Brighter Beginnings is trailblazing a new form of family support with our Fatherhood Programs, helping teen dads prepare for the birth of their child, non-custodial dads reconnect with their children and custodial dads experience the joy of parenting.
Why Fatherhood?
It’s tough to be a good father in the best of circumstances. The alternative—father absence—is far, far tougher on children. According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau data, that’s the case for one out of every three children in America—a staggering 33%.
More sobering still, research shows that children who live without their biological fathers are, on average, five times more likely to be poor and have lower birth weights and higher infant mortality rates. Single mothers without the support of their children’s fathers are twice as likely as married mothers to experience a bout of depression in the prior year; they also report higher levels of stress, fewer contacts with family and friends, less involvement with church or social groups and less overall social support.1
The good news is that most men want to be a good father. Many of the men in our fatherhood program grew up without a dad in the home. Using the same evidence-based practices as all Brighter Beginning’s family-strengthening programs, our Fatherhood Program is designed to address the realities of all the fathers and men in the families we serve, including teen fathers and fathers who have lost custody due to incarceration or substance abuse, as well as those who are married and living with their children.
Our Program
Our work with all fathers includes a 9-week fatherhood support group, individual coaching and case management, and “daddy-and-me” play groups and family activities that focus on positive parenting. Material covered in the workshop is adapted from two nationally acclaimed curricula in the emerging field of fatherhood development.
The program teaches responsible parenting skills to fathers, delivered in a peer environment. We deliver 27 hours of parenting curriculum in supportive group settings, host father-child events, and family case management to over 150 fathers a year.
One Father’s Story
Richard, who has a 14-year-old son, is involved in the Brighter Beginning’s PAPAS group which is held at a residential substance-abuse treatment site. During his battle with drug addiction and the legal system, Richard lost custody of his son and had not had contact with him in over a decade. Dealing with the loss of his child—and the subsequent death of his father—created an unbearable situation for Richard that caused him to travel down a self-destructive path. Richard shared his story of personal pain during a number of PAPAS group sessions, and other men in the group began to share similar stories. Richard began to find clarity around some of the root causes that attributed to his drug addiction. In his recovery, he began to resolve his feelings surrounding the loss of his father and the guilt about his son. As a result, he is learning to deal with his feelings in a constructive way…and he has begun to reach out to his son. For Richard, this is a new beginning for the father-son relationship he hopes to achieve.
1 http://www.fatherhood.org/media/consequences-of-father-absence-statistics
