include these components, and provides suggestions for overcoming implementation challenges. (Author abstract)
Brief
Parenting is an important job, yet its demands and responsibilities can sometimes lead to high levels of anxiety and frustration. Because parental functioning is one of the critical factors determining whether children flourish, it is important to examine stress that can jeopardize effective parenting. Very little research has examined the prevalence of parental aggravation, whether it has changed over time, or how it may vary across states. In this brief, we examine data on this measure collected from two nationally representative surveys: the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF),…
Brief
The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) convened a workgroup of experts in the field of fatherhood and father involvement to develop a research agenda that defines the state of the current research in this area, identifies extant gaps in this research, and generates suggestions for future research. The goal is for the workgroup's ideas to inform subsequent funding by the FRPN for evaluation and research projects that seek to enhance our collective understanding of the important role fathers play in the lives of their children and how programs and policies can strengthen this role…
Brief
The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) convened a workgroup of experts in the field of fatherhood and father involvement to develop a research agenda that defines the state of the current research in this area, identifies extant gaps in this research, and generates suggestions for future research. The goal is for the workgroup's ideas to inform subsequent funding by the FRPN for evaluation and research projects that seek to enhance our collective understanding of the important role fathers play in the lives of their children and how programs and policies can strengthen this role…
Other, Brief
This inaugural publication of the Family Policy Institute of Oklahoma provides a brief assessment of the status of Oklahoma's children using five different indicators representing serious challenges to their well-being: child safety, child poverty, educational success, teen births, and youth substance abuse. Findings indicate: there were over 11,000 cases of child abuse and neglect confirmed in 2013 in Oklahoma; 1 in 4 Oklahoma children lived in poverty in 2011; Oklahoma's high school graduation rate is been 72-78%; Oklahoma ranks 2nd for teen births in the United States at 47.3%; and…
Brief
This brief uses new, nationally representative data from The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) —funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—to describe critical elements in the decision-making process of parents and other caregivers regarding the non-parental care of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Respondents (usually parents) in 4,340 households in which the “selected child” is age birth to 60 months were asked about the following types of care:…
Fact Sheet, Brief
Series of one pagers designed to clarify existing federal policies that affect formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. The MythBusters cover topics critical to reentry, such as public housing, access to federal benefits, parental rights, employer incentives, and more. As the MythBusters show, some federal laws and policies are narrower than is commonly perceived, as is the case with public housing and food assistance benefits. States and localities often have broad discretion in determining how policies are applied and/or have various opt-out provisions for states (TANF and…
Brief
This brief summarizes data on the impact of the family environment on adolescent well-being. Findings indicate: 65% of adolescents have parents who say they can communicate very well with their child about things that really matter; less than half of adolescents eat meals with their families at least six nights a week, although it is more common among poor families, Hispanic families, and first- or second-generation immigrant families; smoking is more common among single parents, particularly among Hispanic families and those with incomes at or above poverty; over 80% of adolescents with…
