Brief
This issue brief explains that the economic health and social well-being of the United States are significantly enhanced when parents have the tools they need to help their children start school prepared to learn, develop thesocial skills necessary to pay attention and work in teams, and grow up to be productive adults. It explores the physical development of the infant brain and the impact of stimulus, and the benefits of parent education programs. Findings from studies on the effectiveness of parenting programs are shared, and 10 parenting programs that are strong enough to have a possible…
Webinar
Although much of the fatherhood work we hear about takes place in urban areas, we should not forget that many fathers and families live in rural areas or small town communities. This webinar explored the context of responsible fatherhood programming in rural areas and small communities, consider differences and similarities between rural and urban communities, look at strategies that some programs have used in working with dads in small communities, and reflect on general lessons for fatherhood programs in all communities.
This webinar, held in 2009, discussed specific issues…
Webinar
This Webinar discussed the development of hip-hop culture from subculture to the global, cross-cultural impact it enjoys today and discusses innovative service delivery strategies designed to help with recruitment and retention of fathers into responsible fatherhood programs. (Author abstract)
Webinar
This Webinar topic includes discussion of: data collection methods and tools; different uses of quantitative and qualitative data; and, looks at the most effective ways of presenting findings. (Author abstract)
Webinar
This Webinar discusses strategies and lessons learned regarding working with fathers in groups, as well as the distinctions between facilitating and teaching in a group setting. Presenters include a group facilitation expert, and two grantees: a female working with a Spanish speaking fathers' group and a male working with a low-income group of fathers and mothers. (Author abstract)
Brief
This brief shares research findings on juvenile delinquency, explores the association between juvenile delinquency and family structure, and discusses implications for marriage education programs. Statistics are reported from a 20-year longitudinal study that indicate boys who grew up without their biological father in the home were three times more likely to commit a crime that led to incarceration than children from intact families. Additional findings are discussed that found children of divorced parents are up to six times more likely to be delinquent than children from intact families…
Brief
Over the last few decades, the United States has experienced a dramatic decline in employment opportunities for unskilled men. This trend doesn't just represent an economic problem; it also represents a threat to the well-being of children. Men who are experiencing financial hardships or problems with employment often have trouble being responsible fathers. This appears to be especially true of young fathers and nonresident fathers (i.e., those living apart from their children), who are more likely to have low levels of education and job experience, to be in poor health, to have a history…
Brief
This brief spotlights how six school districts across the country have used innovative strategies to create and sustain family engagement "systems at work." Our findings point to three core components of these successful systems: creating district-wide strategies, building school capacity, and reaching out to and engaging families. Drawing from districts' diverse approaches, we highlight promising practices to ensure quality, oversight, and impact from their family engagement efforts. We also propose a set of recommendations for how federal, state, and local policies can promote district-…
Brief
When families make the news, it is often for negative reasons such as violence or abuse. Negative perceptions of low-income families tend to be especially strong. However, families are critical to the positive development of children and youth, as well as to problems that may affect that development. Thus, it is important to examine not just the deficits, but also the assets and strengths that families of all income levels bring to raising children.This Research Brief reports on the results of new Child Trends analyses of data from the 2005 Every Child Every Promise Study conducted by America…
Brief
What is Coparenting? The relationship that two individuals, typically the mother and father, have in relation to parenting a child or children is called the coparenting relationship. This relationship is conceptualized separately from the romantic relationship since parents may not be romantically involved yet still cooperate to parent their shared children. This research brief discusses the results of two research questions analyzed with the Fragile Families data. First, among married and cohabiting couples who have just had a shared child: Are father involvement and coparenting associated…
