Head Start Bulletin a Head Start Bulletin a

ENHANCING HEAD START COMMUNICATION

Father Involvement—

Building Strong Programs 

for Strong Families

Pull-out in English 

& Spanish: 

Tips for Creating a Family Story Book

Consejos para Crear un Libro 

de

HeadStart

Bulletin

JUNE 2004

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

■ Administration for Children and Families 

■ Administration on Children, Youth and Families

www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb

ISSUE 77 HeadStart

Bulletin

Father Involvement— Building Strong Programs 

for Strong Families

Pull-out in English 

& Spanish: 

Tips for Creating a Family Story Book

Consejos para Crear un Libro 

de Historias Familiares
The Head Start Bulletin is published by the Head Start Bureau, 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Department of 

Health and Human Services.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Tommy Thompson, Secretary

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Wade F. Horn, Assistant Secretary

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Chris Downing, Director

Pamela Carter, Deputy Director

ADMINISTRATION ON CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES

Joan E. Ohl, Commissioner

HEAD START BUREAU

Windy M. Hill, Associate Commissioner

The BULLETIN is a service of the Head Start Bureau. Its purpose is to enhance 

communication among the Head Start Bureau, Head Start programs, and interested 

national, regional, and state organizations and agencies.

HEAD START BUREAU

Craig Turner, Director, Division of Program Management

JoAn Knight Herren, Chief, T/TA Branch

Frankie Hoover Gibson, Guest Editor 

Jeff Fredericks, Managing Editor 

Head Start Bulletin

The Head Start Bulletin is prepared by the National Head Start Training and Technical

Assistance Resource Center under Contract No. 233-02-0002.

Judy David, Senior Editor

Trish Warner, Editor

Shannon Lewis, Writer

Tracie Dickson, Program Specialist

Catherine Hardman, Resource Librarian

Lindsay Stevens, Editorial Assistant

FTK Media, Production

Head Start Bulletin

Head Start Father Involvement

Issue No. 77

For more copies of the Head Start Bulletin or to be put on the mailing list, contact the Head Start
Head Start Bulletin 1

INTRODUCTION

2 Head Start’s Fatherhood Focus

4 Head Start’s Commitment to Fathers

5 The Building Blocks for Successful Father 

Involvement in Head Start

APPRECIATING HOW FATHERS

GIVE CHILDREN A HEAD START

7 Fathering Infants

8 Did You Know This About Fathers?

9 A Single Father’s Story

11 Fathers and Discipline

15 Research Facts: Dads and Children’s Literacy

FIRST THOUGHTS ON 

INVOLVING DADS

16 The Role of Fathers in Head Start

17 How Can Head Start Staff Support 

Fatherhood Efforts?

19 Father-Friendly Environmental Assessment

BUILDING A FATHERHOOD

FOUNDATION

21 Father Involvement in Early Head Start:

The Practitioners Study

24 Lessons from the Early Head Start

Fatherhood Demonstration Projects

27 Healthy Marriage Matters to ACF

28 Addressing the Mental Health Needs 

of Head Start Fathers

31 Father Poetry: AIM

32 Why is a Family Story Book Important?

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

35 Action for Boston Community Development—

A Variety of Approaches

37 Compu-Dads in Texas—Building Computers and 

Father Involvement

40 Family Star Montessori—Where the Fathers Build It 

and the Fathers Come

43 Friends of Children of Mississippi, Inc.—

A Male Involvement Program

45 Red Cliff Band—An Innovative Fatherhood Initiative

47 A Caribbean Experience—Parent Involvement and 

the 21st Century Exploring Parenting Program

IMPLEMENTING A 

FATHERHOOD PROGRAM

50 Literacy Starts with the Family...And That 

Means Dads Too

53 Using Children’s Books with Dads

55 My Story

56 Become a Child’s Hero Today—

Stop Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke!

57 National Men’s Health Week Celebrates 

10th Anniversary

RESOURCES

33 PULL-OUT: Tips for Creating a Family Story Book

34 PULL-OUT: Consejos para Crear un Libro de 

Historias Familiares

58 Resources

58 Webliography

JUNE 2004 Issue No. 77

HeadStart

Bulletin

Cover photo by D. Mentzer. Rosemount Center HS/EHS.

page 7: An involved father

means better developmental

outcomes for the child.

page 19: A FatherFriendly Environmental

Assessment

page 32: A Family

Story Book 

page 37: The

Compu-Dad project

trained fathers in

marketable skills.

Cover

Fathers make unique and

important contributions

to their children’s

development
2 June 2004

Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., was named the Assistant Secretary for

Children and Families in the Administration for Children and

Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on July

30, 2001. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Horn was President of

the National Fatherhood Initiative, whose mission is to improve

the well-being of children by increasing the number of children

growing up with involved, committed, and responsible fathers in

their lives. From 1989-1993, Dr. Horn was the Commissioner for

Children, Youth and Families and Chief of the Children’s Bureau

in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. He also

served as a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on

Children from 1990-1993 and was a member of the

National Commission on Childhood Disability from

1994-1995 and the U.S. Advisory Board on Welfare

Indicators from 1996-1997. Prior to these appointments, Dr.

Horn was the Director of Outpatient Psychological Services at the

Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington,

D.C., and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral

Sciences at George Washington University. From 1993-2001, Dr.

Horn was also an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown

University’s Public Policy Institute and an affiliate scholar with the

Hudson Institute. In this article, Dr Horn responds to questions

about father involvement in Head Start. 

What is it about fathers and fathering that makes dads unique

and irreplaceable? 

Children do best in life when they grow up with the active, positive involvement of both a mother and father. Whatever the measure—physical and emotional health, educational achievement,

behavior, substance abuse, crime or delinquency—children are

more likely to lead healthy, productive lives when both their

mother and father are actively involved in their lives in positive

ways. This is because moms and dads tend to parent differently,

at least in some important ways, and their complementary parenting skills and attitudes combine to give children the best environment in which to grow up healthy and successful. 

Why is incorporating fatherhood programming into Head Start

so important? How will it improve child outcomes? 

Because of the importance of fathers to the healthy development

of their children, our goal should be to strengthen the role of

responsible and loving fathers in the lives of their children.

Under the direction of President George W. Bush, Head Start is

committed to taking a leadership role in fostering the positive

involvement of fathers with their children. Studies from all sides

of the philosophical spectrum have shown that children in similar situations do better on a host of outcomes, including educational achievement and physical and emotional health, when

raised with responsible, loving, involved, and committed fathers

in their lives. 

HEAD START’S FATHERHOOD FOCUS

We need to restore a culture that uplifts men in their role as fathers. 

by Dr. Wade F. Horn

Dr. Wade F. Horn,

Assistant Secretary

for the Administration

for Children and

Families

Photo courtesy of ACF.

Introduction
Head Start Bulletin 3

What would a father-friendly Head Start program look like? 

A father-friendly Head Start program will seek out fathers

wherever they are in the community—whether at the barber

shop, in the workplace, or on the playground. Also, the program

will schedule fatherhood activities at times that work for fathers

and will do everything to welcome fathers—from hiring staff

that can communicate well with fathers to including posters on

the wall that imply, “This is a place where a man can be comfortable spending time.” Program staff will collect information

to help them understand the fathers in their community—how

many are married, how many are living with their children, how

many are employed, and their cultural backgrounds. 

These are just a few thoughts. More can be learned 

from the Building Blocks for Father Involvement and from the

videos that complement the Building Blocks series. 

How would you suggest a Head Start program start to incorporate a fatherhood focus into their program? In other words,

what are the first steps? 

I would tell them a few things. First, look at your program.

Imagine you are a father visiting for the first time. Does it look

and feel welcoming? Help your staff explore any concerns or misconceptions about fathers that may get in the way of an effective

fatherhood program. Learn about the fathers of the children in

your program and your community. What do they need and how

will you meet them where they are? Maybe that is the biggest

piece of initial advice I can give—be willing to meet fathers where

they are in terms of their issues and needs. 

Some Head Start programs have already taken to heart the

importance of father involvement. How can they ensure that

they continue to “stretch” themselves and to operate on the cutting-edge of fatherhood programming? 

We have just added fatherhood as an area of focus in our new

Technical Assistance (TA) program. Be sure to explore with your

TA Parent Involvement Specialist how to continually expand and

improve your fatherhood program. For example, fatherhood

should be a component of your TA budget, whether by sending

staff to training seminars or bringing in expert consultants. Also,

be sure to provide training about fatherhood to all staff, not just

your parent involvement or male outreach coordinator. Some of

the most interesting research and demonstration work going on

in the fatherhood movement involves low-income fathers. Your

regional TA specialist can help you incorporate the findings of

this research into your own work.

How will we know if Head Start father involvement efforts are

successful? 

We should be concerned with program outcomes such as the

number of Head Starts with fatherhood programs and fatherhood outreach staff and the percentage of Head Start programs

with fatherhood as part of their TA budget.

There are other outcomes we should look at, including the

number of fathers involved in the Head Start program, whether

the types of activities offered are relevant and helpful to fathers,

and the perceptions fathers have of the Head Start program.

Most important, of course, are child outcomes: physical

and emotional health, school readiness, and overall child wellbeing.

Does this mean we should not focus our outreach on mothers?

Of course not. Head Start will continue to work closely with

mothers of children enrolled in the program. But fathers also

play a major role in the lives of children and families.

Consequently, we need to restore a culture that uplifts men in

their role as fathers—not just as economic providers, but as

nurturers, disciplinarians, teachers, and role models. The fatherfriendly Head Start program was created to do just that.

Combined with our existing efforts, we can promote the great

roles of both parents—mothers and fathers—and, in so doing,

improve the lives of children and families. ■

Dr. Wade F. Horn is the Assistant Secretary for the

Administration for Children and Families.

online...For more information on Head Start, visit our site at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/
4 June 2004

SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN

1965, Head Start programs have benefited

from the outstanding

contributions of many

men, especially fathers.

They have been program

leaders and active participants in promoting

their children’s development. In Head Start’s

vision of parent involvement, as mandated in

the Head Start Program Performance Standards, fathers and

mothers partner with the program to reach family goals. We

celebrate this long history of male involvement and welcome the

continuing participation of fathers and other men in the Head

Start community.

Research shows that fathers make unique and important

contributions to their children’s development and that children

of involved fathers are more likely to succeed in school. Recent

successful implementation of fatherhood involvement demonstration projects in 21 Early Head Start programs has given us

ideas about effective practices. To further promote the involvement of fathers in their children’s lives, which is also a priority

of President George W. Bush, the Head Start Bureau is highlighting its fatherhood focus.

An important aspect of this effort is The Father Factor:

National Head Start Institute on Father Involvement, 

June 14-18, 2004 in Dallas, Texas. For the first time, the

Head Start Bureau is bringing together leaders of every 

Head Start and Early Head Start program in the nation to

focus on father involvement. The goals of the Institute

include: ensuring that programs understand the beneficial

impact of father involvement; facilitating more effective

involvement of fathers in the lives of their children;

showcasing and building on best practices; and presenting current information and training. 

This Head Start Bulletin on Father Involvement is

an important resource for father involvement efforts. The Table

of Contents complements The Building Blocks for Father

Involvement, a series of booklets that are available to Head

Start programs and that provide the structure for the

Fatherhood Institute. The sections in the Bulletin are:

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start:

Why fathers matter and current research findings.

First Thoughts on Getting Fathers Involved in Head

Start: The important questions and obstacles a Head Start

program must address, such as the role of women in fatherhood programs, and the use of a father-friendly environmental

assessment. 

Building a Foundation to Work with Fathers: Lessons

learned from the fatherhood demonstration projects 

in Early Head Start and information on creating a family 

story book. 

Planning for Success: Six fatherhood programs from around

the country that serve diverse populations.

Bringing a Fatherhood Program to Life: Ways programs

can support family literacy, including dads’ reading with their

children, and information on several U. S. government efforts to

promote children’s and men’s health. 

We hope that the information in this Head Start Bulletin

assists you in fulfilling our shared mission to support young

children and their families. We look forward to seeing you in

Dallas and hearing about the progress and accomplishments of

your father involvement efforts in the years to come. ■

Windy M. Hill was named Associate Commissioner of the Head

Start Bureau on January 7, 2002.

HEAD START’S COMMITMENT TO FATHERS

Head Start programs have a long and successful history of male involvement

that benefits children and families. by Windy M. Hill

Windy M. Hill, 

Associate Commissioner 

of the Head Start Bureau

Photo courtesy of ACF.

Introduction
Head Start Bulletin 5

It was nearly 30 years ago that leading child psychologist

Michael E. Lamb (1975) reminded us that fathers are the “forgotten contributors to child development.” Since then, much

work has been done to explore the ways fathers make unique

contributions to the healthy development of their children.

Researchers know that boys and girls of all races and all socioeconomic groups who grow up with an involved father have

stronger cognitive and motor skills, enjoy elevated levels of

physical and mental health, and become better and more confident problem-solvers. They demonstrate more curiosity and

empathy and show greater moral sensitivity and self-control.

Fathers can help a Head Start program be more effective at

promoting children’s development and learning. And at the

same time, a Head Start program can help fathers be more

effective in their children’s lives. To help a program increase

effective father involvement, the Head Start Bureau has developed a very important resource, The Building Blocks for Father

Involvement. This series of five booklets will assist any Head

Start program in developing and sustaining a father involvement

program. The Building Blocks can help programs understand

why fathers are essential for healthy child development and

then begin to grow and sustain their fatherhood involvement

programs and evaluate their efforts. The Building Blocks are

useful for Head Starts that are at the initial stages of building a

fatherhood program as well as for those whose fatherhood programs are well-established.

The Building Blocks for Father Involvement consists of 

Building Block 1—Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a

Head Start

The first booklet in the series surveys the sociological, psychological, and medical research on how father involvement

uniquely benefits child well-being. It is important that Head

Start staff and parents understand why fathers are essential.

This knowledge will provide the drive and conviction needed

to press on in this important work. Included in

Building Block 1 is a reading list on the topic of why

fathers matter.

Building Block 2—First Thoughts on Getting Fathers Involved in

Head Start

Building Block 2 explores important questions and obstacles a

Head Start program must address and overcome as well as steps

in planning an effective fatherhood project. It offers guidance in

understanding Head Start fathers and how a successful program

can involve them. Attention is given to breaking down unintentional, but very real, programmatic barriers that might keep

fathers from becoming involved.

Building Block 3 – Building a Foundation to Work with Fathers

The first two Building Blocks are prep work to get ready for

Building Block 3: establishing a fatherhood program. The first

step is exploring the six stages of becoming a father-friendly

program. The second step is understanding the qualities of a

successful fatherhood program and how to incorporate them

into a new system. Included in Building Block 3 is a tool for

assessing the father-friendliness of a program and an Action

Plan for becoming more father-friendly. This booklet also offers

ideas for securing the key resources to make a father involvement program happen: money, staff, and community partners.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SUCCESSFUL FATHER

INVOLVEMENT IN HEAD START

The Building Blocks are a valuable resource for all Head Starts whether

their fatherhood program is new or well-established. by Glenn Stanton

The Building Blocks will help Head

Start programs develop and sustain

father involvement.

Photo by G. Slocum. Courtesy of R. Nkurunziza.

Introduction
6 June 2004

Building Block 4—Planning for Success 

After establishing the foundation of successful father involvement work, programs begin to erect the structure for this work.

Studies of program effectiveness show that when fatherhood

programs fail, it is because they are not planned properly. This

problem is avoided by smart planning. 

Building Block 4 describes the organizational structure of a

successful fatherhood program and includes a Program Planning

Worksheet. The Worksheet serves as the guiding document and

outline for a program’s budding fatherhood project. The booklet also poses critical questions which Head Start programs

must address for smart planning: 

• Who are the fathers in your program? 

• What are their needs?

• Why are these fathers not involved in the lives of 

their children?

• What activities can improve father involvement?

Building Block 5—Bringing a Fatherhood Plan to Life

All the background learning, planning, and organizational

strategizing are important work and have been done in Building

Blocks 1-4. The final booklet, Building Block 5, starts the real

fun—implementing all the ideas and plans that have been developed. Included are creative ideas for building child-awareness in

fathers and helping men connect with their children in meaningful ways. There is also a list of age-appropriate, everyday fatherchild activities. A bibliography of books that fathers can share

with their children is provided.

Other important resources that contribute to increased

fatherhood involvement in Head Start programs are discussed:

healthy mother/father relationships, full staff support, staff sensitivity to cultural issues, and staff openness to working with

fathers. Building Block 5 also provides information about conducting an ongoing evaluation of the fatherhood project so that

constant program improvement is made easier.

Building Blocks 1-5 will help any Head Start program

move from curiosity about father involvement work to having a

successful and growing fatherhood project. The series will also

help well-established fatherhood programs improve their efforts.

A child who has an involved mother and father is a child who

has a substantial head start in life. And The Building Blocks for

Father Involvement will help your program provide this head

start for more children in your community. ■

REFERENCES

Lamb, M. E. 1975. Fathers: The forgotten contributors to

child development. Human Development 18: 245-266.

Glenn T. Stanton is Director of Social Research and Cultural

Affairs, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO. T: 719-

548-5980; E: stantogt@fotf.org

THE BUILDING BLOCKS

Introduction

Head Start

staff and

parents need

to understand

why dads 

are essential 

to children’s

development.

Photo by L. Meadows. Ashville City Schools HS.

Involving fathers in planning

the fatherhood project is 

critical to its success.

Photo by A. Oliveira. ABCD HS.
The review of the literature on

fathers and infants clearly indicates that:

1) fathers can—and frequently do—

become as attached to their infants as

mothers do; 2) fathers are neither uninterested nor inept in interaction with

their newborns; 3) fathers and mothers

differ in the ways they tend to parent

infants, and, as a result, infants tend to

respond differentially to fathers and

mothers; 4) the quality of the marital

relationship affects the quality of the

mother-child interactions, the quality of

father-child interactions, and the quality

of the child’s development; and 5) active

father involvement with his infant is predictive of better development outcomes

for the child.

Still, many questions remain unanswered. First, too few studies have

examined the broader social-cultural

contexts within which fathers fulfill or

fail to fulfill their role as social fathers.

As a result, we have an inadequate

understanding of the factors within the

families, communities, workplaces, social

institutions, and the broader culture 

that support or undermine fathering for

different groups of fathers in different

circumstances.

Second, because most studies of

fathers and their infants have been conducted with white, middle-class families,

we have only a limited understanding of

differences that may exist between

fathers from different ethnic groups. For

example, do middle-class AfricanAmerican and Hispanic fathers interact

similarly with their infants as white,

middle-class fathers? If there are differences, are these differences more a matter of ethnicity or social class? This kind

of information would seem to be particularly helpful when designing outreach,

skills building, and support programs

targeted to fathers of different ethnic and

socioeconomic backgrounds. More work

also needs to be done to identify subgroups of fathers, rather than merely

studying individual fathering behaviors,

and correlating father sub-groups with

relevant socio-cultural factors and developmental outcomes for children.

Third, although it is clear that

increasingly, numbers of fathers are

abandoning their role as social fathers, it

is unclear why this is happening. Some

posit that it is the loss of a clear fatherhood ideal (Blankenhorn 1996). Others

stress economic factors (Mincy &

Pouncy 1996). Still others emphasize the

retreat from marriage as a cultural ideal

(Popenoe 1997). Exactly which of these

factors, or combination of factors, is

operative for which fathers and under

what circumstances is unknown.

Finally, we are only beginning to

evaluate the effectiveness of programs

and initiatives designed to increase the

positive involvement of fathers with their

infants. Little is known about what types

of approaches are most effective with

which groups of fathers and under what

circumstances. Hence, much of the activity in this area is being driven more by

supposition than empirical data. There is

a pressing need to bring these activities

under increasing scientific scrutiny so

that we have a better knowledge base

Head Start Bulletin 7

FATHERING INFANTS

B Y DR . WADE F. H ORN

THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL HAS BEEN EXCERPTED from Dr. Wade Horn’s article

“Fathering Infants” (2000). At that time, Dr. Horn served as President of The

National Fatherhood Initiative, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dr. Horn currently

serves as the Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services. 

When fathers are actively involved with their infants,

better developmental outcomes are predicted for 

the child.

Photo courtesy of B. Patel.

Fathers can—and frequently do—become as

attached to their infants as mothers do.

Photo courtesy of T. Kader.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start

Continued on 60
Children with involved, loving fathers

do better in school, have healthy selfesteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social

behavior, and avoid high-risk behaviors

such as drug use, truancy, and criminal

activity compared to children who have

uninvolved fathers.

Wade F. Horn and Tom Sylvester.

2002. Father Facts, Gaithersburg,

MD: National Fatherhood Initiative.

Over 100 studies on parent-child relationships reported that a loving and

nurturing father was as important for a

child’s happiness, well-being, and social

and academic success as having a loving

and nurturing mother. 

Ronald P. Rohner and Robert A.

Veneziano. 2001. The importance of

father love: History and contemporary evidence. Review of General

Psychology 54: 382-405.

Premature infants whose fathers spent

more time playing with them had better

cognitive outcomes at age three.

Michael Yogman et al. 1995. Father

involvement and cognitive behavioral outcomes in premature infants.

Journal of the American Academy

of Child and Adolescent Psychology

34: 58-66.

Fathers who set appropriate limits and

allowed healthy independence tended to

rear sons with high academic achievement.

S.S. Feldman, and K.R. Wentzel,

1990. Relations among family interaction patterns, classroom selfrestraint and academic achievement

in preadolescent boys, Journal of

Educational Psychology 82: 813-819.

In a 26 year-long study, the number one

factor in developiing empathy was father

involvement. Fathers who spent regular

time alone with their children raised children who became compassionate adults.

Richard Koestner et al. 1990. The

family origins of empathetic concern: A twenty-six year longitudinal

study, Journal of Personality and

Social Psychology 58: 709-717.

Low-income, unmarried African

American mothers stated that, after themselves, fathers were the most frequent

providers of care to young children. A

majority of those mothers (53%) indicated that fathers provided solo care to toddlers at least one or two days per week. 

S. Hans et al. 1995. Caregiving in

the inner city: A final report to the

Carnegie Corporation of New York

and the Charles Stewart Mott

Foundation. Chicago, IL: The

University of Chicago.

A total of 42% of fathers in blue-collar

and service occupations, compared to

18% of fathers in managerial and professional jobs, look after their children

while their wives work. 

Lynne M. Casper 1997. My daddy

takes care of me! Fathers as care

providers. P70-59. Current

Population Reports: 1-9.

Higher levels of father involvement in

children’s typical routines and activities 

are associated with fewer behavior

problems, higher levels of sociability and 

a high level of performance among

children and adolescents, according to

Child Trends. 

Vivian Gadsen and Aisha Ray.

2002. Engaging Fathers: Issues and

considerations for early childhood

fathers. Young Children 57:32-42.

Fathers are more than just “second

adults” in the home. Involved fathers—

especially biological fathers—bring positive benefits to their children that no

other person is as likely to bring. They

have a parenting style different from that

of mother and that difference is important in healthy child development.

David Popenoe, 1996. Life 

Without Father. New York: The 

Free Press 163. ■

Compiled by Bulletin staff from Father

Facts by Wade F. Horn and Tom Sylvester.

4th edition (2002). Gaithersburg, MD:

National Fatherhood Initiative.

8 June 2004

DID YOU KNOW THIS 

ABOUT FATHERS?

Research shows that an involved father helps a child

develop empathy.

Photo courtesy of B. Patel.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
A SINGLE FATHER ’S STORY

BY ISAAC PE Ñ A

Yet, I wake up everyday and question why anyone would not want be

involved in the daily lives of their extraordinary children! After that brief

moment, I start my daily routine as a

parent. I awaken Adam (4 years) and

Noah (2 years) and get them ready,

which on a good day takes less than an

hour of convincing. We take two Metro

trains and walk several blocks during

rush hour traffic to daycare. Then I get

back on the Metro to go to work at the

Head Start Bureau. After work, I pick up

my boys from daycare, which is always

the best part of my day. I am greeted by

the words, “Papa’s here” and a couple of

hugs. After fielding their questions,

reviewing their day with the staff, admiring their drawings and other work, and

talking about “fun stuff” with them, we

head back to the Metro and go home. I

often find myself carrying both of them

during rush hour so they don’t get trampled during the madness. 

When we arrive home, we play for a

little while. We do not have a TV in our

apartment, so we read books or entertain

ourselves by having “band” practice. I

am still surprised that we have not been

visited by the police for disturbing the

peace! At first, I didn’t think we could

survive without a TV, but the boys enjoy

going to museums, monuments, and

parks more then watching TV.

I get them involved in the preparations for dinner, which makes them more

likely to help clean up at the end. After

supper, it’s time for their bath. As I dry

them both off, I unfortunately have to

tell them it is nearly bedtime. I usually

get the response, “No, I am not tired

yet.” To parents, this response is not a

surprise; kids never seem to get tired! 

My children’s mother encouraged

me to become involved in EHS. I ended

up being hired as a parent educator. Out

of 17 employees, I was the only male. It

came as no surprise when I was asked to

work on the EHS fatherhood demonstration project as well as work with the

local Head Start program to incorporate

more male involvement in their faithbased work. 

The program had great success

using the 21st Century Exploring

Parenting (EP21) curriculum. Four of

us, from EHS, Head Start, and churches,

worked together to develop a 10-week

EP21 course. We combined a focus on

fatherhood with a faith-based approach.

I served as a facilitator with a female

colleague; we worked with 10-15 parents per session. The initial sessions

included both parents, and there were

follow-up sessions for fathers. All participants were very enthusiastic, and by the

Head Start Bulletin 9

I AM OFTEN PRAISED FOR BEING INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN. Why?

Because I am a father of two young boys and a single parent. Since moving to

Washington, D.C. and working as a Head Start Fellow, I have amazed even more people when I tell them that my sons live with me. I find their reaction puzzling. I deserve

no thanks. I am only making good on my responsibility. It seems to come as a shock to

many people that a father, going it alone, could be capable of taking care of two little

children. Single moms do it all the time, but a single dad taking primary familial

responsibility seems to catch people off-guard. 

The boys enjoy going to museums, monuments, and parks more than watching TV.

Photo courtesy of I. Pena.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
fourth week, even reserved parents were

proud to share their Family Story Books

with photos and mementos of happy

family occasions. 

The EHS program had enrolled a

few single fathers, but our fatherhood

meetings had a low turnout. At the

time I was working as a parent educator and fatherhood coordinator, I was

also a translator for the county government. I met many officials, including

the Director of Probation. I shared an

idea with him and wondered if the EHS

program could reach out to fathers on

probation. We ended up partnering

with the community corrections office

and were successful in reaching fathers

on probation who had not been

involved in their children’s lives.

Through personal contact and flyers,

we invited them to meetings and workshops. Here, they were encouraged to

reflect upon their own childhood and

their own fathers. As many realized the

effects of their absent fathers on their

own lives, they became eager to get

involved in their children’s lives and

break that cycle. 

As a parent educator, I learned a lot

about fathers during home visits.

Typically, the males thought that the visits pertained more to the females. They

would listen, but not get involved. One

visit stands out – the father was there,

but not actively participating. We shared

with him that his daughter’s first relationship with a male was with him, and

therefore, could serve as a model for her

future relationships. That comment was

an eye-opener. He realized how important it really is to be involved in his

child’s life and that he could make a big

difference to her. Then he became more

conversational, engaged, and we developed a relationship. 

I ask, “What can we do to involve

fathers and significant males in the lives

of Head Start children?” At the local

level, we must aggressively pursue males

for Policy Councils. We also must recruit

more male staff to work in programs.

Some fathers will be more responsive

and involved if there is a male leading or

participating in the program. We have to

attract male students to attend colleges

and universities that have strong education programs. 

At the state and Federal levels, we

must utilize resources that have been

identified by the current administration.

The father involvement, health marriage, and faith-based priorities can be

excellent additions to any Head Start

program if put into place and utilized

properly. Head Start also has a variety

of excellent training materials; programs must take the initiative and ask

for more training on fatherhood as well

as related topics such as parent education and parent mentoring. At the local,

state, and Federal levels, we must

encourage parents to become politically

active—not necessarily to pick a party

or a specific candidate, but to tell their

elected representatives how Head Start

has changed their lives and the lives of

their children. Head Start encourages

empowerment and autonomy ; making

the voices of Head Start parents heard

is part of this. 

We all know that being a parent is

not easy. As a single father of two boys, I

can attest to that. But being an involved

parent or caregiver, such as a grandparent, is so important to our children’s

well-being, now and in the future. The

fatherhood focus puts Head Start in a

unique position to reach out to parents

and other caring adults, get them

involved in children’s lives, and help

them realize that the best parent is an

involved parent. ■

Isaac Peña is a Head Start Fellow, 2003-

2004. He has been a parent educator for

the Early Head Start program in Hays,

Kansas and a facilitator for Head Start’s

21st Century Exploring Parenting

Program. T: 202-205-8751 

E: Ipena@acf.hhs.gov.

10 June 2004

A SINGLE FATHER’S STORY

We partnered with 

the community 

corrections office and

were successful 

reaching fathers on

probation who had

not been involved in

their children’s lives.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
Discipline is one of those familiar

words that carry different meanings. To

many people, discipline simply implies

the setting of firm rules and limits and

administering punishments for breaking

those rules. But, in fact, the meaning is

more complex. The word discipline is

based on the Latin word “discipulus,”

which means “a pupil,” or more accurately, “one who is learning.” Thus, the

ancient origins of discipline are based on

the notion of a reciprocal process of

teaching and learning. 

This notion is included in the modern definition of discipline. According to

the American Heritage Dictionary

(2000), the verb “to discipline” is

defined as:

1. to train by instruction and practice,

especially to teach self-control to. 2. to

teach to obey rules or accept authority.

See Synonyms at teach. 3. to punish in

order to gain control of, enforce obedience. See Synonyms at punish.

When discipline refers to training

and teaching specific behaviors of selfcontrol and moral development, this

becomes a tall order for all parents, yet

one that has historically been embraced

by fathers. Indeed, prior to the 1900s in

western culture, it was assumed that

fathers more than mothers were responsible for the development of their children’s moral behavior and self control.

Men were expected to take on the critical teaching role.

How can today’s fathers provide

discipline, in the sense of teaching and

training their children? When does discipline start, and what form does it take?

Why Discipline is Important 

The association between child-rearing

practices and children’s development of

self-control has been well documented in

research. Studies indicate that the quality

of parental care is critical in the first year

of life. Parents who are responsive, stimulating, and encouraging with their

babies are laying the foundation for the

development of self-control. During this

first year, babies learn whether or not

their signals, such as cries when hungry,

or cold, are understood, and if their

needs are met. A successful interaction

involves a parent reacting to a baby’s

message and behaving responsively and

leads to more successful social interactions (Parke & Sawin 1976). In the second year, when children begin walking

and exploring on their own, it is important for parents to set limits for the

child’s safety and provide guidelines for

acceptable behavior. Parents begin to

think more and more about how and

when to discipline their toddlers who are

increasingly asserting their independence

and autonomy which are necessary, normal aspects of early development.

The temperament of each young

child affects each parent’s approach to

discipline. Research shows that fussy,

active, or difficult toddlers often drive

their parents to be more restrictive and

more punitive (Patterson 1980). A cycle

of negative interactions is set in motion;

misbehavior is followed by punishment;

punishment is followed by increasing,

accelerating patterns of misbehavior.

The father’s role in these family interactions involves both the support of the

mother and direct interactions with the

child. Both research studies and parents

themselves report that the hard-to-manage children are more compliant and

agreeable with their fathers than with

their mothers. Also, when the father is

Head Start Bulletin 11

FATHERS AND DISCIPLINE

B Y W. D OUGLAS T YNAN

WHEN WE HEAR THE TERMS “DISCIPLINE” AND “FATHER,” there appears to be a

natural connection, but often with negative overtones. The idea of a father as one who

punishes or is an authoritarian figure runs deep in our culture. Yet, fathers have much

more to offer than only helping their children learn self- control and social rules, and

their role involves much more than punishment. 

How can today’s fathers provide discipline in the

sense of teaching and training their children?

Photo by Eyewire.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
present in the room or nearby, children

are much more compliant with their

mothers (Patterson 1980; Lytton 1980).

Research also indicates that when problems spiral out of control, sometimes

fathers step in with harsh, direct punishment to get the situation back under

control, which, unfortunately, can precipitate a cycle of punishment and misbehavior (DeKlyen 1998). Thus, poorly

modulated behavior in a toddler or

preschool child can overwhelm the

mother or father, as well as split the parents into disagreement as they argue on

how to manage the child. When parents

disagree on behavior management, there

is little improvement in the child. 

The first positive strategy is to help

the parents agree on how to handle some

specific parenting issues. For example,

they might come up with a plan to follow at bedtime, including specific ways

to talk with the child. In this way, consistency is built up in the home environment. Calm, consistent behavior by

adults is the model for teaching self-control in the child. The concept of discipline as teaching a set of behaviors to the

child—not just punishment—becomes a

reality only when there is consistency. A

consistent plan on handling bedtime

tantrums carried out by the mother and

father can go a long way toward establishing a general pattern of discipline and

the development of self-control. 

Research emphasizes the important

role of fathers in helping children to learn

the standards of behavior for their group

and to develop the capacity of self-regulation (Lamb 1987). When fathers are

absent, curtail, or ignore their child-rearing responsibilities, there are implications

throughout the family system. Mothers

are likely to feel unsupported, abandoned, angry, and resentful. The resulting

tension exacerbates the child’s challenging behaviors. Lack of parental involvement by the father leaves the mother as

12 June 2004

FATHERS AND DISCIPLINE

VALUING DISCIPLINE

The following points are taken from the 21st Century Exploring Parenting

Program, a Head Start publication. In Session 7 of the program, values

are defined as standards of right and wrong that guide behavior.

Though most parents do not realize it, their values determine how and

why they discipline their children. It is therefore important for parents to

evaluate their own values and to understand that every time they

discipline their children, they are teaching about values. 

Discipline is better understood as guidance and teaching, not controlling

and punishing. Over time, children will learn how to control

themselves, but until they can, adults need to help them by setting

appropriate limits and modeling correct behavior. Discipline is an all

day – every day teaching and learning process. These points will help

parents as they continue to guide their young children.

• Values are principles and standards that guide our behavior.

• The values that individual family members hold dear vary considerably.

• Parents want their children to accept their values.

• The words “discipline and “disciple” come from the Latin word “discipulus” which

means pupil or student – one who learns.

• Babies need to be loved, nurtured, and accepted as they are. Nothing they do

can be called misbehavior.

• Toddlers need adults to make rules that keep them and others safe and protect the

family’s belongings. They need help in keeping these rules and controlling their

behavior.

• Preschoolers still need help in regulating their behavior. They are ready for more

explanations about why they must do some things and cannot do others.

• The more time you spend in positive interaction with your children, the more likely

it is that they will accept your values and want to please you.

• The combination of positive time together and discipline usually works better than

discipline alone.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
the sole unsupported teacher of social

skills and deprives the child of another

role model. When fathers do not participate in child rearing, the results can be

heightened intensity and duration of

mother–child conflict and problems in

discipline (Campbell 2002). 

Playing with Children 

The role of fathers for all children, not

just those with challenging behaviors, is

unique and important. As Lamb (1998)

has indicated, the father is typically the

one who engages in physical rough and

tumble play with children. In the course

of active play, children may test limits.

Whether the activity involves tickling,

wrestling or splashing in the pool, paying attention and stopping when needed

are important lessons to be learned.

Thus, discipline and learning self-control

can start with play. 

Fathers tend to be more active in

their play, helping their children to be

first in a race, catch the ball the most

times, throw the farthest, jump the farthest, and leap into the water. While

mothers are sometimes exasperated at

fathers who get their sons and daughters

excited, energized, and otherwise “all

worked up,” play has purpose. It tests

limits and boundaries generally pushed

less often by mothers. The children have

to learn how to play without hurting

someone else or getting hurt themselves,

and how to direct their energy. 

Constructive play is something both

fathers and mothers can enjoy. Whether

building with blocks to construct a road

or a family’s house, or “cooking” with

play food and utensils, children enjoy the

process of creating and constructing,

then starting all over again. One of the

most valuable interactions a father can

have is getting down on the floor each

day for 15 minutes and playing with his

child—playing, commenting, and giving

undivided attention.

Talking to Children 

How parents speak greatly influences

how often children comply with directions. While individuals certainly differ,

the research is fairly consistent that

mothers tend to explain more to their

children, while fathers tend to use fewer

words in all interactions. Fathers are

often more tactile and physical, while

mothers are typically more verbal and

didactic (Parke 1996). Let’s look at the

task of giving a child the command to

get ready to go to bed. Many mothers

assume that if the child really understands why it is time for bed, they will

be more likely to go to bed. For example, a mother might say, “Go to bed

now because you have a busy day

tomorrow,” and follow it with a long

explanation about how the body needs

to rest, the child looks tired, and so on.

However, the child, may lose track of

the direction “go to bed” in the midst of

all the other words. 

On the other hand, some parents,

more often fathers, tend to be a bit more

direct, but often without the explanation. A very direct, “Go to bed now”

appears harsh and may elicit some negative emotions from the child. An effective middle ground would be a brief

explanation, followed by a clear command: “It’s past your bedtime, you’ve

had a busy day and have a lot to do

tomorrow. It’s time to go to bed.”

Repeating the direction (go to bed) at

the end of the verbal exchange helps

bring it to the child’s attention. 

Consequences: Positive 

and Negative 

Consistently positive or negative responses to a child’s behavior will change how

often the child will respond the same

way. Most child behavior is shaped by

hundreds of daily back-and-forth interactions with the world around them, not

by any single event or response. In

short, parents need to do what they say,

and to be consistent. If parents promise

to do things and do them each time they

promise, their children will trust and

Head Start Bulletin 13

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start

The concept of 

discipline as teaching

a set of behaviors to

the child—not just

punishment—becomes

a reality only when

there is consistency.
expect them to follow through. If a parent promises to play after dinner, and

does, the child may eat more neatly and

quickly. If a parent promises to take

away a privilege because the child has

broken a rule, the parent needs to do it

so the child follows the rule next time.

Promises are critically important when

fathers do not live with their children

and visits are arranged. Promised visits,

phone calls and activities must occur, or

the child learns not to trust the father, or

other adults for that matter.

When positive and negative consequences are used to shape behavior, large,

lavish one-time rewards of an expensive

toy or video game, or harsh intense punishments such as being spanked severely

or sent to one’s room for hours, are not

as effective as the little rewards of adult

attention and time, or consistent brief

mild punishments. For most children

between the ages of two and six, a brief

“Time Out” of sitting away quietly, not

isolated, but not being paid attention is

the most effective mild punishment.

“Time Out” allows both parent and child

to cool down, and the withdrawal of

adult attention functions to reduce the

problem behavior in the future. Other

brief logical consequences include a short

loss of privilege. For example if two children fight over a toy or what to watch on

TV, and are unable to problem-solve, a

parent might put the toy away temporarily or turn off the TV for a half hour. The

key here is to follow through, calmly and

consistently. Of course, these are also

opportune times to teach children strategies for working out their disagreements. 

Conclusion 

When fathers understand that disciplining their child is an opportunity to teach

by words and actions, they will have an

important role in helping their children

learn appropriate behavior and self-control. Engaging in fun play, conversation,

and the use of fair consequences are

times when discipline can be used in positive, nurturing ways. ■

REFERENCES

Campbell, S.B. 2002. Behavior Problems

in Preschool Children: Clinical and

Developmental Issues. Second

Edition. New York: Guilford Press.

DeKlyen, M., Speltz, M.L. & Greenberg,

M.T. 1998. Fathering and early

onset conduct problems: Positive

and negative parenting, father-son

attachment, and marital conflict.

Clinical Child and Family

Psychology Review, 1, 3-22.

Lamb, M.E. 1987. The father’s role:

Cross-cultural perspectives.

Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.

Lamb, M.E. 1998. Nonparental child

care: Context, quality, correlates,

and consequences. In W. Damon

(Series Ed.) & I. Sigel & A.K.

Renninger (Vol. Eds) Handbook of

Child Psychology: Volume 4. Child

psychology in practice. San

Francisco, CA: John Wiley.

Lytton, H. 1980. Parent-Child interaction: The socialization process

observed in twins and singleton

families. New York: Plenum Press.

Mash E.J. & Johnston, C. 1983. Sibling

interactions of hyperactive and normal children and their relationship

to reports of maternal stress and

self-esteem. Journal of Clinical Child

Psychology. 12, 91-99.

Parke, R.D. 1996. Fatherhood.

Cambridge: Harvard University

Press. 

Parke, R.D. & Sawin, D.B. 1976. 

The father’s role in infancy: A Reevaluation. The Family Coordinator.

25, 365-371.

Pickett, J. et al (Eds). 2000. American

Heritage Dictionary. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin. 

W. Douglas Tynan is a clinical

psychologist and Director of the

Disruptive Behavior Clinic at A. I.

duPont Hospital for Children,

Wilmington DE . T: 302 651 4552, 

E: dtynan@nemours.org

14 June 2004

FATHERS AND DISCIPLINE

Research shows 

that mothers tend 

to explain more to

their children, while

fathers tend to use

fewer words in all

their interactions.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
Fifty African-American fathers participating in fatherhood programs, such as

those in Head Start, wanted to support

early literacy development in their

young children. However, many felt

challenged by the expectations attached

to parenting roles and their own limited

formal education. Yet, fathers who

have limited schooling still have a significant impact on early literacy development

through interactive engagement with their

young children such as reading a bedtime

story, identifying labels at the grocery

store, or talking about street signs.

Gadsden, V.L., & Bowman, P. 1999.

African American males and the

struggle toward responsible fatherhood. In A continuing challenge in

times like these: African American

males in schools and society, (Eds.

V. Polite & J. Davis). New York:

Teachers College Press.

In a study of 47 fathers and their young

children in New Mexico, fathers not

only engaged in literacy activities but

strengthened their parent-child relationship in the process. Fathers whose primary language was not English wanted

their children to develop literacy skills at

an early age because of concerns about

their school readiness skills. Engaging

children in joint literacy activities can

serve a dual purpose: strengthening literacy skills and socio-emotional skills. 

Ortiz, R., Stile, S., & Brown, C.

1999. Early literacy activities of

fathers: Reading and writing with

young children. Young Children,

54(5), 16-18.

A study of children in K-2nd grades suggested that Mexican-American fathers

who shared child rearing duties with

their spouses, as opposed to dividing

these tasks, were more likely to engage

in reading and writing activities with

their children. It was easier for fathers

to engage their children in literacy activities when coupled with other responsibilities, such as bath-time when books

could be read.

Ortiz, R. 1996. Fathers’ contribution to children’s early literacy

development: The relationship of

marital role functions. Journal of

Educational Issues of Language

Minority Students, 16, Boise State

University.

Children who grow up with warm, nurturing, and actively involved fathers reap

tremendous benefits, including better

school performance, increased selfesteem, healthier relationships with peers

and caregivers, and future access to

greater financial resources, according to a

recent review of the research. In fact,

children’s potential for academic success

begins long before school age. When

fathers read to their young children on a

regular basis, they tend to raise children

who are superior readers, who perform

better in school, and who have better

relationship skills.

Green, S. 2002. Involving fathers in

children’s literacy development: An

introduction to the Fathers Reading

Every Day (FRED) Program.

Journal of Extension, 40(5),

www.joe.org.

Fathers can ensure that their children’s

early literacy development is stimulated

by reading to their newborns and continuing this activity at home and in early

childhood education settings. For example, fathers can read and select books

with their children at the library; allow

children to scribble, write, and color;

introduce new vocabulary words

through reading; and identify letters and

important words such as their names. In

addition to joint literacy activities,

fathers can just talk with their children,

an often under-rated parent-child activity, to strengthen relationship bonds.

Gadsden, V. & Ray, A. 2002.

Fathers’ role in children’s academic

achievement and early literacy. Eric

Digest, EDO-PS-03-14.

Fathers from African-American and

Latino cultures engage in the same kinds

Head Start Bulletin 15

RESEARCH FACTS:

DADS AND CHILDREN’S LITERACY

Literacy development is promoted when dads talk

with their children.

Photo by J. Brough-Schamp. HigherHorizons HS/EHS.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start

Continued on 60
Both mothers and fathers are important for raising healthy and happy children. We want both parents to be

involved in their child’s Head Start program and, in fact, the Head Start

Program Performance Standards mandate that programs work with parents

and provide support services to the family. But in reality, sometimes dads are

overlooked. Why? There may be a

number of reasons:

• Some staff may not know how to

get fathers involved.

• Some staff may assume that when

fathers do not show up, it means

they do not want to participate.

• Some staff may not see getting

fathers involved, and helping fathers

be better parents, as very important.

• Often the staff of the Head Start

program are all or mostly women,

who may identify more with moms

than dads.

• Some staff may harbor negative feelings about fathers because of their

own experiences.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Moms and dads alike need to see

Head Start as a place to get help and

support. Dads and moms need to know

that Head Start can help them become

better parents. 

Here are some important goals for

every Head Start program to consider:

◗ We recognize and gather information about both parents, to the maximum extent possible, regardless of

their living arrangements.

◗ We include both parents, to the

maximum extent possible, in the

family partnership process.

◗ We make fathers feel welcome and

supported at our Head Start

program.

◗ We offer activities that will be

meaningful to both fathers and

mothers. 

◗ We provide the services that fathers

need, both on our own and through

partnerships with employment training centers, faith-based organizations, family support and parenting

groups, and other community-based

agencies. 

◗ For mothers and fathers who want it,

we offer help in strengthening relationships, including guidance on

improving communication, on dealing with anger and resolving conflicts,

and where appropriate, on building a

strong and healthy marriage.

Even when Head Start staff wants

to reach out to fathers, they may not

know how. It is hoped that the diverse

articles in this Head Start Bulletin will

give you many ideas on how to involve

fathers more effectively in your Head

Start program. ■

Frankie Hoover Gibson is Parent

Involvement Specialist,

Family/Community Partnerships, Head

Start Bureau. T: 202-205-8399; 

E: fgibson@acf.hhs.gov

16 June 2004

THE ROLE OF FATHERS IN HEAD START

B Y F RANKIE H OOVER GIBSON

HEAD START HAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT

teachers children will ever have are their parents. We work with mothers and fathers,

because we know that a well-functioning family can help young children grow and

develop and get ready to succeed in school.

Head Start programs can help fathers feel welcome in the classrooms.

Photo by K. Shearer. People Inc. of Southwest Virginia.

First Thoughts on Involving Dads
are women, although fatherhood projects in particular have the goal of hiring male staff. To ensure that the fatherhood efforts are fully integrated into the

services offered families, all staff must

be committed and prepared to reach out

to fathers. 

Many are asking, “How can we

support our Head Start staff in our

fatherhood efforts?” The following suggestions may be useful:

Provide staff development 

and training.

All women and men who have been

charged with developing or implementing a fatherhood program need

comprehensive training and ongoing

support. The goal is to provide 

them with the knowledge, attitudes, 

and skills they will need to work

effectively with fathers and other

important men in the lives of Head

Start children. At some point,

participants attending training need 

the opportunity to explore their

attitudes toward and experiences with

important males in their own lives.

Training also helps staff understand 

the specific needs of Head Start 

dads and begin to plan appropriate

program activities. Participants 

often remark how helpful it is to 

“put a face on the fatherhood issue”

and see dads as individuals, not as

stereotypes. 

Keep the focus on what is good for 

the child.

Head Start staff need to keep the child

at the center of their work with

parents. All staff, along with mothers

and fathers, need to work together 

in the child’s best interest. But this 

can sometimes be difficult. Staff may

feel awkward around the dads because

they do not know them as well as 

they know the moms. If a mother

describes the child’s father in negative

ways or expresses anger at him, 

her feelings may be more about him 

as an adult partner and not about his

parenting. Staff can help moms make

this distinction and understand how

fathers can be positive influences on

their children. It is important for staff

to affirm that children learn and grow

best when both parents are involved in

their lives.

View fathers from a strength-based

perspective.

In most Head Start programs, family service staff are women. Father involvement

projects are often part of their jobs.

There may not be additional funding to

hire male staff. Female staff who have a

genuine respect for men and see each

Head Start Bulletin 17

HOW CAN HEAD START STAFF 

SUPPORT FATHERHOOD EFFORTS?

B Y PA M WILSON

THERE IS A ROLE FOR BOTH MALE AND

FEMALE STAFF in Head Start fatherhood

projects. The majority of Head Start

administrators, teachers, and specialists

All staff must be committed and prepared to reach out to fathers.

Photo by D. Mentzer. Rosemount Center HS/EHS.

First Thoughts on Involving Dads
man as an individual with the potential

to be loving and responsible can 

work successfully in fatherhood projects.

Every father will enter the program 

with certain strengths, as well as

challenges. It is important for staff to

look for these strengths and to avoid

criticizing a man’s parenting style just

because it is different from the way they

would parent. Head Start fathers need

the same support and assistance that

mothers need as they set goals and work

toward them. 

Use a team approach.

If a Head Start program has a male

fatherhood involvement coordinator,

the tendency can be to put all

responsibility for male involvement 

on that person. In fact, all members 

of the Head Start team have to work

together to support the family and 

the child. They each have to form a

connection with the dads. Coordination

of services is a must; all team 

members must think about the needs 

of fathers and how to address them.

For example, a father with literacy

issues might welcome assistance from 

a family literacy specialist. Classroom

teachers can offer support by preparing

materials for the father and child to

read or do together at home. When

staff members, both male and female,

see themselves as part of the team

working with all significant adults,

fatherhood efforts are more likely to 

be successful.

Refine communication skills.

Staff members sometimes struggle with

how to communicate effectively with

dads. Is the communication process

different with fathers than with 

mothers? In general, fathers may be 

less trusting of agencies and helpers.

They also may see Head Start as a 

place for children and mothers and not

be sure where they, as dads, fit in. 

The best strategy is for staff to develop

rapport and meet them where they are.

Giving dads time to open up and

conveying respect by using their names

are important. 

In training sessions, staff can role

play what they would say or do in situations involving dads. For example, imagine that the father is sitting in the car

while the mother goes into the Head

Start center to pick up the child. A

teacher sees him, but is not sure what to

say, so avoids him. How can she

approach him and have a pleasant,

meaningful exchange? 

The best strategy is to be friendly,

down-to-earth, and focused on the

child’s progress. An important part of

any training is helping staff learn how

to communicate effectively in many different situations with the men in children’s lives.

Final Thoughts 

Most Head Start staff members say 

they want to establish a positive

relationship with the fathers of the

children in their program. In one study

of Early Head Start fatherhood programs, 93% of the staff reported that

they had invited fathers to participate 

in events at the program, whereas 

only 44% of the fathers reported 

that they had been invited. The fact 

that Head Start fathers and staff 

have such different perceptions indicates

the need for programs to analyze 

their policies and practices—to take 

a closer look at what they are doing 

to make fathers feel welcome. Working

with Head Start staff, at all levels 

in all positions, both male and female,

is key to creating father-friendly

environments. ■

Pam Wilson is a consultant to fatherhood

and male involement programs. She is

based in the Washington, D.C. area. 

T: 301-894-8316; E: pamwilson@

comcast.net

18 June 2004

HOW CAN HEAD START STAFF SUPPORT FATHERHOOD EFFORTS?

First Thoughts on Involving Dads

When staff members,

both male and female,

see themselves as part

of a team working

with the significant

adults in a child’s 

life, fatherhood efforts

are more likely to 

be successful.
Head Start Bulletin 19

The Father-Friendly Environmental Assessment is designed to

help prepare your program to provide services to fathers and

support their involvement in the lives of their children.

Completing this form will help to steer your program toward

successful father involvement efforts and help establish a firm

foundation for building the rest of your work with fathers. 

Directions: Walk through your center and complete the

following assessment. If you are a woman, it might be useful to

take a man with you.

Scoring: 2 points for having achieved this goal

1 point for some progress made

0 points for no action taken yet

A. First Impressions _____

The initial reception area is free of signs or posters that would

be possibly intimidating for men, e.g., posters that target men as

batterers. The name of the agency is neutral or inclusive of

men. The receptionist is warm, friendly, and comfortable with

men and fathers participating in program activities. 

B. Physical Landscape _____

All visual materials include men and fathers of varied racial and

ethnic backgrounds in positive roles; posters have positive, nonstereotypic messages. Magazines and brochures are relevant to

both men and women. Materials are available in the home languages of the families.

C. Role Models _____

There are men present in the agency, including male staff working with parents and children in roles other than as van driver,

cook, janitor, or accountant.

D. Linguistic Landscape _____

Verbal and nonverbal language and cues avoid stereotyped

generalizations about men; there is no joking or humorous

conversation where men/fathers are the butt of the joke; 

there are no informal negative conversations about men to 

be overheard. 

E. Materials/Activities for Parents _____

Equipment, resources, and types of parenting activities are

diverse and relevant for both fathers and mothers. Specific

brochures/publications are provided for fathers, and non-custodial fathers are recognized. Referral lists include services for

FATHER-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Is the signage in

the father’s native

language as well

as Englsih? 

Do the staff

expect fathers to

be involved and

welcome them?

Photo by J. Brough-Schamp. Higher Horizons HS/EHS. Photo by D. Mentzer. Rosemount Center HS/EHS.

First Thoughts on Involving Dads
20 June 2004

fathers as well as mothers. Fathers are involved in planning and

implementing fatherhood involvement programs and other

activities for the agency. 

F. Communications and Roles _____

Men in the agency, whether staff or fathers, are listened to with

open minds; their ideas are considered thoughtfully. Differences

in male/female communication styles are understood and

respected – men are not expected to communicate exactly like

women. Men are appreciated in both traditional and nontraditional roles. They are not asked to do all of the heavy labor

tasks (but are appreciated if they volunteer to do these things).

Their ability to be effective and appropriate in their interactions

with young children is recognized. 

G. Interaction with Parents _____

Mothers and fathers get equal respect and attention from staff.

Fathers are addressed by name in their primary language, if possible. The staff expects fathers to be involved, welcomes them

warmly, recognizes and respects differences in male and female

parenting styles, and avoids “correcting” fathers as they interact

with their children. 

H. Classroom Environment ______

Father-friendly children’s books, including non-fiction, are

available. Pictures, posters and other visual materials show

fathers at work and at home. Materials are available that

fathers might enjoy using with young children. Curriculum

topics and learning experiences are chosen that appeal to men.

Stereotypic presentations of men in books, posters, toys, or

conversation are avoided. 

TOTAL SCORE ______

Rating: 

0-5 Just beginning

6-10 In process

11-14 Almost there 

15-16 Congratulations!

This assessment form was sent to those attending The Father

Factor: National Head Start Institute on Father Involvement

and is included in the Building Blocks for Father Involvement.

It was adapted from the Male-Friendliness Environment Audit

developed by Pam Wilson under contract with the Head Start

Bureau, 2001.

FATHER-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Are materials

available that fathers

might enjoy using

with children?

Photo by J. Brough-Schamp. Higher Horizons HS/EHS.

Photo by R. Raymond. CACOST HS/EHS.

First Thoughts on Involving Dads

Are the parenting

activities diverse and

relevant for both

fathers and mothers?
offering services at the time. The study is

part of an overall group of Father

Studies that in turn is a part of the Early

Head Start Research and Evaluation

Project. Findings from the survey

informed early understandings of father

involvement in Early Head Start (EHS)

and provided groundwork for the fatherhood demonstration project (see Bellotti,

pages 24-26). 

The study examined father populations at the sites as well as program

goals, activities and strategies for engaging fathers in program services. It also

examined program developmental

stages for father involvement and identified what more mature father involvement programs were doing to involve

the fathers. 

Who were the fathers served 

by EHS? 

The study found considerable variation

in patterns of father presence in Early

Head Start children’s homes. The respondents estimated that about half of the

EHS children had resident fathers (45%)

and a quarter (25%) had nonresident

fathers involved in their lives (saw or

communicated with the child a few times

a month over the past 3 months). In general, children with resident fathers were

more likely to be found in EHS programs that were either home-based,

served a majority of Hispanic families,

served fewer teen parents or were located

in rural areas. Most EHS programs

(74%) served at least some children

whose fathers were incarcerated (3 incarcerated fathers on average per program). 

Thus, EHS programs are similar to

one another in that nearly all serve some

children who have resident fathers and

some who have nonresident involved

fathers. On the other hand, there are

profound differences in the proportion of

families with resident fathers in each category across programs; these population

variations are likely to create important

differences in how EHS programs structure their approach to involving fathers. 

How did EHS programs involve

fathers? 

In 2000-2001, most EHS programs were

attempting to involve fathers at some

level. Nearly all programs reported that

they attempted to involve biological resident fathers through their program activities (99%); almost as many attempted to

Head Start Bulletin 21

FATHER INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY HEAD START:

THE PRACTITIONERS STUDY

B Y HELEN RAIKES

IN 2000 AND 2001, the Early Head Start Research Consortium conducted a survey

to learn more about what Early Head Start programs were doing to involve fathers.

Responses to this Web-based and paper survey (respondents could choose) were

received from 261 Wave 1 through Wave 5 (programs funded in 1995 through 1998)

Early Head Start programs. The 261 represented 63 percent of all programs actively

The Practitioners Study provided groundwork for the fatherhood demonstration project in Early Head Start.

Photo by R. Raymond. CACOST HS/EHS.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
reach a resident father or father figure

who was not a biological father (95%).

The majority of programs attempted 

to involve nonresident biological 

fathers (77%) and nonresident father

figures (58%). 

Programs used a variety of strategies

to engage fathers. 

• Nearly all (90% or more) programs

issued open invitations to fathers

(inviting fathers to participate in all

program events) and ensured that

the father’s name was on the enrollment forms. 

• Many programs (50-90%) displayed

positive images of men in materials,

referred fathers for services, worked

with staff to become open to working with fathers, and worked to create an image of the program as one

that serves fathers as well as mothers. 

• A minority of programs used explicit practices such as hiring male staff,

ensuring that mailing materials

included fathers as well as mothers,

conducting a needs assessment for

fathers, providing training for staff

on father involvement, and utilizing

fathers and other men in recruiting

fathers for program activities and as

mentors. These may be activities

that more programs will want to

adopt in the future. 

How involved were fathers in EHS

program activities?

A majority of resident fathers had been

involved in an EHS program activity

(59%), but only a minority had been

highly involved (24%). Highly involved

was defined as participating 3 times or

more times per month in program activities. Additionally, some nonresident

fathers were involved (30%), but fewer

than 10% of these nonresident fathers

were highly involved. 

How far along were EHS programs

in implementing a father involvement component?

Programs appeared to evolve through

stages in providing father involvement

activities. In the survey, programs categorized themselves into one of five stages

which had been identified in earlier qualitative work by the Early Head Start

Research Consortium. 

Stages I and II: Early stage programs

for father involvement comprised 72%

of all programs. At Stage I (6%) little, if

any, thought had been given to the

unique issues involving a parent other

than the mother or to how best to plan

father involvement. Stage II (66%) programs involved some fathers and had

given some thought and effort to father

involvement but it was not a priority of

the program. 

Stage III: The mid-stage programs

(21% of all programs) demonstrated a

concerted effort to involve fathers. Some

exciting and promising changes were

occurring as more staff and parents

gained a sense of how to make the program more father-friendly. Typically, a

father involvement coordinator had been

hired and that person did a good job of

keeping other staff aware of father

involvement and in promoting a number

of father involvement activities. 

Stages IV and V: Mature programs

for father involvement (7%) made many

changes to make their programs fatherfriendly. A father involvement coordinator focused on integrating fathers into

the program at all levels; the program

was often as focused on fathers as the

target of program activities as on mothers and babies. Many resident fathers

were involved at Stage IV (6% of the

programs) and at Stage V (1%) most resident and many non-resident fathers

were involved in the program. 

What were the practices of mature

father involvement programs? 

In 2000-2001, a small number of programs (7%) were demonstrating what a

mature father involvement program in

Early Head Start could be. Mature programs differed from early-stage and midstage programs in a number of ways. 

1. Mature programs had a wider

range of goals for their father involvement programs than other programs.

They emphasized supporting fathers as

parents more than other programs but

also emphasized programming that

helped fathers’ personal development.

These mature programs also saw themselves serving as resources in the community for fathers. 

2. Mature programs hired a father

involvement coordinator. Nearly all

22 June 2004

THE PRACTITIONERS STUDY

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
mature programs (94%) had named one

or two persons to be responsible for

leadership and day-to-day management

for father involvement with the program

as compared to only 38% for early stage

programs. Generally, the father involvement coordinator in mature programs

was a man. 

3. Mature programs provided training for a father involvement coordinator

but also provided training for all staff in

father involvement. For example, 89%

of mature programs provided training

for a father involvement coordinator

compared to only 14% for early-stage

programs, and 78% of the mature programs also provided training for all staff

on father involvement (28% for earlystage programs).

4. Mature programs involved both

resident fathers and nonresident fathers.

Mature programs reported that many of

the resident fathers (65%) were

involved in their program at some level

and that nearly half (41%) were highly

involved. A majority (56%) of these

programs made a strong effort to

involve many nonresident fathers in the

program when there was no other

father figure in the family (vs. 11% of

early-stage programs). More than a

third of mature programs (40%) serving

children whose fathers were incarcerated said they made a strong effort to

reach out to those fathers compared to

5% of early-stage programs. Mature

programs mailed progress notes, conducted home visits in prison, and prepared duplicate materials of program

reports for the incarcerated fathers. 

5. Mature Programs recruited

fathers in diverse ways. Like early-stage

programs, mature programs asked mothers to encourage the men to get involved,

but they also drew heavily on male networks to recruit fathers for EHS. 

6. Mature programs involved

fathers despite difficult situations. By

sensitively working with family members, mature programs were significantly

more likely to successfully involve the

father in EHS even when the mother or

the mother’s family initially did not

want the father involved; when the

mother and the father were in conflict;

when the father was involved in domestic violence; or when the father was not

paying his share of child support. 

7. Mature programs faced challenges

in involving fathers, as did all EHS programs, but they were different ones. Early

stage programs most often reported that

the greatest barriers to father involvement were program factors such as lacking male staff members to whom fathers

could relate. Mature programs’ greatest

barrier reported was fathers and mothers

who were not living together. 

8. Mature programs worked closely

with other agencies within their communities. Mature programs (50%) were

more likely to have had a relationship

with the local child support enforcement

agency (vs. 28% for early stage programs) and to have referred fathers to

other agencies providing services related

to domestic violence, substance abuse,

and employment training than were early

stage programs (89% vs. 67%). These

significant differences echo the comments

made in focus groups by some mature

program staff—that the program “works

within the village.”

9. Mature programs could identify

key successes. Mature programs were

significantly more likely than others to

have identified the key ingredients for

building their programs: 

• creating a father needs assessment, 

• providing training for all staff working with men and for father involvement coordinators, 

• recruiting fathers who completed the

program to work as mentors,

recruiters, and group facilitators, and 

• creating a program image that

makes it clear the program is

designed for fathers. 

These successes suggest leverage

activities for Early Head Start as well as

Head Start programs looking for the best

Head Start Bulletin 23

The majority of EHS

programs studied

attempted to involve

nonresident biological

fathers (77%) and

nonresident father

figures (58%).

Building a Fatherhood Foundation

Continued on 60
24 June 2004

Photography by Tk

tices to increase the involvement of

fathers in EHS and in the lives of their

children. Each grantee was expected to

establish a partnership with the local

OCSE and other organizations to develop comprehensive plans for delivering

services that encourage responsible parenting among EHS fathers and mothers.

ACYF provided basic guidelines, but

grantees had flexibility in developing

their goals and service structure. 

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

(MPR) is conducting a process evaluation for ACYF to provide a detailed look

at the evolution of the demonstration’s

implementation and participants’ experiences. From the evaluation, several

lessons have emerged about designing,

implementing, and supporting fatherhood initiatives within EHS (Bellotti et

al. 2003; Bellotti 2002). The demonstration grantees’ experiences can guide policymakers, program administrators, and

practitioners as they design and implement new initiatives to increase fathers’

involvement in Head Start programs.

The evaluation tracked the progress

of the 21 demonstration programs using

three data sources. 

• First, MPR conducted site visits to

all 21 grantees after the first and

second years of implementation and

a final visit at the end of three years

to a subset of 9 programs. We

interviewed fathers, staff from Early

Head Start, and local OCSE staff. 

• Second, after the second and third

years, we asked EHS directors,

fatherhood staff, home visitors and

family workers, and teachers at

each participating program to

complete a survey on program

strategies for involving fathers. We

modeled this survey on the instrument used in the practitioner’s study

(Raikes et al. 2002). 

• Finally, after the second and third

years of implementation, we asked

staff at each program to provide data

on the characteristics, involvement,

and program participation of the

fathers of each child enrolled in EHS. 

In this article, we discuss our

research findings through the second

year of implementation (2001-2003);

findings from the final year of operations will be available later in 2004.

Characteristics of the Fathers of

Children Enrolled in EHS. Many

fathers and father figures are involved in

their children’s lives and in the EHS programs. Of the 1,743 children on whom

we collected father data, program staff

reported that 79 percent had at least one

father or father figure currently involved

in their lives. Of these, 84 percent were

the child’s biological father; 16 percent

were father figures. About 41 percent

were married to the child’s mother, and

more than 70 percent of fathers lived

with their children—although in urban

compared to rural and suburban programs, fathers were less likely to be living in the home and married to the

mother of the child.

Developing a Fatherhood Staffing

Structure. By the second year of implementation (2002-2003), two-thirds of the

demonstration programs had a fatherhood coordinator and one or more specialists. The coordinator-specialist structure appeared to best facilitate the effective allocation of responsibilities, including program development, program management, and direct service provision.

Finding and retaining qualified staff for

these positions, however, was challenging

for many programs—more than half

experienced fatherhood staff turnover

within the first two years. Programs

reported that fatherhood members need

academic qualifications and strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Those who were integrated into an existLESSONS FROM THE EARLY HEAD START 

FATHERHOOD DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

B Y J EANNE BELLOTTI

IN FEBRUARY 2001, THE ADMINISTRATION ON CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES (ACYF)

partnered with the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to fund 21 Early

Head Start (EHS) fatherhood demonstration projects. The demonstration grantees

were selected through a competitive process and funded for three years. Their goal was

to develop and implement innovative pracMany EHS programs involved fathers in culturally

appropriate activities with the children.

Photo courtesy of Cherokee Nation HS.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
Head Start Bulletin 25

ing EHS staff group, frequently communicated with other staff, or had an

“open-door policy” for staff questions

appeared better able to coordinate comprehensive services for families. Focus

groups with fathers also revealed that

many fathers felt more comfortable discussing personal needs with male fatherhood staff than with female staff and

appreciated the presence of men among

the predominantly female EHS staff.

Training Staff on Father

Involvement. The demonstration programs believe all staff must be trained on

the importance of father involvement.

Most respondents to our survey cited

staff training as the most successful strategy for making their programs more

father-friendly. During site visit interviews, many programs reported that

some female staff members have had

negative personal experiences with men,

which can sometimes color their attitude

toward engaging fathers in the program.

According to fatherhood staff and program directors, internal staff training sessions often made female staff more

receptive to including men.

Engaging Fathers in EHS. All programs agreed that father recruitment

was a significant challenge and encouraged programs interested in involving

fathers not to underestimate its difficulty. After two years of implementation,

EHS directors reported that they still

face barriers to father involvement—

including fathers’ work schedules, reluctance from some mothers, an image that

EHS is for women, and an overall lack

of male involvement in the program.

Programs had experimented with several

strategies, however, and began to develop practices they perceived as successful

in reaching men.

Nearly 95 percent of survey respondents said their programs invite fathers to

all aspects of EHS to show them they are

welcome. Staff reported that it is critical

to encourage fathers to attend the enrollment session, and at that time, highlight

services for fathers and families regardless of whether the father is present at the

enrollment meeting, and collect father

information through enrollment forms.

From the start, programs found it important to encourage all EHS staff to learn

fathers’ names, engage fathers in conversation, and invite them to participate in

the classroom, home visits, and special

program events. Staff reported that displaying positive images of men and

ensuring that male staff and fathers are

present in reception areas and classrooms

whenever possible helped convey that

EHS is a program for fathers, not just for

mothers and children.

Offering Services to Meet Fathers’

Needs. Many fathers engaged in at least

some of the EHS activities. Of the

fathers identified by staff as involved in

their children’s lives, about 70 percent

were reported to have participated in at

least one activity in a six-month period.

Nevertheless, many programs found it

more difficult to engage fathers than

anticipated and needed to adjust their

service offerings accordingly. Among the

fathers who participated in any activity,

child development services drew the

largest number, with 69 and 51 percent

participating in home-based and centerbased activities, respectively. When

working with fathers who hesitated to

interact with children, teachers and home

visitors succeeded in directing fathers

toward concrete activities—such as reading to the children, helping with meals,

or playing games—while explaining how

the activity will benefit their children’s

development. Having male staff and

other participating fathers interact with

the children also helped fathers feel more

comfortable participating.

Programs reported a growth in

father-child and family activities as a

result of the programs’ efforts to reach

out to fathers. At the end of two years,

53 and 50 percent of participating

fathers had attended father-child and

family events, respectively. Fathers

Building a Fatherhood Foundation

Fathers enjoyed "daddy and me" time with 

their children.

Photo by B. Wood. Wabash Area Development HS/EHS
26 June 2004

LESSONS FROM THE EHS DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

reported enjoying “daddy and me” time

with their children. Several programs

created special initiatives to encourage

fathers to read to their children. The

demonstration programs also offered

holiday events and low-budget activities

that families could replicate on their

own, such as feeding the birds in the

park or flying kites.

Father-only activities were common,

with programs reporting that 43 percent

of fathers who had participated in at

least one activity took advantage of these

services. Nearly all the demonstration

programs offered peer support for

fathers, adjusting the structure, content,

and timing of their meetings based on

fathers’ interests and needs. Activities

such as sporting events or camping trips

allowed staff and fathers to get to know

each other and develop mutual trust.

Programs sought to increase fathers’ ability to financially support their children by

offering employment and training services. Many demonstration programs

found that offering incentives to the men

for their participation —such as food and

T-shirts—kept them coming back.

Supporting Positive Co-Parenting

Relationships. Most of the demonstration programs found a focus on co-parenting consistent with their program goals

and responsive to family needs. Many

staff members, however, did not feel comfortable providing advice to couples about

their relationship. Staff reported that 71

percent of all fathers and only 45 percent

of nonresident biological fathers had relationships with the focal child’s mother

that were “very friendly.” Five programs

had activities to promote healthy co-parenting relationships—including co-parenting education sessions, support groups for

both mothers and fathers, and social and

recreational activities. Some programs

also strengthened partnerships with other

local agencies—such as mental health professionals, marriage and family services,

and anger management counselors—that

could serve as referrals for parents.

Partnering with OCSEs. As mandated by their demonstration grants, 17

of the 21 programs were collaborating

with their local OCSE by the end of their

second year (2002-2003). Most collaborations focused on disseminating information on child support to staff and

families, usually through workshops and

printed materials. Three programs were

working with intermediaries to provide

specialized services for individual fathers,

including advocating for modifications to

support orders and arrearages and reinstatement of suspended drivers’ licenses.

Conclusion

Through this study, we have identified

promising strategies that the EHS

Fatherhood Demonstration programs

used to reach out to fathers and meet

their needs as parents, as well as the

common implementation barriers they

encountered along the way. Many

grantees have found it challenging to

fully integrate services for fathers into

EHS, but they are clearly making

progress. Our continued research on the

final year of the demonstration (2003-

2004) will offer valuable insights into the

evolution of program practices, staff perceptions of greatest accomplishments,

and program plans for sustaining meaningful father involvement initiatives after

the dedicated grant funding ends. ■

REFERENCES

Bellotti, J., C. Vogel, A. Burwick, et al.

2003. Dedicated to Dads: Lessons

from the Early Head Start

Fatherhood Demonstration. Report

submitted to Administration on

Children, Youth, and Families, U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services. Princeton, NJ:

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Bellotti, J. 2002. Reaching Out To

Fathers: The Early Head Start

Fatherhood Demonstration. Report

submitted to Administration on

Children, Youth, and Families, U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services. Princeton, NJ:

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Raikes, H., K. Boller, W. van Kammen,

et al. 2002. Father Involvement in

Early Head Start: A Practitioners

Study. Report submitted to the Ford

Foundation. Princeton, NJ:

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Jeanne Bellotti is a Researcher at

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. 

T: 609-799-3535; 

E: jbellotti@mathematica-mpr.com

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
Head Start Bulletin 27

Background

Research suggests that family structure is related to child well-being. All

things being equal, children who grow up in healthy married, two-parent

families do better on a host of outcomes than those who do not. Further,

many social problems affecting children, families, and communities could

be prevented if more children grew up in healthy, married families.

Examples of social science findings include:

• Married couples seem to build more wealth, on average, than singles or cohabiting couples, thus decreasing the likelihood that their

children will grow up in poverty.

• Children who live in a two-parent, married household enjoy better

physical health, on average, than children in non-married households.

• Marriage reduces the risk of adults and children either perpetrating,

or being victimized by, violent crime. 

Congress acknowledged the importance of married-couple families

when it reformed the welfare system in 1996. The 1996 legislation stipulated that three out of the four purposes of the Temporary Assistance for

Needy Families (TANF) program either directly or indirectly promote

healthy marriages. President Bush echoed this sentiment when he indicated that healthy marriages would be a focus of his administration. In proclaiming National Family Week in November 2001, he noted: 

“My Administration is committed to strengthening the American family. Many one-parent families are also a source of comfort and reassurance, yet a family with a mom and dad who are committed to marriage

and devote themselves to their children helps provide children a sound

foundation for success. Government can support families by promoting

policies that help strengthen the institution of marriage and help parents

rear their children in positive and healthy environments.”

ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative

The Healthy Marriage Initiative is about helping couples, who have

already chosen marriage for themselves, gain access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and

knowledge to form and sustain a healthy marriage. In practical terms, it

involves: 

Developing demonstrations. In consultation with states, many communities have approached ACF to conduct healthy marriage demonstration projects. These are broad-based efforts to work with key community

sectors (e.g., local governments, businesses, civic organizations, non-profits) to strengthen marriages. 

Emphasizing marriage in Federal programs. ACF’s program offices

are promoting healthy marriages in every appropriate program. For

example, marriage education and enrichment services are being provided, alongside existing services, to low-income couples who utilize Refugee

Resettlement, Children’s Bureau, Community Services, or TANF services. 

Conducting research. This initiative is using existing funds to explore

the types of marriage strengthening services that exist and their effectiveness, so that future resources can be targeted more wisely.

Training. The initiative is providing training about healthy marriage

issues to interested Federal ACF staff. 

This initiative is not about:

• Trapping anyone in an abusive or violent relationship.

• Forcing anyone to get or stay married.

• Running a federal dating service.

• Withdrawing supports from or diminishing in any way, either

directly or indirectly, the important work of single parents.

Sources of Funding for Healthy Marriage Initiatives: 

The pending House welfare reauthorization bill (HR 4) includes funding

for healthy marriage education and research. To review the complete bill,

go to http://www.thomas.loc.gov (search bill number HR 4).

Education. Section 103 of HR 4 indicates:

Amount of funds: $100 million, annually, for fiscal years 2003 to

2008.

Who can apply for funds: States, Tribes and Territories; however,

these three eligible applicants can allow private partners to help them

implement the activities funded under the grant.

Required matching funds: Grantees must provide a dollar for dollar

match. Federal funds received for TANF can be used as match, and the

match can be in-kind.

Allowable activities: Funds provided shall be used to support any of

the following eight programs or activities:

Public advertising campaigns on the value of marriage and the skills

needed to increase marital stability and health.

Education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationship

skills, and budgeting.

Marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs, that may include parenting skills, financial management, conflict

resolution, and job and career advancement, for non-married pregnant

women and non-married expectant fathers.

Pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples or individuals interested in marriage.

Marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for

married couples.

Divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills.

Marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role

models and mentors in at-risk communities.

Programs to reduce the disincentives to marriage in means-tested aid

programs, if offered in conjunction with any activity described in this subparagraph.

Research, Demonstrations and Technical Assistance. Section 115 of

HR 4 provides for additional funding:

Amount of funds: $102 million annually from fiscal year 2003

through 2008.

Who may apply for funds: Public or private entities.

Required matching funds: None.

Allowable activities: Research, technical assistance, and demonstration projects to be spent primarily on activities 

described above.

A comparable Senate bill will likely be introduced in 2004.

Additional Information: For more information, or to request technical

assistance, visit the ACF website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/key.html. 

Or contact Bill Coffin, Special Assistant for Marriage Education, at bcoffin@acf.hhs.gov or (202)260-1550.

HEALTHY MARRIAGE MATTERS TO ACF

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
28 June 2004

Providing Guidance

CURRENTLY, THERE IS A NATIONAL

Head Start initiative to strengthen and

support fathers and to enhance their

involvement in parenting. Addressing

the mental health needs of Head Start

fathers is an important aspect of the

fatherhood effort. 

Family support workers, parent 

or male involvement coordinators,

mental health specialists, and social

workers may be among the Head 

Start staff providing mental health

support to dads. They need to be wellgrounded in strategies that allow them

to respond to the dads’ individual

struggles and to promote their wellbeing and their parenting. The same is

true for the community partners and

professionals outside the Head Start

agency who address the mental health

issues of the dads. 

Meeting the Mental Health Needs

of Fathers

The first step in dealing with the

complexity of fathers’ mental health

and well-being is demystifying the

words “mental health.” The stigma

associated with mental health often

inhibits individuals from seeking care.

For example, in some communities

“acknowledging mental or emotional

distress is associated with being weak or

not acting like a man” (Satcher 2003).

This stigma can be so powerful that

young men, particularly fathers, are

hesitant to engage and build relationships with programs and with staff who

may be able to support them. 

Yet, the ongoing emotional state of

a father has a profound impact on the

emotional world of his young child.

When a father is depressed, his interactions with and responsiveness to his

young child are likely to be negatively

affected. He may not engage in eye contact, touching, talking, singing, and

laughing. The child may withdraw,

attempting to self-soothe, or on the other

hand, engage in challenging behaviors,

attempting to engage the parent. As staff

help fathers deal with their mental health

issues like depression, the dads, in turn,

are better able to provide care and love

to their young children.

Some populations of fathers are

especially at risk for mental health

challenges, including depression.

Research indicates that low-income,

under-educated, and young fathers are

vulnerable. Findings of an Early Head

Start Research and Evaluation Project

concluded that 18 percent of the

fathers reported enough symptoms to

be considered depressed when their

children were 2 years old; 16 percent

when their children were 3 years old

(CORE 1996). 

Data from the Visiting Nurse

Service of New York Early Head Start

program corroborates these general findings. Many of the children’s fathers

experienced psychosocial risk factors

such as alcohol and/or substance abuse,

domestic violence, depression, or anxiety

that negatively affected their ability to

parent. (Jones 2004). They had limited

ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS

OF HEAD START FATHERS

B Y MONA I VEY-S OTO

Successful fatherhood programs build on the strengths and abilities of each father.

Photo courtesy of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York EHS.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
Head Start Bulletin 29

parenting skills and little knowledge of

child development. 

Although there is no one “right”

way to go about addressing the mental

health needs of fathers, there are guiding

principles that programs can follow.

Grounding in Principles

Underlying the work related to fathers’

mental health are two principles: it must

be strengths-based and it must partner

with fathers. 

Strengths-based work implies 

first recognizing and discussing the

inherent strengths of an individual 

and then building on them to enhance

self-understanding, establish trust, and

foster change. Every individual has

strengths and abilities despite the overwhelming adversity of their past life or

their current condition. To take this

perspective, staff must be accepting, 

not judgmental.

Partnering with fathers means 

that staff members collaborate with

fathers. The visual picture is that 

of a staff member and a father walking

side by side as equals. The staff 

person makes every effort to listen 

to and connect with the thoughts,

issues, goals, and dreams of a father

and support the father along his

personal journey.

Before any mental health issues can

be addressed or resolved, a healthy relationship must be established between the

service provider and the father.

Relationships are more likely to form

when the elements of trust, empowerment, and inclusion are in place. 

Trust

In the Visiting Nurse EHS program, 

a support group was one way that 

trust was built between the clinical

director, David Jones, who facilitated

the group, and the fathers who

attended. Within the support group,

referred to as Fathers First, fathers 

and father figures reflected and discussed their mental health successes

and challenges. 

Getting these fathers on board was

not an overnight success. Often Mr.

Jones would venture out into the local

community where the fathers lived and

worked. In the course of a day, he

might visit a dad at the local courthouse, or stop by a pediatric clinic or

take a lunch break at a father’s job site

or school. All this took time and

patience on his part, but the fathers

began to recognize that Mr. Jones truly

cared for them and that he was willing

to meet them where they were at—

even if that place was out-of-the way

or unfamiliar to him. Gradually, they

opened up in the support group,

beginning to shed layers of pain and

disappointment Some fathers discussed

how the lack of positive attachment to

an early caregiver due to abuse or

abandonment had affected their ability

to trust. 

Addressing their pain through nonthreatening activities, such as storytelling, poetry, and open discussions

helped the fathers begin to heal (Jones,

2004). They read chapters in selected

books and described how certain themes

related to their own lives. Some fathers

wrote poetry describing their struggles

with poverty, relationships, and survival

on the streets (Jones 2004). As the

fathers shared their struggles and hardships in the support group, they developed and sustained a deeper level of

trust with each other and a commitment

to the group. 

Empowerment

For some fathers, the bond with their

child may be their first strong connection to another person. When programs

help dads strengthen that bond and

express their love for their children, 

the dads gain confidence and improve

their self-esteem. In the Visiting Nurse

EHS program, parent/child groups

Before any mental

health needs can 

be addressed or

resolved, a healthy

relationship must be

established between

the service provider

and the father.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
30 June 2004

ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF HEAD START FATHERS

helped fathers learn to engage in

developmentally appropriate games 

and activities. The goals were to 

create pride and success for fathers and

to enhance the ties between fathers 

and their children. The majority of 

the EHS fathers also participated in the

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program.

They picked out quality books for their

infants and toddlers and read to them.

These shared moments promoted learning and literacy for the children and

enhanced the self-worth and well-being

of the dads.

Fathers also feel empowered and

gain a stronger sense of self when they

meet educational goals and experience

job success. The EHS program held a

General Equivalency Diploma (GED)

class onsite through a collaboration

with the local Board of Education 

and offered other resources to develop

job skills. 

Inclusion

The Visiting Nurse program valued

inclusion—that is, creating an environment that includes all people and that

recognizes the uniqueness of each individual. The Clinical Director writes,

“Creating a culture of inclusion culminates with an internal evaluation of an

agency or organization’s ability and

level of readiness to provide services

for fathers” (Jones 2004). An agency

must not only evaluate itself from the

inside out to assess its ability to provide respectful and individualized services for fathers, staff must understand

and support father involvement. They

also must be willing to process their

own internal issues or ideologies related to their past and current experiences

with men. 

Internal self talk and reflective

supervision are key elements in 

this process (Jones 2004). In the

Visiting Nurse program, staff 

and supervisors met one-on-one or 

in a group. In a safe and unrushed

environment, they processed feelings,

experiences, choices, and beliefs. 

Staff came to their own conclusions

and formulated their own action plan.

This model of reflective supervision

differs from the more traditional one

where supervisors are thought to have

all the answers. 

Experiencing Success

Where there are strong partnerships 

and a strengths-based approach guiding

the work with fathers, Head Start staff

often see an increase in the use of mental health services. When the program

nurtures fathers and supports them on

their journey toward mental health,

everyone benefits—the dads, their children, other family members, and the

Head Start community. ■

REFERENCES:

Administration for Children and

Families. 1996. Research to

Practice: Depression in the Lives of

Early Head Start Families. The

Child Outcomes Research and

Evaluation Division, Office of

Planning, Research and Evaluation.

U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. 

Jones, D. 2004. Creating a culture of

inclusion: Evaluating your organizations’ readiness to service fathers.

American Journal of Public Health.

In press.

Satcher, D. 2003. Overlooked and underserved: Improving the health of men

of color. American Journal of Public

Health. 93 (5).

Mona Ivey-Soto is a Head Start Fellow. 

T: 202-205-8034; 

E: mivey-soto1@acf.hhs.gov. 

The author appreciates the generous

contributions of David Jones, Clinical

Director at the Visiting Nurse Service of

New York Early Head Start in Rockaway,

NY, to this article. T: 718-318-8071; 

E: djones@vnsny.org

An agency must evaluate itself from the inside

out to assess its ability to provide respectful and

individualized services for fathers, and staff must

understand and support father involvement..

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
Head Start Bulletin 31

AIM 

I spoke with my son today

About attitude

And just what that means

He stared up at me

With eyes so bright

Giving me a smile

You see if I don’t do it

Society will raise my child

I spoke with my son today

About intelligence

And just what that means

He stood there telling me

All that a boy of eight 

Might know

I shuddered as he walked away

It’d be a long time before I let him go

As he walked away I too

Became consumed with a smile

You see if I don’t do it

Society will raise my child

I spoke with my son today

About memories

I asked him to recall

He mentioned how

I’d always been there when he was Very

small

To tie his shoe

Teach him manners

And respect

Discipline on command

Explain to him the geometry

Of life and difficulties 

Of being a man

Of trips to the park

Walks in the dark

Long rides in the car

Of the very first day

Basketball he did play

And though they lost

I praised him all the while

Of parents-teachers nights

Birthdays and bad cut hair

The time when I was in the hospital

And he sat in my chair

Of arguments with his brother

And how they got resolved

Of how being the oldest sibling

Always keeps him involved

Of love and concern

And my just being there

Explaining to him in life

The things that weren’t fair

After hearing all this

We both had to smile

A focused young brother

Society would have to wait a little while 

They’ll never get the chance

To raise my black child.

FATHER POETRY

B Y DAVID J ONES

Some programs encourage fathers to tell stories or

write poems about their lives.

Photo courtesy of D. Jones.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
32 June 2004

Story Book also can strengthen bonds by

honoring everyday parent and child experiences. It also can enhance literacy and

learning development as the family works

together using words and pictures and

discusses how best to tell their story.

Parents and Sharing

Parents often wish to reflect on how to

create good memories for their child.

They are constantly adding new chapters

to their lives that can be put in the Family

Story Book. Children will enjoy participating in creating the story book too.

They can be involved in making pages for

the book by drawing pictures and dictating a caption or telling a story incorporating souvenirs and interesting materials. 

As pages are completed, the family

can read and discuss them together.

Young children will enjoy looking at the

photographs and artwork. (See the Tips

for Creating a Family Story Book in the

pullout for the Head Start Bulletin

(page 33)).

Steps to Literacy and Learning

The Family Story Book is a way to keep

a record of parent and child experiences.

It can enhance literacy development and

offers a close tie to literacy and learning.

Parents and children can see how a book

is made by contributing material and

assembling the book. The process will

teach them how to put words and pictures in the book, how to tell a story

using pictures, and how to listen to and

discuss a story.

As the Family Story Book grows,

parents and children can enjoy sharing

the keepsake with other Head Start parents, family members, and friends. The

family can strengthen literacy skills and

build good literacy habits as they discuss

their family story and their experiences

making, sharing, and adding to the book.

Other Methods

Families also can preserve their thoughts

and experiences in mural, audiotape or

video form. These methods are wonderful ways to capture special events like

birthday parties, holidays, weddings,

and trips. 

For additional information about

The 21st Century Exploring Parenting

Program, contact: Frankie Gibson, 330

C St. SW, Room 2110, Head Start

Bureau, Washington, DC T: 202-205-

8399 E: fgibson@acf.hhs.gov ■

WHY IS A FAMILY STORY BOOK IMPORTANT?

B Y F RANKIE H OOVER GIBSON

THE 21ST CENTURY EXPLORING PARENTING PROGRAM offers mothers and fathers

suggestions for positive parent/child interactions in everyday settings and strengthens

confidence in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Creating a

Family Story Book as an ongoing record offers a valuable opportunity for parents and

children to reflect on the family’s interests, cultural background, and values. The Family

That’s me—a little baby.

Photos by D. Mentzer.

My daddy helps me put on my shoes.

It’s fun to talk on the phone.

I like to kiss my baby brother.

Building a Fatherhood Foundation
33 Month 2002 Head Start Bulletin 33

TIPS FOR CREATING 

A FAMILY STORY BOOK

A HEAD START BULLETIN PULL- OUT

These suggestions are ways to make your Family Story Book long lasting. But most

importantly–just do it–and in the process enjoy it with your children and other family members. 

PREPARING YOUR MATERIALS

■ Think about family backgrounds and

stories to pass on to children. Consider

your own strongest family memories and

what memories of childhood you want

your child to have. Think about current

family routines and activities as stories. 

■ Collect the materials you will need. Use

quality materials—fade resistant and acidfree colored paper is best. Gather glue or

other adhesive; scissors and paper-edges

in patterns; rulers, pencils, erasers, a hole

punch, camera, and a 3-ring binder for the

story book cover.

■ Collect items to include. Make hand or

footprints for the book using paper and

paint. Take pictures of family members

doing everyday activities—waking up,

eating meals, playing, going to and from

Head Start, and going to sleep at night.

■ Gather souvenirs and keepsakes to

include—photocopies of marriage and

birth certificates, babies’ ID bracelets from

the hospital, greeting cards and letters,

children’s artwork, ticket stubs, pressed

flowers or leaves, party napkins,

magazine pictures, and old photos.

ASSEMBLING YOUR FAMILY STORY BOOK

■ Make the Family Story Book a record of

daily life as you live it. Use your souvenirs

and keepsakes.

■ Use photos to tell stories. Try out a variety

of ways to display photos and use

interesting materials. The photos can be

cropped; you can use templates and make

mats, corners, and decorative edges.

■ Write about the photos to create a record

of family life that brings back memories

and stimulates storytelling. 

■ Make a list of children’s favorite games

and play activities and decorate it with

artwork. Include it in the story book along

with pictures of children at play from

magazines or use family photos that show

your child playing favorite games.

■ Create mini-posters of your child’s stage of

development for the story book.

■ Create a page showing the family

enjoying their favorite activities like

exercising, enjoying playgrounds, playing

sports, picnicking, cooking, reading, or

other pastimes.

■ Supplement photos and drawings with

pictures you and your children find in

magazines and catalogues.

CONTINUING YOUR FAMILY’S STORY

The Family Story Book can continue as the family grows and changes. Collect items to add

in the future and encourage your children to save and add their own keepsakes.
34 Month 2002

CÓMO AYUDAR A LOS NIÑOS Y A LOS ADULTOS A ENFRENTAR

SUCESOS TRAUMAhAD

34 Month 2002 Head Start Bulletin 34

HOJA DESPRENDIBLE—CONSEJOS PARA CREAR 

UN LIBRO DE HISTORIAS FAMILIARES

PREPARE SUS MATERIALES

■ Piense sobre los orígenes e historias de su

familia que pueda transmitir a los niños.

Dedique algunos momentos y piense en los

recuerdos familiares que tiene más grabados

en su memoria y aquellos recuerdos de su

infancia que le gustaría que su hijo también

tuviera. Piense en las rutinas y las actividades

familiares que realiza normalmente y cómo

podría convertirlas en historias. 

■ Reúna los materiales que va a utilizar. Use

materiales de calidad; recuerde que el papel

de mejor calidad es aquel sin ácido y que no

destiñe. Necesitará pegamento u otros

adhesivos, tijeras y bordes de papel con

diseños, reglas, lápices, un perforador, una

cámara fotográfica y un archivador de 3

argollas para crear la portada del libro.

■ Reúna los artículos que va a incluir en su

proyecto. Haga impresiones de manos o de

pies para el libro, utilizando papel y pintura.

Tome fotografías de su familia mientras

realizan actividades diarias, es decir, cuando

están despertando, comiendo, jugando, de

ida y vuelta de su programa Head Start, y

preparándose para dormir en la noche.

■ Reúna souvenirs y recuerdos que pueda incluir

en el libro, como por ejemplo: fotocopias de

certificados de matrimonio y de nacimiento,

las pulseras de identificación de los niños

cuando estaban recién nacidos en el hospital,

tarjetas de saludos y cartas, arte de los niños,

talones de boletos, flores u hojas secas

prensadas, servilletas de fiestas, ilustraciones

de revistas y fotografías antiguas.

CÓMO ARMAR SU LIBRO DE HISTORIAS FAMILIARES

■ Haga el libro de historias familiares como

una crónica que registre su vida familiar. Use

souvenirs y recuerdos.

■ Utilice fotografías para contar las historias.

Pruebe distintas formas de cómo puede

exhibir sus fotografías y use materiales que

sean interesantes. Las fotografías pueden ser

recortadas; también puede usar diseños ya

hechos y crear fondos, esquinas y bordes

decorativos.

■ Escriba sobre estas fotografías para crear

una crónica de la vida de la familia que trae

recuerdos y estimula la narración de

historias. 

■ Haga una lista de los juegos y actividades

favoritos de los niños y decórelas con

distintos tipos de arte. Inclúyalos en el libro

de historias junto a fotografías de niños

jugando que haya sacado de revistas, o bien

use sus propias fotografías familiares que

muestren a su hijo realizando sus juegos

favoritos.

■ Cree mini afiches de la etapa de desarrollo

de su hijo que pueda incluir en el libro.

■ Cree una página que muestre a la familia

mientras disfruta sus actividades favoritas, es

decir, haciendo ejercicio, jugando en los

patios, haciendo deporte, en un picnic,

cocinando, leyendo o en otros pasatiempos

similares.

■ Complemente las fotografías y dibujos con

ilustraciones que usted y su niño encuentren

en revistas y catálogos.

Estas sugerencias representan algunas formas en las cuales usted puede hacer que su libro de

historias familiares sea duradero. Sin embargo, lo más importante es: simplemente crearlo y

aprovechar este proceso para disfrutarlo con sus niños y con otros integrantes de su familia. 

HOJA DESPRENDIBLE DEL BOLETIN DE HEAD START

CÓMO CONTINUAR LA HISTORIA DE SU FAMILIA

El libro de historias familiares puede continuar a medida que la familia va creciendo y cambiando.

Junte artículos que pueda agregar en el futuro e incentive a sus niños a que guarden y agreguen

sus propios recuerdos en el libro.
Head Start Bulletin 35

and other males involved, it conducted a

survey. The men connected to the programs were asked what they would like

to see offered. One answer, perhaps not

surprisingly, was sports activities. As a

result, the first city-wide basketball tournament was organized. Four hundred

people attended, and 200 were Head

Start parents. The numbers have tripled

in subsequent years. The third year, soccer was added to reach a more diverse

population, including Haitian, Brazilian,

and Portuguese men.

While the tournaments have been

very popular and succeeded in bringing

males to the Good Guys program and

events, there was a need to go one step

further to deepen fathers’ involvement in

their children’s education. Good Guys is

shifting directions in 2004. Michael

Rivera, Program Director of the Parker

Hill-Fenway Head Start center and CoChair of the city-wide ABCD Good Guys

explains, “This year, Good Guys decided

to re-focus its activities on dads spending

time with their children.” So the 2004

event in June will be Dad’s Day. It will

be a family event, including developmentally appropriate fun parent-child activities, such as arts and crafts and a potato

sack race. 

Spread across the city, Good Guys

ensures that local voices are heard. Each

Head Start center has a representative to

the city-wide ABCD Good Guys. A

unique feature of the fatherhood program is fostering the adult male-child

relationship, including males who are

not the biological fathers, such as

boyfriends of the mothers or significant

male role models. 

Collaboration Comes in 

Many Forms

Good Guys has drawn upon the many

cultural resources in the Boston area to

promote father involvement. An early

collaboration was forged with the

Children’s Museum which offers a

Valentine’s Day with Dads and a special

Father’s Day event. Free membership is

available to all Head Start and Early

Head Start families, and nearly one third

of the families have joined. The goals of

the Museum collaboration are:

• To encourage fathers to participate

in their children’s learning 

• To expose parents and children to

science, math, drama, and creative

activities

• To empower males, other parents,

guardians, and staff through activities, workshops, and presentations

• To promote cultural and educational

diversity

Another exciting collaboration is

with the Wheelock College Family

Theater. Head Start families receive discounted tickets and are encouraged to

attend the very family-friendly productions. The goals are to introduce children

to live stage performances and to promote

learning through artistic expression.

With other community partners,

ACTION FOR BOSTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT— A VARIETY OF APPROACHES

SINCE 1998, “GOOD GUYS IN HEAD START” has been a growing program in

Boston’s 25 Head Start centers operated by the Action for Boston Community

Development agency (ABCD). Funded by the Administration on Children, Youth, and

Families (ACYF), Good Guys aims to enhance the presence of fathers in the programs

and to strengthen father-child ties. As the agency began strategizing how to get fathers

Basketball tournaments have been popular with dads in the Good Guys program.

Photo by A. Oliveira. ABCD HS/EHS.

Planning for Success

B Y BULLETIN STAFF WITH MICHAEL RIVERA
36 June 2004

Good Guys has provided other events

oriented toward men. Financial economic empowerment training was co-sponsored by Fleet Bank and ABCD; a workshop, Tips for Toys for Your Children, a

men’s Health conference, and breakfast

forums have involved local health and

higher education institutions. In addition, ABCD administers a Career and

Life United in Boston (CLUB) program

for fathers. CLUB uses a peer support

model to help African-American and

Hispanic men ages 17-25 increase their

education level and skills, obtain

employment, reduce involvement in the

criminal justice system, and improve

family support. 

Read-to-Your-Child Campaign 

Good Guys is committed to supporting

children’s early literacy development and

family literacy. Every year, ABCD sponsors a book reading event from

October–May. Boston Read, a local

organization, provides children’s books

for the campaign. Mothers and fathers

are encouraged to read to their young

children at home and in the Head Start

classrooms. The family earns points for

their efforts; in fact, more points are

awarded for a male reading to a male

child. The city-wide Education

Coordinator, a man, also plans workshops targeting dads for involvement in

the campaign. ABCD estimates that last

year, over 10,000 books were read by

600 parents. Participants were honored

at the Parents’ Award Banquet and prizes

were given to the families that read the

most books. 

Many of the dads in Good Guys

have participated enthusiastically in the

reading campaign. One father says, “ I

am really enjoying my son’s progress. He

can’t wait to get up in the morning and

come to Head Start. If I could, I would

keep him in Head Start for the rest of his

schooling!” These views, echoed by

many, suggest that these dads know the

value of being involved in their children’s

lives and educational experiences.

Early Head Start Fatherhood

Demonstration

ABCD began administering its Early

Head Start (EHS) program in 1998 and

offers both center-based and home-based

slots for infants and toddlers. ABCD

applied for the fatherhood demonstration grant in collaboration with Boston

Partners to Strengthen Fathers and

Families, a group of local agencies. The

overall goal of the collaboration was to

“promote systemic change by opening up

larger social service systems not accessible to fathers and families in need.” 

ABCD’s approach to the fatherhood

demonstration was to promote honest

relationships between the staff and the

EHS parents. By doing this, staff would

be better able to understand fathers’

needs and identify ways to help fathers

meet their goals. A necessary step was

staff training and development to create

a more father-friendly environment within Early Head Start and to help staff

members understand the important role

that fathers play in their children’s development. Training sessions encouraged

staff members to reflect on their personal

beliefs about men, teach them how to

work with males to make family involvement easier, and increase their knowledge about the child support system. In

addition, EHS case managers attended

professional development events related

to work with fathers.

The other primary focus of the

demonstration project was to increase

male participation in EHS activities.

Although fathers had access to the full

range of EHS activities, the current offerings did not fully meet their needs.

Therefore, in December 2001, a father

support group was started up in one center. It continues to meet once a week for

an hour; often as many as 25-30 Head

Start dads and other male figures from

around the city attend. 

Michael thinks the support group is

a big success and describes it as “a place

where men can have their feelings valiA VARIETY OF APPROACHES

Planning for Success

Continued on 61

The Children’s Museum plans special events for the

Good Guys and their families.

Photo by A. Oliveira. ABCD HS/EHS.
Head Start Bulletin 37

toddlers and help the dads make money

that would go directly to child support

payments. Another goal was to increase

the fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives. At the same time, the project

would fulfill a need in the community by

training the fathers in marketable, cutting-edge computer technology. 

It sounds almost too good to be

true. In fact, Fatherhood Coordinator

and single father Rene Raymond, when

first pitching the program to young

fathers who were still in high school,

reports that was the first response to the

program—the fathers wondered,

“What’s the catch?” “No catch,” Rene

assured them.

Features of the Compu-Dad Project

The project targeted 20 biological fathers

with “fragile-family” characteristics,

meaning they were unwed, noncustodial,

low-income, unskilled, and young. Rene

describes the fathers, “Our youngest dad

was 14; the average age of dads was 21;

the oldest was 35. They had very low

incomes, averaging $13,500. Most had

full-time jobs. Two had white-collar jobs.

Some were in school.”

Compu-Dad targeted non-custodial

dads because many other programs target custodial parents and also because

the first three years are critical to a

child’s healthy development. “This is 

the best time to bring dad back into the

family picture,” Rene believes.

The program kicked off in 2002,

when the Texas Department of Housing

and Community Affairs donated 19

used, complete computer systems to

Compu-Dad. The fathers rebuilt the

computers and purchased and installed

new parts and software to create stateof-the-art machines.

The three counties served by the

agency, which is located in Alice, Texas,

are predominantly rural and home to

many low-income families. Rene explains

that when Compu-Dad was created,

many families could not afford to buy

new computers. The technology divide

was widening. Through Compu-Dad,

“We were able to address a need in our

community and provide affordable computers to more people,” says Rene. All

the fathers’ earnings went toward child

support payments as arranged through a

partnership with the Attorney General.

Dads were learning marketable skills and

contributing to their financial responsibility in raising a child. 

CACOST found community support

for the Compu-Dad project . The agency

partnered with local high schools to

ensure that fathers received credit for

participation in the program. Training to

learn the skills necessary to perform this

technological work was provided (at no

cost to the fathers) at the Coastal Bend

College’s extension campus in Alice. The

fathers had the classes to themselves.

This arrangement ensured that the

fathers would be comfortable and bond

as a group.

CACOST created business cards for

each of the fathers. Additionally,

CACOST set up a lab/work space in its

building so that the fathers could come

COMPU-DADS IN TEXAS— BUILDING COMPUTERS AND FATHER INVOLVEMENT

THE COMMUNITY ACTION CORPORATION OF SOUTH TEXAS EARLY HEAD START (CACOST

EHS) program began its Compu-Dad project with very specific goals in mind. CACOST

wanted to target non-custodial fathers who had little involvement with their infants and

Compu-Dad trained the fathers in marketable skills.

Photo by R. Raymond. CACOST HS/EHS.

Planning for Success

B Y BULLETIN STAFF WITH RENE RAYMOND
38 June 2004

in anytime to work. If they wanted to

pursue any of their own business enterprises, they had free access to computers,

a fax machine, telephone, and other

office equipment. Nearly half of the 

dads have gotten additional work

through referrals.

Increasing Father Involvement

Another important component of the

Compu-Dad project was increasing the

fathers’ involvement in their children’s

lives. Dads were encouraged to volunteer

in the centers and to be present during

home visits. They attended EHS activities, such as orientation, open house,

fundraising, and field trips with the children. One father in the project sat on the

EHS Advisory Committee. 

CACOST coordinated a variety of

family activities which were fun and

game-like. The dads in the Compu-Dad

program and the mothers worked

together as a team to win points and at

the end, the winning family received a

prize. In the process of having fun, the

parents were improving their communication skills. The activities also were a

delight for the children, who enjoyed seeing their parents working together. The

agency also conducted other activities

that appealed to the fathers, such as a

Christmas holiday celebration, workshops on such topics as communication

skills for moms and dads, and the annual

Breakfast with Dad. 

Dads in the program participated in

bi-monthly sessions facilitated by Rene

using the 21st Century Exploring

Parenting curriculum. A variety of discussion topics were chosen by the dads,

such as finances and early childhood

development. They scheduled the sessions at times convenient for them, often

on weekends or evenings.

Successes of Compu-Dad 

The computer training has been a success. Fathers have learned the skills necessary to refurbish computers, as well as

the skills to do some of their own computer repair and troubleshooting on the

side. One positive outcome of CompuDad is that CACOST hired one of the

fathers as a computer technician after 

he earned an Associate’s degree in

computer technology 

Most of the Compu-Dads had little

or no involvement in their children’s lives

initially. However, because of the support

they received from the program, many

have developed relationships and have

become connected to their children. One

non-residential father in the first year of

the program, Rene recalls, did not like to

pick up or hold his daughter. “Why?”

Rene asked. “Because she shows no

affection for me most of the time,” the

father said. Rene explained to the father

that becoming a part of a child’s life

requires time. “You have to work on it

and be patient,” he advised. By the second year of Compu-Dad, the father had

a very different attitude. He spent more

and more time with his daughter, and at

the end of his custodial weekend, he was

sad to say good-by and return her to her

mother’s home. He and his daughter had

established a close, loving relationship. 

The program has made a difference

for the mothers as well. Rene reports

that although many mothers doubted

BUILDING COMPUTERS AND FATHER INVOLVEMENT

Dads participated in fun family events.

Photo by R. Raymond. CACOST HS/EHS.

Planning for Success
Head Start Bulletin 39

that the dads would be interested in getting more involved in their children’s

lives, they were pleasantly surprised.

They saw a difference in the fathers;

many fathers did become more active

and were willing to work with the mothers in order to contribute to their child’s

positive development. 

As a result of the Compu-Dad

project, Rene believes that staff members have gained a better understanding

of the importance of the role fathers

play in the lives of their children. The

center is now more “father-friendly”

and displays posters that show fathers in

a positive light. 

Ideally, after a child leaves EHS,

other programs should continue to facilitate and encourage father involvement.

The public schools in Alice, Texas, are

in the early stages of a father involvement program for children entering the

school system.

To measure success, CACOST developed a fatherhood profile. When fathers

began the program, they completed a

fatherhood profile that measured four

dimensions, including involvement, consistency, awareness, and nurturance. The

fathers scored their responses and determined if they were low in any of the

areas. Initially, most dads had average

scores. Each dad created a one year plan

to improve. Their scores increased after a

year in the program, when they completed the profile again.

Challenges

One of the biggest unanticipated challenges and a surprise for Rene was the

initial lack of support from roughly half

of the young fathers’ parents. CACOST

did not expect that young EHS fathers

would have parents that would influence

their lives. These parents, he speculates,

wanted their sons to use their time outside of school to work and make money,

not to attend classes. Happily, after discussions, many of the parents who

objected became supportive.

When Compu-Dad started, there

were only one or two computer repair

facilities in the area. However, the

market has become very competitive.

Also, new computers have became 

more affordable, and buyers are less

likely to want to repair or purchase used

ones. Therefore, the fathers’ skills are

not in as much demand as they were

three years ago.

What does the future hold?

Compu-Dad ended in January 2004.

CACOST plans to continue working

with the community college to offer free

computer classes through the end of the

current school year. The agency also is

considering initiating new projects that

will continue to involve fathers while

addressing the employment and business

needs of the community. ■

Written by Bulletin staff based on interviews with Rene Raymond and review of

program materials.

Rene Raymond is Parent Involvement

Specialist at CACOST in Alice, TX. 

T: 361-664-5515; 

E: rene.raymond@cacost.org.

There were many success stories in the Compu-Dad EHS project.

Photo by R. Raymond. CACOST HS/EHS.

Planning for Success
40 June 2004

a father-friendly environment is what this

is. Has it always been like this at Family

Star? No, father involvement has evolved

and along the way, it has transformed the

organization, its staff, and the lives of

many families. Family Star is a national

model for developing and maintaining a

cutting-edge fatherhood program. 

The Beginnings

Located in northwest Denver, Family Star

Early Head Start was launched in 1995,

six years after the agency began. The program for infants and toddlers provides a

dual language Montessori educational

approach. (Hudgens et al. 2002). When

there was an opportunity to become one

of 21 EHS fatherhood demonstration

projects, the Executive Director of Family

Star, Lereen Castellano, states that they

“aggressively pursued this funding opportunity to learn how to work with fathers

in the Latin community. It is essential

that we foster and nurture our relationships with fathers so we can effectively

support the entire family.”

When the three-year demonstration

grant was awarded in 2001, Craig Hart

became the Director of the Fatherhood

Project. Well-known in the community

and a founder and the first administrator

of the Head Start program, Craig was an

easy choice. According to Lereen: “His

capacity to love others is what drew us.”

There was no doubt he could relate to

the young men the program wanted to

reach. And Craig himself seized this

opportunity to learn more about “how

to be a better father and grandfather.”

The organization’s needs and Craig’s personal journey meshed.

From the beginning, Craig took an

asset-based approach. “We look at Dads

as a major untapped resource. We knew

they had strengths.” Instead of starting

off with a needs assessment that would

highlight their deficits that needed “fixing,” Craig hung out on the front steps

of the center, with a supply of donuts

and coffee, ready to talk with men about

this new initiative. Building trust and

gaining their confidence, Craig was able

to move forward. 

In July 2001, a visioning session was

held with 15 fathers and father figures,

program staff, and other community

members. Craig asked the group, “What

can we do to build a great fatherhood

project over the next three years?” They

jotted their ideas on post-its and placed

them on a large board in their meeting

room. Two key principles emerged that

continue to guide the project:

• Taking ownership and accountability

of the project. The fathers said they

wanted to take leadership and ensure

that the project would succeed. 

• Achieving greater intimacy with

their children. The fathers wanted to

become more involved in their children’s lives and in the Family Star

community. 

All other ideas have since flowed

from these first two principles. The

group established major categories that

called for action (see side box). These

action areas continue to guide the fatherhood project. The original post-its are

still up on the board, along with some

new ones, as the vision has expanded. 

Three months later, in the fall of

2001, El Concilio (The Council) was

born. It functions as a “Board of

Directors” for the project and includes

nine fathers or father figures from Early

Head Start, one of whom is the chair.

Eight other fathers from the Denver

FAMILY STAR MONTESSORI— WHERE THE FATHERS BUILD IT AND THE FATHERS COME

WALKING INTO THE FAMILY STAR MONTESSORI EARLY HEAD START (EHS) center, 

a visitor notices large poster-sized photos of fathers snuggling with their babies, a book

corner devoted to men being fathers, and several men seated in the lounge area, chatting

away as if they have been here before. The fathers in the photos and the men talking represent some of the 75 families enrolled in the Early Head Start program. No mistaking it,

The fathers took leadership and ensured that the

fatherhood project would succeed.

Photo by T. Freeman. Family Star Montessori EHS.

Planning for Success

B Y BULLETIN STAFF WITH CRAIG HART AND L EREEN CASTELLANO
Head Start Bulletin 41

area, representing the mental health

field, media, government, and the Office

of Child Support Enforcement serve on

El Concilio. Meeting monthly, El

Concilio generates activities and decides

the direction of the project. Within

Family Star, it operates at the same level

as advisory councils for family services

and health services.

Steps Taken—Building Personal

Relationships

As the first post-its on the board indicated,

building stronger personal relationships in

the fathers’ lives is central to the vision of

the project. Among the project activities

that help fathers achieve this goal are 

• Co-parenting classes. A majority of

the fathers do not live with their

children but in these seminars, the

moms and the dads learn how to

problem-solve and work together

with the child’s best interest in mind.

• SuperDads fatherhood development

training course. Originally intended

for fathers of preschoolers, Family

Star has adapted the curriculum to

fathers of infants to 3 year olds.

Seven fathers who have finished this

14-week program are now facilitators. Moms, too, wanted a course

like this; with the support of the

fatherhood project, Family Star created a SuperMoms course. Several

moms are now facilitators.

• Special out-reach to live-away dads.

A staff person is assigned to nonresident dads to involve them in

home visits, parent-teacher conferences, and family night activities. 

Craig sums up the impact of the

SuperDads course by recalling how one

father has learned to tell his children, “I

love you.” This dad is now working on

expressing his love to his own father.

Other examples are plentiful of how

fathers and their children are forming

enduring, loving relationships and

becoming more active in Family Star. 

Early on, it was clear that father-staff

relationships needed to be strengthened.

In August 2001, one day of a week-long

annual staff training was devoted to

father involvement and included the sharing of personal experiences and a panel

discussion with Family Star fathers. At

that time, staff remarked how helpful it

was to hear the perspective of fathers in

the program. Now the pre-service training

related to the fatherhood program has

expanded to two days. Building on the

staff’s desire to learn more about fatherhood and dads, LUNCH AND LEARN

seminars are held every month on relevant

topics, such as men and relationships and

men and depression. Craig emphasizes

how important it is to keep the male perspective “on the front of the minds of

staff” and to provide ongoing learning

especially for new staff. 

Coaching—rather than case management—is another way that relationships

have been forged between the fatherhood

project staff and the men involved in EHS.

Craig acknowledges that most males do

not like to admit they need help or are

hurting emotionally. But once trust is

established, and the fathers or father figures open up, Craig and his staff provide

one-on-one coaching and address the

men’s needs on an individual basis. As

time consuming as this approach is, coaching often represents the first healthy relationship that a dad has with another male.

Steps Taken—Building

Organizational Relationships

After the second year of the Fatherhood

Project, it was time to revisit the earlier

vision. Back to writing post-its and

mounting them on the board in the conThe fathers became more involved in their children’s

lives and in the Family Star community.

Photo by T. Freeman. Family Star Montessori EHS.

Planning for Success

Family STAR Calls for Action!

❊ celebrating fatherhood

❊ maintaining a partnership with the Family 

Star staff

❊ telling stories that connect the past to 

the future

❊ building in a support system for fathers

❊ male bonding

❊ reuniting families in marital relationships

❊ building a better future with jobs 

and training

❊ providing role models and mentors
42 June 2004

ference room. Based on the success of

the SuperDads workshops, the dads

decided they wanted to expand father

involvement throughout the city of

Denver. In the absence of an overarching

city-wide project, the dads wanted to

create one. Referred to as The

Fatherhood and Families Collaborative,

coordination is now underway with nine

different agencies to provide technical

assistance to fatherhood projects, conduct training in fatherhood development,

and engage in grass-roots fatherhood

research. In October, 2004, through a

partnership with Red Rock Community

College, the Collaborative will offer

training that will lead to a professional

certificate for fatherhood practioners. In

addition, the Fatherhood Project has

provided outreach to other local Head

Start programs that want to replicate

father involvement efforts. 

To provide space for all future fatherhood activities and The Collaborative,

plans are being made to renovate 6,000

square feet of vacant space in the Family

Star EHS center. Adhering to their guiding

principles, the dads have taken leadership

in the design and emphasized how the

space should nurture positive relationships. According to Craig, “The fathers

wanted a non-bureaucratic space; they

wanted dads and families to actually experience what it is to be a ‘dad.’” Included in

their plans are an artist’s studio for fathers

and children to use together and a tree

house that projects through the roof offering a view of the Denver skyline and the

night sky. They also want to expand the

services of Family Star by adding 4-5

classrooms for preschoolers. Fund raising

for the expansion project is scheduled to

begin on Mother’s Day, 2004. 

Not surprisingly, the vision of the

new space has forged stronger relationships between other institutions and the

agency. The School of Architecture at the

University of Denver is providing expert

design skills; the contractor will do sweat

equity with the fathers, who will provide

the labor. Craig sums up the agency’s

ambitious plans, spurred by the dads, in

this way, “The fathers will build it and

the fathers will come.”

What Has Changed?

The Executive Director credits Craig and

the fatherhood project with bringing

about a paradigm shift for the organization. New ways of thinking are reflected

in the language used around the agency.

Lereen explains, “Instead of talking about

serving fathers, we talk about partnering

with fathers.” Administrators, classroom

staff, and support staff look at fathers differently—they embrace qualities of partnership and value fathers’ strengths. 

In the late 1940s, Maria Montessori

recommended that a child’s first bath be

given by the father. Whereas the mother

represented basic nurturing and the security of the home, the father represented a

link to the external world. With his strong

hands supporting the baby in the bath, he

would impart a different experience,

hopefully inspiring a sense of confidence

and security to the newborn. It is not surprising that the posters in the entrance to

Family Star Early Head Start show fathers

holding their babies, intimately joined,

safe and secure in their relationship.

Maria Montessori would be proud of the

fathers and what they have achieved. ■

REFERENCES

Hudgens, T.J., L. D. Castellano, P. Spicer,

& R. Emde. 2002. Our experiences

as an EHS research site. Head Start

Bulletin, 74: 28-29. 

Written by Bulletin staff based on interviews with Craig Hart and Lereen

Castellanos and review of program

materials.

Craig Hart is Director of the Fatherhood

Project at Family Star Montessori EHS

in Denver, CO. T: 303-477-7827; E:

craig@familystar.net; Lereen Castellano is

Executive Director, Family Star

Montessori EHS in Denver, CO. T: 303-

477-7827; E: lereen@familystar.net.

WHERE THE FATHERS BUILD IT AND THE FATHERS COME

Planning for Success

The dads have

designed a new space

for a city-wide fathers

collaborative. Their

priority is that the

space nurture positive

relationships.
Head Start Bulletin 43

households (86%) were headed by 

single females. Not surprisingly, it 

was primarily the mothers who were

involved in the Head Start activities. 

Staff members were concerned about 

the lack of male figures in the children’s

lives and the Head Start program. 

How to Get Started

The best way to reach Head Start

fathers, according to Marvin, “is to

establish a very positive relationship with

them and show genuine interest in them

as individuals.” That means being concerned about all aspects of their wellbeing, their economic status, and their

relationship with the Head Start community. Marvin recalls that early on, the

agency’s concern was translated into

action when it set up the Friends Youth

Corp for 15-25 year olds. Participants

included local gang members. The youth

were provided with mentoring, counseling and a variety of workshops to

improve their literacy, self-esteem, and

employment skills. The agency also

secured summer jobs for some of the

youth. They were responsible for maintaining and supervising baseball and

softball fields. Their job performance

was celebrated by local authorities as an

outstanding contribution to the town.

They earned the respect of the police and

community who gave them an award for

their work. 

Over the years, Friends of Children

of Mississippi, located in Jackson, has

expanded from serving four counties

and 1,300 children in central

Mississippi to 15 counties and 3,522

children. The agency’s programs are

diverse, including Early Head Start, job

training and economic development,

and partnerships with health providers,

local school districts, and clergy.

Friends of Children of Mississippi supports the development of the community, the family, and the individual.

Many of the 35 Head Start centers

offer fatherhood/male programs.

Although each program differs in some

respects, Marvin articulates common

principles that underlie the agency’s male

involvement efforts:

• Establish a positive relationship

with the customer

(parents/fathers/males).

• Only promise what you can deliver.

Tell the truth.

• Act now, do not simply study the

problem. Make decisions and move

forward.

• Listen to the parents/fathers/males.

Give them opportunities to speak.

• Remain open to new ideas and

approaches

• Stay humble. Admit you are human

and make mistakes. Apologize when

necessary and move on. 

Effective Methods

Ron Collins, the agency’s Coordinator of

Male Involvement Activities since July,

2000, notes that most Friends of

Children programs hold monthly sessions for fathers and father figures. They

get together on weekday evenings or

Saturday mornings. An involved father

of a three-year-old, Eric Brown praises

the method his daughter’s Head Start

program uses to encourage father participation: “Messages are left on my

answering machine, notes are sent home

with my child. Saying we’re not invited

is an excuse that men have often used.

But the program has eliminated that

excuse. I know I’m welcome.”

The monthly sessions for fathers

often feature a half-hour presentation of

general information on relevant topics,

such as how to access health resources or

government services. Guest speakers or

agency staff are invited to present. After

time set aside for socializing, some cenFRIENDS OF CHILDREN OF MISSISSIPPI, INC.— A MALE INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM

“TWENTY YEARS AGO, WE WERE CARRYING OUT AN INITIATIVE, but didn’t know it

was called male or fatherhood involvement...” says Marvin Hogan, Executive Director

of Friends of Children of Mississippi Inc., as he describes the early efforts of the grantee

Head Start agency to reach out to men—including youth, fathers, uncles, and grandfathers. In 1984, when the agency took stock, it discovered that most of the Head Start

The agency partners with church leaders in 

the community.

Photo courtesy of M. Hogan. Friendsof Children of Mississippi HS.

Planning for Success

B Y BULLETIN STAFF WITH WITH MARVIN H OGAN , R O N C OLLINS , AND E RIC BROWN
44 June 2004

ters offer activities involving children.

One popular program was a Reading is

Fundamental (RIF) Book Fair. Staff asked

each involved father to recruit two others

for literacy activities. The male involvement programs plan other adult-child

activities, such as Breakfast with Dad,

knowing how much children want their

dads to be involved. The agency has created a Wall of Fame to display the photos

of the dads who have been active in the

male activities for five months or more.

Competition, Compassion 

and Coaching

Competition sometimes spurs involvement in the fatherhood program.

Recently, the agency offered a special

reward to the center with the highest

attendance in male involvement programs. The agency chartered a bus to

take dads from the winning center to a

pro football game in New Orleans. Eric

Brown observes that the trip was a great

opportunity for fathers to bond. 

It can be difficult to overcome some

fathers’ initial reluctance to get involved in

their children’s lives. According to Marvin,

some Head Start fathers ask, “Why should

I get involved when my own father wasn’t

in my life?” He replies, “Do you want

your child to say the same thing about you

that you say about your dad?” Ron notes

how important it is to assist each father in

understanding that his relationship with

his own dad affects how he relates to his

children. Thinking back to childhood pain

may be enough to motivate some Head

Start dads to improve relationships with

their children. But because every father is

different, many other strategies are

employed as well.

One strategy that promotes involvement is to ask parents to sign a non-binding “Compassionate Partnership” pledge

that they will spend one and a half hours a

week involved in an activity at the center

or at home with their children. Children

observe their parents signing and staff read

them their parents’ pledge. Marvin

explains that involving the children is

“good psychology” because if parents fail

to keep their pledge, children will ask them

why. Ron is quick to point out to a father

how happy his child is when the dad visits

his child’s class. Marvin and Ron note that

making these seemingly small connections

between a father’s behavior and his child’s

response is very important. 

The next step the agency takes is

mentoring and coaching fathers, including

teaching them how to get involved in various activities with their children of all

ages. For older children, dads are given

guidance about coaching sports and helping with schoolwork.

Ron recalls that he did not think his

job was going to be easy. Recruiting

fathers was a challenge because they often

perceive that Head Start is female “turf.”

The predominantly female staff members

sometimes feel uncomfortable approaching fathers. Staff training has been essential to the success of the male involvement

program. The training has encouraged the

Head Start staff to make their programs

more father-friendly by inviting men into

the classrooms. Centers are also required

to conduct a self-assessment to determine

whether their operation is father-friendly.

Being a Role Model

Ron also believes that it is important to

have trusted community members participate in the male involvement program,

particularly grandparents. He explains

that grandparents are interested because,

“They may have fallen short in the past.

Some feel it is time to redeem themselves.

They can be great role models.”

The success of the male involvement initiative depends heavily on the

style of its leaders. The fact that Marvin

and Ron are both fathers themselves

and have charismatic personalities 

has helped their male involvement

program succeed. They are great story

tellers and are open about sharing their

personal experiences.

Marvin talks with Head Start dads

about his experiences both as a son and as

a father. “It was difficult for me to recall

anytime my father displayed affection. But

he was always there.” Ron can understand

FRIENDS OF CHILDREN OF MISSISSIPPI, INC.

Some Head Start

fathers ask, “Why

should I get involved

when my own father

wasn’t in my life?”

Planning for Success

Continued on 61
Head Start Bulletin 45

Launching the Project

“Each family has their own way of doing

things, and staff has to respect that.

Since no parent- child bond is the same,

it is important to respect families and

recognize their individuality, ”says Rob

Goslin, a tribal historian and spiritual

leader of the Red Cliff Band of Lake

Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) Indians.

Their reservation is located on 11,000

acres of Lake Superior shoreline at the

northernmost tip of Wisconsin.

As someone committed to community building and wellness, Rob was a 

likely choice for becoming Director of 

the fatherhood demonstration program 

in the Red Cliff Early Head Start program.

Referred to as the Fatherhood Initiative,

this project focused on staff training in a

parent curriculum and partnering with

other agencies for service delivery. 

Touchpoints 

Before Rob’s involvement in the Red

Cliff project, he attended comprehensive

training on the Touchpoints model, an

approach developed by the Brazelton

Touchpoints Center in Boston to build

healthy families through enhanced relationships between parents and providers.

“Touchpoints encourages professionals

to focus on the strengths of family members rather than their deficits,” according

to Rob. His familiarity with and respect

for the Touchpoints model and the fact

that Touchpoints parallels Red Cliff values and culture affected the decision of

the planning committee to choose this

curriculum model for the demonstration

fatherhood project. 

Touchpoints can be implemented in

any setting where the staff works with

children. It gives professionals effective

and proven tools to support infants and

parents at the beginning of their lives

together and continuing through the

early years.

The planning group for the

Fatherhood Initiative, with Rob at the

head, decided to implement Touchpoints

by providing 16 hours of training to 3

target groups: Early Childhood Center

staff, Community Health Center staff,

and other tribal service providers, including the Bayfield County Birth to Three

Program. Over the course of three years,

the Fatherhood Initiative has trained 80

service providers to use the Touchpoints

model. Rob notes, “One of the most

important parts of implementing the

Touchpoints curriculum was that it

required collaboration with other agencies

in order to provide continuity of care to

our EHS/HS families.”

The entire EHS staff was trained in

the Touchpoints curriculum, which

stressed looking at the family as a whole,

establishing a relationship with parents,

involving both parents in the child’s life,

and observing how the parents’ relationship with their child affects the child’s

development and reactions to situations in

the environment. The staff also was

trained to trust fathers, and “encouraged

to engage in self-introspection and to

value parents and their culture,” says Rob. 

The solid framework that developed

as a result of this careful planning and

collaboration strengthened other initiatives to support families.

Innovative Father Involvement

Strategies

“When we started this project, father

involvement in the Early Head Start and

Head Start programs was minimal to

non-existent,” Rob states. “The program

did not even include fathers in the initial

enrollment process.” He further explains,

“Fathers have felt excluded since the

beginning; it seemed like the staff was

only interested in working with the child

and the mother.”

The first step Rob took to address

this problem was to include a father

assessment in the enrollment packet. The

assessment enabled program staff to

identify fathers’ strengths and needs.

Mothers were happy that the fathers

RED CLIFF BAND— AN INNOVATIVE FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE

B Y CAROLINA ALVAREZ WITH R O B G OSLIN

Fathers participated in weekly pow-wows that

included drumming, singing, and dancing with 

their children.

Photo by K. Goodlet. Red Cliff Band of Lake SuperiorChippewa HS/EHS.

Planning for Success
46 June 2004

RED CLIFF BAND

Subject tk

started to get involved.

Rob emphasizes the importance of

offering fathers the opportunity to

participate in interesting activities that

were father-friendly. “When organizing

activities for fathers, we need to be

creative. We had to go beyond our

traditional role when working with

dads.” Involving the Red Cliff fathers

was done in a variety of ways. The

project designed father- oriented activities

that were sometimes only for fathers,

others that included fathers and their children, and some that involved the family.

Fathers only 

One of the first steps Rob took was to

invite interested fathers to visit the

recreation center and the gym weekly.

Here, fathers developed relationships

with one another. This was a critical

step in building trust and willingness to

participate further.

These activities offered the opportunity for fathers to talk with other fathers

without other family members present.

This also provided time to reflect about

the Four Hills of Life. For Red Cliff

Indians, this term refers to the four

stages of growth: infancy, teenage years,

adult, and elder years. Fathers discussed

the stages with one another and what

each stage meant to them personally.

Fathers with children 

To engage their children, fathers participated in weekly pow-wows at the center

teaching boys how to use the drum and

girls how to dance. These activities helped

develop father-child bonds, taught children

how to follow rules and take turns, and

developed children’s pre-literacy skills.

During the pow-wows, fathers encouraged

children to stimulate their vocal cords by

singing. By emulating all the sounds and

words that the adults used, the children

enlarged their English and native language

vocabulary. The pow-wow also promoted

the customs and values of the tribe, such

as respect and generosity.

Rob notes, “No matter what issues

the fathers have, they are always loving

fathers.” He offered them the chance to

demonstrate this affection through an

activity called Sharing Their Children.

Fathers sat in a circle with their children

and talked about their unique fatherchild relationships, how they had developed these close bonds, and what they

valued most about these ties.

Fathers and families 

Pizza nights offered opportunities for

families to socialize in a friendly setting

and to enjoy meeting one another.

Results

As a result of the Fatherhood Initiative,

those who participated in the

Touchpoints training now have a better

understanding of the stages of growth

and development in children birth to

three years of age. The training also

offered parents and providers the tools

to work through challenging stages of a

young child’s life and to promote optimal child and family development. The

project also provided consistent guidance and support to families through

the tribal health care and social service

system as added benefits for families

participating in the Red Cliff demonstration project.

The successful Red Cliff father

involvement initiative led to stronger

families and enthusiastic father involvement. By offering activities that were

culturally relevant and sensitive to individual and family needs, the project

gained the trust of participating fathers.

This project is a model for programs

planning father-friendly and culturally

appropriate activities for fathers while

sharing important information about

early childhood and offering support

for families. ■

Carolina Alvarez is a Head Start Fellow. 

T: 202-205- 8602; E:calvarez@acf.hhs.gov.

Rob Goslin is the Director of the

Fatherhood Initiatives at Red Cliff 

Band of Lake Superior Chippewas. 

T: 715-779-3938 

E: redcliff_fatherhood@yahoo.com 

Rob Goslin, Director of the Red Cliff EHS 

Fatherhood Initiative.

Photo by L. Goslin. Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa HS/EHS.

Planning for Success
Head Start Bulletin 47

Subject tk

different from support for mothers. 

The Municipality of Mayaguez

Head Start Program and the Seasonal

Head Start Program (both located in

Puerto Rico) recognized that their

parents, including the dads, needed

support. The programs decided to

implement The 21st Century Exploring

Parenting (EP21) curriculum on a trial

basis. Developed by the Head Start

Bureau, the curriculum offers parents

guidance to support positive parent/

child interactions and to build their

confidence as their child’s first and most

important teacher. 

I became involved as a trainer and

process consultant in their efforts to

implement EP21. Both programs have

contributed a unique perspective to the

challenge of implementing this parent

education program in the Caribbean. 

The Mayaguez Training and

Implementation Workshop

Over a three and a half day period in

December 2003, 30 staff members of the

Mayaguez Head Start were trained to be

facilitators and parent trainers. Using a

Spanish version of EP21, family service

workers, social service staff, home visitors, and others worked as a team to

develop their skills. 

At the same time, the management

team planned how best to support a

trial implementation of EP21 in the

centers. They developed these four

guidelines for implementation of the

parenting curriculum: 

• Ensure that participant-trainees

develop effective training strategies 

• Create training teams 

• Determine the number of participating parents

• Find ways to make existing program

procedures more flexible to better

serve parents 

As a result of these discussions, a

technical assistance module was added to

the curriculum to support the trials. The

module included the following tasks for

local programs: 

• Develop strategies to ensure final

approval of an implementation plan

• Provide criteria for decision-making

and evaluation

• Initiate task-oriented processes

• Establish timelines 

• Plan evaluation strategies

During the workshop, facilitator

trainees were assembled into teams based

on their observed strengths and need for

improvement. For example, introverts

who were detail and task-oriented were

paired with strong, outgoing extroverts.

The learning experience for both the

staff and the management team was

designed to build competencies and

effective working relationships. 

Special Parent Training Initiative 

in Mayaguez

The enthusiastic workshop participants

suggested conducting an immediate

follow-up session to reach parents. A

few weeks after the workshop, 300

hundred parents, grandparents, and

personnel met in Mayaguez for a special

session. Program personnel wrote letters

to employers and took other steps to

make it possible for employed parents

to attend.

The half-day session, which was followed by an afternoon social, presented

parenting as an enterprise in which both

mother and father can view themselves

as associates. Presenters provided information about EP21 and emphasized

these points:

• The parent is the principal educator.

• Males need to be integrated into

parenting.

Significantly, a large group of males

assisted and contributed substantially to

the session. Although the average age

A CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE— PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND THE 21ST CENTURY 

EXPLORING PARENTING PROGRAM

B Y T O M ÁS REYES

OCCASIONALLY, BOTH RESEARCH-BASED AND COMMON-SENSE knowledge appear to

dance together in support of an initiative, an idea, or a dream. Such, I believe, is the

case of parent involvement and the male parent movement. Parenting is one of the

hardest fulltime jobs, and many families need support in parenting. Fathers may need

support tailored to meet their own needs—

Head Start staff and parents were introduced

to EP21.

Photo by D. Rodriguez. Diocese ofMayaguez HS.

Planning for Success
48 June 2004

A CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE—PARENT INVOLVEMENT

was approximately 32 years old, there

were grandfathers as well.

Male participants expressed a

marked interest in what they called “real

participation” in their children’s learning

and development. They wanted to become

more involved and engaged. Fathers cited

mowing grass and painting Head Start

centers as normal expectations for men

but expressed a strong interest in playing

a more important role in family life.

Responding to a question on a survey about future trainings, one father

wrote, “I will keep participating in these

workshops, to continue forming myself

as a person.” Other participants made

suggestions about how programs could

improve parent involvement, such as

“Create more opportunities for parents,

including the men, to share with their

children.” The positive feedback from

this session provided further impetus for

Mayaguez Head Start to implement

EP21 to reach more parents.

The Seasonal Head Start Training

and Implementation Workshop

The Seasonal Head Start Program also

conducted an implementation training

workshop over a three day period similar

to Mayaguez. But the Seasonal program

differs in some important ways that were

reflected in the implementation workshop:

• The Seasonal program is newly

established and a smaller organization. Almost all personnel in the

program participated in the implementation workshop.

• The seasonal and migrant families

have needs relevant to their unique

situation, such as their constant

change of residence and temporal

employment. Though there are no

marked seasonal changes in Puerto

Rico, work for the rural sector is

often temporary and infrequent. The

on-and-off employment experience

in the rural areas is so prevalent that

it has been named “chiripeo,” a

social phenomena meaning “doing

bits and all.” In important ways,

this population differs from the

coastal and urban families served in

Mayaguez Head Start.

• The management team of the

Seasonal Program was very

involved in the implementation

training initiative. They made

rapid decisions producing immediate support for successful implementation. They expected the

entire staff to participate as

trainees, facilitators, and support

staff during implementation.

The Seasonal implementation workshop trained 25 staff members as facilitators. It was expected that all of the communities and families would receive the

EP21 training. 

Outcomes of the Training

Experience

Staff from the Mayaguez and Seasonal

Head Starts who participated in the

implementation workshops voiced

enthusiasm about The 21st Century

Exploring Parenting Program. As they

developed understanding and ownership

of the material, their attitudes about

parent involvement evolved. Through

practice, their facilitation skills

improved. Some participants stated that

they learned new methods for working

with fathers through training. One commented: “I learned strategies to work

with parents, suggestions for facilitators,

and how to identify the groups to work

with.” Another said, “I will utilize training to better integrate with parents and

obtain positive results with them.”

Importantly, the management teams

expressed commitment to future training

events. They developed strategies for

training and strengthened communication within the programs.

Implementation Is Going Ahead 

Five Mayaguez centers were selected by

the management team to participate in

Planning for Success

Fathers cited mowing

grass and painting

Head Start centers as

normal expectations

for men and express a

strong interest in playing a more important

role in family life.
Head Start Bulletin 49

the trial implementation, beginning in

April 2004. Selection criteria included

the availability of facilities to use as

training centers, the relationships

between the selected communities, and

available funds. One member of the

management team was appointed to

facilitate and support the trainers and

to serve as a liaison to higher management. A sample of 24 parents in one

community was selected for the trial

effort. These parents were delighted to

participate. 

After an initial presentation for

selected parents and staff, the management team planned training strategies.

They agreed to negotiate training 

dates, resources, child care, and 

other matters that would affect attendance. They acknowledged the need to

develop creative approaches to distribute work and handle organizational

procedures. For example, they offered

to address the needs of parents by

adapting training hours to parents’

schedules and holding meetings after

regular work hours.

After the implementation workshop

was conducted for the Seasonal Program,

the management team initiated a planning and preparation phase, targeting

three centers in three communities. They

planned an introduction activity for all

the parents and a recruitment marathon

to interest fathers. The implementation

phase is in the early stages.

Lessons Learned

Based on their experiences in the training

workshops, management in both the

Mayaguez and Seasonal Head Starts

have learned that the planning process

should: 

1) Consider particular program needs

and realities (i.e., budget and demographics)

2) Brainstorm ways to improve

program procedures and structures

to support the new effort

3) Include technical assistance to promote work planning

4) Design post-training activities with

parents 

5) Target, recruit, and induct 

male parents

6) Expand the role of fathers in

children’s lives 

Head Start has always been in the

forefront of early childhood initiatives

and parent involvement. I believe that

stressing the importance of father

involvement in the learning and development of children is one of Head

Start’s most worthwhile priorities.

Happily, the implementation of EP21 in

the Caribbean is generating waves of

change in this diverse and complex

location. ■

Tomás Reyes is a parent-education

consultant based in Puerto Rico. 

T: 787-764-4649; E: treyesp@prtc.net

Planning for Success

Head Start managers have learned that the

planning process includes brainstorming ways

to improve program procedures to support 

parent involvement.

Workshop participants learned new strategies for

training and communicating with parents. 

Photo by D. Rodriguez. Diocese ofMayaguez HS.
50 June 2004

writers and readers are future leaders

(Darling 2004). 

What are Family Literacy Services? 

Head Start and Early Head Start programs are committed to helping parents,

including fathers, contribute to their children’s learning. Family literacy services

are one way that programs can help parents. By focusing on the literacy of

moms, dads, and their children at the

same time, family literacy services are an

effective way to help parents get involved

in their children’s literacy development.

Family literacy services are mandated by the Head Start Act of 1998 and

identified specifically in

1304.40(e)(4)(i)&(ii) of the Head Start

Program Performance Standards.

Elements of family literacy can be seen

throughout the Program Performance

Standards because the philosophies of

Head Start and family literacy are so

similar. They both recognize that the

family is the child’s first teacher, provide support services to families, and

encourage parent involvement. Family

literacy services also impact the entire

range of child outcomes described in the

Head Start Child Outcomes

Framework, such as language development and building positive approaches

to learning. 

For the last five years, the Head

Start Bureau has partnered with the

National Center for Family Literacy

(NCFL), headquartered in Louisville, KY.

The Center has provided training and

technical assistance professional development and other resources to support the

legislative requirements and the implementation of the Program Performance

Standards pertaining to family literacy. 

Family literacy services are multifocused and inter-related. They reach out

to children, parents, and staff. The services include:

• parenting education for all family

members

• child development information for

program staff

• parent-child activities and learning

experiences

• adult education at all levels

These services may be delivered

directly through a Head Start or Early

Head Start program or in collaboration

with community partners. 

Setting Goals

A child’s entrance into Head Start or

Early Head Start and the accompanying

family partnership agreement process

provide opportunities for moms and

dads to explore goals for themselves and

LITERACY STARTS WITH THE FAMILY... AND THAT MEANS DADS TOO

B Y WILLA C. SIEGEL, BARRY GARY, AND JACQUELINE DAVIS

THE IMPACT OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FAMILY LITERACY AND FATHERS is

powerful. Whether dads read bedtime stories, talk about the sports page, make a grocery list, write a child’s name, or explain the directions for a toy, they are presenting

opportunities for their children to develop language and literacy skills. They are raising future writers and readers—and future

Many dads enjoy reading with their children and promoting their children’s literacy development.

Photo by W. Donlan. Bay City EHS.

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
Head Start Bulletin 51

their children. Whether fathers are residential or not, they are meant to be

included in this goal-setting process. 

Many fathers (like mothers) identify

goals related to being better parents.

What does that mean exactly? It means

different things to different fathers. Some

dads might express a desire to complete

their education, while others talk about

wanting to find a job or a better job.

Still others might wonder whether their

children will have all the skills they need

to succeed in school and in life.

Consistently, fathers express concern for

the healthy development of their children

and recognize their own role in fostering

development. 

Reaching These Goals

To help the dads attain their goal of

being better parents, program staff

might link them with family literacy services, such as a parent education program. The topics covered might include

the important roles fathers play in their

children’s development and the importance of interactive literacy activities

between fathers and their children.

Above all, these learning opportunities

are designed to support the father-child

relationship and involve fathers in their

children’s lives. 

Program staff often motivate fathers

to recognize that they can do better for

their children by improving their own

education and literacy through adult

education. Numerous family literacy services, such as ESL (English as a Second

Language) classes and GED (General

Equivalency Diploma) courses, are available to support the dads. Father involvement projects in Head Start and Early

Head Start may offer job training so

dads can develop marketable skills. As

fathers attain a higher educational level

or secure better jobs, they often feel

more confident about their parenting

abilities too.

Supporting Dads and 

Children’s Literacy

Programs have developed different

approaches for targeting dads’ involvement in children’s literacy. Some Head

Start and Early Head Start programs

have provided formal training focused

on teaching dads useful techniques for

book-reading and discussion with their

young children (see pages 53-54 about

Vermont Center for the Book). Others

have organized on-going fathers’ support groups where fathers and mentors

discuss a range of issues, including

involvement in children’s lives and

supporting their language and literacy

development. 

To ensure that there are no “bookless” homes in Head Start, programs

have planned a variety of activities to

include moms and dads, such as—

• creating lending libraries 

• sponsoring library days for parents

and children 

• arranging trips to bookstores where

parents participate in demonstrations on how to select books for

their children

• sponsoring special “book reading”

events for parents and children

• making audio tapes of books so that

parents who cannot read can still

share the reading experience with

their children

• providing language and literacy

mentors to read to children 

and work with parents on enhancing their own ability to read to 

their children

Family literacy services and other

Head Start support services encourage

dads to find what works best for them

and their children. While some fathers

are comfortable reading with their children, others prefer to take walks and

discuss what they are seeing or doing.

Head Start programs

have planned a variety

of literacy-related

activities to include

moms and dads: 

creating lending

libraries, visiting book

stores, or providing 

mentors to read with

children and parents.

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
52 June 2004

LITERACY STARTS WITH THE FAMILY

Still others like to work with their children on “projects.” Everyday routines

that dads and children share—such as

counting the plates for a meal, wondering if the bath toys will sink or float, or

talking about the different colors of

clothes in the laundry—also provide

learning experiences. Programs also can

share strategies with dads that encourage their storytelling without emphasis

on the printed English word. Programs

can help fathers find their own individual styles of interacting with their children and help them understand that all

positive interactions are opportunities

for enhancing literacy and language

development. (See pages 32-34 on a

Family Story Book.)

What all parents need to know,

whether they are native English 

speakers or English language learners,

whether they are strong readers or not, 

is that children develop their love of

reading and learning early in life. 

Parents can inspire and motivate from

birth on.

The Success is Real

Many Head Start and Early Head Start

programs have successfully involved

fathers in their children’s literacy experiences. They all identify the key ingredient: start with the interest expressed

by the fathers in their family partnership agreements or in focus groups,

surveys, and informal conversations.

That is, the programs encourage 

fathers to identify what and how they

want to learn. Then, in conjunction

with the family literacy services and

fatherhood efforts, the programs are

able to develop options that will meet

the individual needs of the fathers.By

collaborating and working together,

trusting relationships develop between

dads and Head Start staff, and the

community partners who support the

family literacy services. The NCFL has

been an important partner with Head

Start programs.

When asked: “How has family

literacy changed how you interact with

your child(ren)?”, Head Start fathers

have replied:

It has changed the meaning of being

a father to my kids.

It has opened the door to spend

more time with my children.

It was hard to read stories but now

my daughter says read to me and I know

that it is quality time.

We change the words to music on

the radio. We make silly songs out of

just about anything.

My daughter asks me to pick books

from my (adult) bookshelves and we spend

time reading and talking about them.

I never knew how important I was

as a father...I would never want to hurt

my child’s success in any way. I am now

getting the Pell Grant and I am enrolled

in the community college.

I have been more attentive with my

children and how I talk to them.

This testimony from Head Start

dads speaks to the positive and enduring

impact that family literacy can have on

the parent-child relationship and on children’s learning. ■

REFERENCES

Darling, S. 2004. National Center for

Family Literacy. www.ncfl.com

Willa C. Siegel is Program Specialist,

Education Branch, Head Start Bureau. 

T: 202-205-4011; E: wsiegel@acf.hhs.gov

Barry Gary is Director, Head Start at the

NCFL. T: 502-584-1133 ext. 163; 

E: bgary@famlit.org Jacqueline Davis is a

Training Specialist for the NCFL. 

T: 323-469-4439; E: jdavis@famlit.org

Parents and children can take a few minutes to

look at books together in Head Start classrooms.

Photo by D. Mentzter. Rosemount EHS/HS

Family literacy services support the involvement of

dads, moms, and children.

Photo by B. Wood. Wabash AreaDevelopment HS/EHS

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
Head Start Bulletin 53

for the Head Start Bulletin about a family

literacy program, Especially for Dads,

that has been implemented in early childhood programs including Head Start.

Q: What is Especially for Dads?

This is a book-based program

designed to help fathers and other male

caregivers connect with children. Recently,

I led the program at Rutland County

Head Start, VT, as part of their father

involvement effort. The group met for

three evenings; it was free and dinner was

provided. I used the Especially for Dads

father-friendly picture books and handson activities to help teach the men how to

read with young children, even babies and

toddlers. The emphasis was on exploring

the book’s ideas together, having conversations, and asking questions—all the necessary ingredients for promoting early

language and literacy development. The

dads were given 11 picture books to keep

(see sidebar) and an activity guide.

During these sessions, the men also

discussed their own childhood experiences of being read to, or not. Research

shows that adults who were not read to

as children are less likely to read to their

own children. And there is very compelling research indicating that children

who are read to are more likely to

become readers. 

Q: How did the Head Start dads

react to the program?

They were so enthusiastic. They

experienced the pleasure of reading with

their children and being involved. As one

father said, “Especially for Dads has not

just given me lots of different ways to

read the books but also has given me lots

of activities related to books that my kids

and I can do together.” But the message

the fathers came away with was even

broader—they learned about the unique

role they can play in their child’s development. Another father said, “The book

program really teaches a dad through

reading that he is very important in his

child’s life.” Of course, believing that you

as a dad contribute to your child’s development is a goal of male involvement

efforts in Head Start programs! 

One dad came to each session with

his 8-year-old. In this family, the father

and his oldest son share the important job

of reading to the younger siblings. It was

great to have both of them there, because

they both wanted the practice reading the

books and to talk about activities that can

accompany book reading. 

After the literacy program, some of

the dads decided to volunteer in Head

Start classrooms. They found that they

really loved reading to children. 

Q: How do Head Start staff react

to this program?

I think the literacy program for

dads, coupled with staff training, can be

important ways to support the fatherhood initiative in Head Start programs. 

I did a one-day workshop with the

Rutland County Head Start classroom

staff, which got them all very excited

about engaging dads as literacy partners.

One staff person planned to take the

books out on home visits and show the

dads how to read them and do the follow-up activities. Another staff member

said, “The presentation made me think

about dads and how important “Dad

and Me” time is for kids.”

Q: What kinds of books are used

in the program?

The 11 books I used with the Head

Start dads are interesting and stimulating

to read. They engage the reader, just as

good adult literature does. In addition,

the books have these features:

• Positive male role models

• Ethnic and racial diversity

USING CHILDREN’S BOOKS WITH DADS

Adam Rosen is Program Manager of Mother Goose Programs, which is a non-profit

organization affiliated with the Library of Congress. Mother Goose Programs enhance

the development, self-esteem, and success of children by building the skills and confidence of parents, librarians, and educators through the use of picture books, training,

and activity guides. Adam was interviewed 

A literacy program needs to choose fatherfriendly books that draw upon dads’ experiences

and interests.

Photo by J. Wilkins. SouthwesternCommunity Services HS. 

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
54 June 2004

USING CHILDREN’S BOOKS WITH DADS

• Rich illustrations

• Familiar themes about independence,

relationships, and the wide world

For example, Sam Who Never

Forgets stimulates discussion about

being a provider and remembering to

do the important things in a child’s life.

We provide fiction and non-fiction

books because research shows that

males of all ages tend to be more interested in non-fiction. So the books

include stories about animals and the

night sky—topics that fathers might be

interested in and discuss with their

youngsters. 

One book, Pablo’s Tree, had a special appeal for some of the Head Start

dads who were either adopted themselves or had adopted children. The story

is about an adopted child who plants a

tree with her grandfather. Plus, the

Rutland area is fairly rural, so planting is

a familiar activity.

Q: Do moms and dads have different approaches to using books

with their children?

The themes that fathers identify

with in books are somewhat different

because their styles, attitudes, and experiences are different. Dads tend to be

more willing to let their children take

risks and exhibit independence. They

seem to encourage children to solve

problems on their own, whereas mothers will step in and mediate or redirect.

So the books that dads prefer may be

different from the ones moms prefer.

Dads also like to explain how things

work and may use scientific terms and

words the child has not heard before.

So it’s especially important in a literacy

program to choose father-friendly books

that will draw upon dads’ experiences

and strengths. Men will gain confidence

as parents and as readers if the materials are a good match. As they read stories about children’s adventures and

problem-solving feats, dads often reminisce about their own childhood. Their

children love to hear about “When I

was a boy...”

Q: Any advice for Head Start programs that want to encourage

dads to read to their children?

The best way to support literacy in

a family is to give family members books

that they can use at home. Let them

know they can read the books over and

over again.

When Head Start programs put

books in a father’s’ hands, they’re sending the message: “Reading to your child

is important and you can do it!” ■

Background information was taken

from the newspaper article, “A new 

story: Dads reading to children,” by 

Seth Harkness, Rutland Herald, 

October 8, 2003.

Adam Rosen is Program Manager,

Mother Goose Programs, Vermont

Center for the Book, Chester, VT.

T: 802-875-2751 x 109; 

E: adam@mothergooseprograms.org

Implementing a Fatherhood Program

FATHER-FRIENDLY BOOKS

TITLE AUTHOR

Wee Willie Winkie and Other Rhymes Iona Opie

I Went Walking Julie Vivas

The Adventures of Sparrowboy Brian Pinkney

Down the Road Alice Schertle

Sam Who Never Forgets Eve Rice

Pablo’s Tree Pat Mora

10 Minutes till Bedtime Peggy Rathmann

Biggest, Strongest, Fastest Steve Jenkins

Albert’s Alphabet Leslie Tryon

How Many Stars in the Sky? Lenny Hort

Flower Garden Eve Bunting

Taxi, Taxi Cari Best
Head Start Bulletin 55

position, so I went to the hospital right

away and I found my wife doing some

exercises to correct the baby’s position. 

My wife was attached to a fetal monitor to observe if everything was O.K. When

we were alone, suddenly I realized that the

baby’s heart rate was coming flat. Quickly I

called for the doctor and she gave instructions to the medical team to have everything ready for a cesarean. The baby had

the umbilical cord around his neck. 

Being with my wife at the delivering

moment was something very special, a

unique experience. Joel Jr. was born on a

Halloween night! 

The News 

When my wife was transferred to the

recovery room, one of the doctors told me

I needed to talk to him. I imagined that

something was not O.K. I was worried,

but I didn’t see the doctor again that night. 

The next morning, my wife was

breastfeeding the baby when one of the

doctors came to our room and told us

that my baby was born with Mongolism

(Down syndrome). Due to the language

barrier, it was difficult for me to understand. My wife was all tears because of

the way we learned the news. The words

the doctor used were offensive words in

our country. Again I was experiencing

different feelings. I was confused, frustrated and, in some ways, alone. I

learned that my family needed lots of

support. To be in a different country, it

was difficult to adapt and also expecting

that our life would need to change with

the needs of this special baby. 

Getting Services

I must say that we received basic support.

For my family to hear that we had options

and local social services and schools with

special providers available, it was a relief! 

My experience when Joel was taken

for his medical evaluation was sad for me.

At that time, the social workers had little

expectations about what we already knew

about this condition. They did not ask me

what I already knew about Down

syndrome. They assumed that I knew little

or nothing. I felt they were talking “down”

to me. I felt little respect for what I knew. 

Changes

We learned that having a child with special needs required different life routines.

The challenges we had we saw as opportunities to learn and share with other families who experienced similar situations. We

are learning every day to take advantage

of community services available. 

Currently, Joel Jr. is at middle

school. Last month he was recognized as

the student of the month. He has been

participating in 4-H Horse Club. He also

attends soccer games designed for children with special needs. As a family, we

are involved with the Community

Connections Team. They are represented

by different local agencies such as: doctors, therapists, social workers, teachers,

school psychologist, instructional assistants and other persons involved in the

life of our son. 

Joel Pelayo, Sr. has been working for

Head Start/Early Head Start in the MidColumbia Region of Oregon for 7 years.

His story can be heard in Spanish at

http://www.specialquest.org/pelayo.html.

He shares his story so that others can

support, understand, and feel empathy

with families who have experiences similar to those of his family. Joel participated as a SpecialQuest team member in the

Hilton/Early Head Start Training

Program whose mission is to support

EHS and Migrant and Seasonal Head

Start staff and family members to develop

skills and strategies for accessing and

using services, resources, and technology

to include infants and toddlers with significant disabilities and their families in

EHS/MSHS programs. 

MY STORY

B Y J OEL P ELAYO , SR .

WE MOVED FROM MEXICO TO THE USA IN 1990, when my wife was 6 months

pregnant. I was working in a fruit-packing house at that time. It was that night, October

31, when I received a phone call that my wife was at the hospital. Then I experienced

different feelings and thoughts, asking myself if something was wrong. We learned early

that the baby was coming in a different

The challenges we had were opportunities to learn

and share with other families.

Photo courtesy of J. Pelayo.

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
56 June 2004

Subject tk

homes and cars smoke-free.

Numerous studies have shown that

breathing secondhand smoke is especially

harmful to infants, toddlers, and young

children because their lungs are still

developing. Health consequences from

exposure to secondhand smoke include

bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections,

and increases in the number and severity

of asthma attacks. Secondhand smoke

also is a risk factor for new cases of

asthma in children who have not previously exhibited asthma symptoms. 

A review of data in the 2002 Head

Start Program Information Report shows

that nationwide approximately 5%, or

more than 52,000 children in Head

Start, received or are receiving medical

treatment for asthma alone. Many asthma attacks and other illnesses can be

avoided by making the children’s homes

and cars smoke-free.

Recognizing the positive impact that

fathers have on their children’s healthy

development, the Smoke-free Homes for

Head Start Families partnership will be

launched officially at the National Head

Start Training Institute on Father

Involvement, June 14-18, 2004 in Dallas,

Texas. HSB and EPA are committed to

involving fathers in reducing their children’s health risks by motivating them to

take the “Smoke-free Home Pledge.” The

pledge is a promise parents make to keep

their homes and vehicles smoke-free. 

Workshops will be conducted at the

Institute on Father Involvement to train

and encourage fathers to take the smokefree message back to their local communities and to help promote awareness of

the harmful effects of secondhand

smoke. Presenters will explain effective

techniques to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke and will share materials

to encourage parents and caregivers to

create a healthier environment for children at home. 

Through this nationwide partnership, the EPA and HSB will provide local

Head Start programs with multi-cultural

materials in both English and Spanish

about the effects of secondhand smoke.

The materials, which include posters and

brochures, will support the efforts of

staff and parents to promote safe and

healthy indoor environments for their

families. These materials and other

publications are available free of charge

by calling EPA’s Indoor Air Quality

Hotline (IAQ Info) at 1-800-438-4318

or by visiting www.epa.gov/smokefree 

Get a “head start” on this new initiative by becoming a leader and role

model for your Head Start program. Call

1-866-SMOKE-FREE (1-866-766-5337)

and take the pledge to make your home

and vehicle smoke-free. You can become

your child’s hero today! ■

Mona Ivey-Soto is a Head Start Fellow in

Washington, D.C. T: 202-205-8034; E:

mivey-soto1@acf.hhs.gov; Brian Ortiz is

a Program Analyst, Environmental

Protection Agency, Indoor Environments

Division. T: 202-343-9819; E:

ortiz.brian@epa.gov.

BECOME A CHILD’S HERO TODAY— STOP EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND TOBACCO SMOKE!

B Y MONA I VEY-S OTO AND BRIAN ORTIZ

THE HEAD START BUREAU (HSB) and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s

(EPA) Indoor Environments Division have formed an important new partnership entitled Smoke-free Homes for Head Start Families. The goal of the partnership is to

reduce children’s exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. HSB and EPA will introduce

educational materials and training to motivate parents and caregivers to make their

A Smoke Free Focus Group discussed ways to get the message out.

Photo by R. Brocato.

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
Head Start Bulletin 57

WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 10, 2003—Kicking off a week

of nationwide events designed to show how simple, pain-free

diagnostic tests can save lives, Congressional leaders and their

staff will participate in health screenings on Capitol Hill this

week. The screenings are part of “National Men’s Health Week.”

Event supporters hope to raise awareness of the rising and predominantly silent crisis in the health and well-being of men. 

National Men’s Health Week, celebrated each year as the

week leading up to and including Father’s Day, brings together

corporations, government agencies, religious and fraternal organizations and others committed to the prevention and treatment

of men’s health issues. National Men’s Health Week organizers

plan a variety of activities in communities across the country.

“We’re pleased that Congress continues to take such an

active role in National Men’s Health Week. Their support and

that of the many participants nationwide have enabled us to

raise awareness of men’s health issues in more and more communities across the country,” said Megan Smith, Director of

Project Development, Men’s Health Network. 

The Men’s Health Network (MHN) is a non-profit educational organization located in Washington, D.C. Now in its

eleventh year, MHN was the driving force behind the installment of the “National Men’s Health Week” Act in 1994. 

“Lack of awareness, poor health education and culturally

induced behavior patterns in the work and personal lives of

men continue to contribute to the growing crisis in men’s

health,” said Jean Bonhomme, MD, MPH and Board of

Director’s member of the Men’s Health Network. 

Congress has remained committed to National Men’s

Health Week since its inception. For the past six years, men’s

health screenings have been offered on Capitol Hill during

National Men’s Health Week, with more than 700 members,

staffers, and employees participating each year. MHN will sponsor screenings for prostate cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol,

diabetes and body fat with support from Pfizer Inc. 

Among several Congressional leaders, U.S. Representatives

Randy “Duke” Cunningham and John Conyers and Senators

Bill Frist and Richard Shelby have been instrumental in joining

the Men’s Health Network in supporting this effort. Over 300

members of Congress cosponsored the “National Men’s Health

Week” Act in 1994. 

“As a prostate cancer survivor, I know first hand the

importance of annual examinations and early detection. Do not

become a statistic. Please stop by your local clinic or doctor’s

office this week for a screening for prostate cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, colon cancer, and body fat,” said

U.S. Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham. “Take the

time to protect your health and have a health professional

explain your risks and the results of your tests.”

More than 45 governors have declared Men’s Health Week

in their states and a number of corporations have also signaled

their commitment to promoting men’s health issues during

National Men’s Health Week. ■

The Men’s Health Network is a non-profit educational

organization of physicians, researchers, public health workers,

individuals and other health professionals committed to improving the health and wellness of men through education campaigns, data collection and work with health care providers.

Additional questions or comments should be referred to

info@menshealthnetwork.org or by calling (202) 543-6461

extension 101. or by visiting http://www.menshealthweek.org/

NATIONAL MEN’S HEALTH WEEK CELEBRATES 

10TH ANNIVERSARY

Health Screening on Capitol Hill Sets Example for Rest of Country

Some Head

Start

fatherhood

programs

offer health

screenings 

to dads.

Photo by D. Mentzer. Rosemount Center HS/EHS.

Implementing a Fatherhood Program
58 June 2004

RESOURCES

PRINT

NFI RELEASES DEPLOYED FATHERS

AND FAMILIESTM GUIDE AND

BROCHURE

Keeping military fathers connected with

their families during deployment is one of

National Fatherhood Initiative’s top

priorities. That is why NFI, with generous

support from the Boeing Company and

assistance from Parents Educating Parents,

Inc., created the Deployed Fathers and

FamiliesTM Guide for Enlisted Personnel

and the accompanying brochure, 10

Ways to Stay Involved with Your Children

During Deployment.

“These materials equip military dads

and their families with important

information, advice, and strategies to help

them effectively manage the challenges of

military deployment,” explains

Christopher Brown, NFI’s Vice President

of National Programming. The 48-page

Guide offers practical pre-deployment tips

and exercises to help military dads and

their families handle the financial,

medical, legal, and personal aspects of

military deployment. The Guide provides

military dads with many of the most

critical tools they need to stay connected

at home while taking care of business

overseas. The brochure condenses some

of the information in the Guide into 10

tips that a deployed dad can use to stay

connected with mom and his kids. 

NFI has distributed 35,000 of the guides

and brochures to individuals and

organizations that work with military

WEBLIOGRAPHY

The following Web sites about fatherhood are recommended

as further resources for teachers, parents, and administrators

1 http://www.newdads.com 

BOOT CAMP FOR NEW DADS (BCND), formed in 1990 to help new fathers

“hit the ground crawling,” is rapidly developing into a national support network

for men confronting the realities of fatherhood. This Web site covers issues from

Immediate Concerns such as Forming a New Family and The Challenges New

Moms Present to Hands on Tips on how to care for yourself, mom and the baby.

2 http://fathering.org 

CENTER FOR SUCCESSFUL FATHERING was founded in 1995 by Dr. Ron

Klinger as a response to the growing number of children who were growing up

without a father in their lives. 

3 http://www.cffpp.org 

THE CENTER ON FATHERS, FAMILIES, AND PUBLIC POLICY (CFFPP) is a nationallyfocused public policy organization conducting policy research, technical

assistance, training, litigation and public education in order to focus attention on

the barriers faced by never-married, low-income fathers and their families. 

4 http://www.fcnetwork.org 

FAMILY AND CORRECTIONS NETWORK (FCN) is an organization for and

about families of prisoners. It offers information, training and technical

assistance on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison

visiting, incarcerated fathers and mothers, hospitality programs, keeping in

touch, returning to the community, the impact of the justice system on families,

and prison marriage. 

5 http://www.familysupportamerica.org 

FAMILY SUPPORT AMERICA promotes family support as the nationally

recognized movement to strengthen and support families and places the

principles of family support practice at the heart of every setting in which

children and families are present. 

6 http://www.fatherhoodproject.org 

THE FATHERHOOD PROJECT® is a national research and education project that

is examining the future of fatherhood and developing ways to support men’s

involvement in child rearing. Its books, films, consultation, seminars, and

training all present practical strategies to support fathers and mothers in their

parenting roles.

Continued on 60
Head Start Bulletin 59

WEBLIOGRAPHY

Continued from previous page

7 http://www.fathersnetwork.org 

THE FATHERS NETWORK advocates for and provides

resources and support to all men who have children with

special needs by developing a database of fathers, support

and mentoring programs, newsletters, and curriculum

materials; providing technical assistance to organizations and

agencies so their services are increasingly “father friendly”;

and sponsoring local, regional, and national conferences.

Printed and web materials are available in English and

Spanish and other languages whenever possible.

8 http://www.fathers.com 

The goal of the NATIONAL CENTER FOR FATHERING is to

help men be better fathers. Most fathers who use this site are

looking for practical tips and suggestions on how to improve

their fathering of teens, school-aged children, adult children

and grandchildren.

9 http://www.npcl.org 

The mission of the NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP (NPCL), formerly National Center

for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community Leadership,

Inc., is to improve the governance and administration of

nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations and strengthen community

leadership through family and neighborhood empowerment.

This Web site provides details about NPCL’s programs and

services, and the public and customized workshops offered

by NPCL to help community-based organizations and public

agencies better serve young, low-income single fathers and

fragile families.

10 http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu 

THE NATIONAL CENTER ON FATHERS AND FAMILIES

(NCOFF) is an interdisciplinary policy research center.

NCOFF is dedicated to research and practice that expands

the knowledge base on father involvement and family

development, and that informs policy designed to improve the

well-being of children.

11 http://vfnet.com 

THE VITAL INTERAGENCY TECHNOLOGICAL ACCESS LINKS

FOR FAMILIES NETWORK (VFNet) is a consortium of more

than 50 organizations located in the southeastern region of

Los Angeles County. Its purpose is to support communities

through the coordination of programs and resources which

will facilitate access to services designed to enhance the

quality of life for children, youth, and families. The National

Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute is a member.

12 http://www.npnff.org 

The mission of the NATIONAL PRACTITIONERS NETWORK

FOR FATHERS AND FAMILIES, INC. (NPNFF) is to build the

profession of practitioners working to increase the responsible

involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. It offers

publications, conferences, training events, technical

assistance, advocacy, collaboration with other fathers and

families organizations, and networking opportunities. 

13 http://www.fatherhood.org/ 

THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE (NFI) was founded

in 1994 to lead a society-wide movement to confront the

problem of father absence. NFI’s mission is to improve the

well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children

growing up with involved, responsible, and committed

fathers. It provides public awareness campaigns, research,

and print resources and offers curricula, training, and

technical assistance.

14 http://www.fatherhood.hhs.gov/index.shtml 

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES has

developed a special initiative to support and strengthen the

roles of fathers in families. This initiative is guided by several

principles, including the conviction that all fathers can be

important contributors to the well-being of their children. A

Toolkit for Fatherhood is available on the site.

Compiled by the Bulletin staff.
60 June 2004

ARTICLES CONTINUED

concerning which types of intervention

programs work best for whom and

under what circumstances.

Nevertheless, what we do know is

that fathers matter to their infants and

that they matter a whole lot more than

has been assumed by some for much of

this century. Unfortunately, this knowledge comes at a time when increasing

numbers of infants can no longer count

on their fathers being there throughout

their childhood. The challenge is to continue to accumulate knowledge about the

unique ways that fathers contribute to

infant development, while at the same

time persuading more fathers to actually

make those contributions.

REFERENCES

Blankenhorn, D. 1995. Fatherless

America: Confronting our most

urgent social problem. New York:

Basic Books.

Mincy, R.V., & Pouncy, H. 1996.

October. There must be fifty ways

to start a family: Social policy and

the fragile families of low-income,

non-custodial fathers. Paper presented at a symposium of the

Center of the American Experiment,

Minneapolis, MN.

Popenoe, D. 1996. Life without father:

Compelling new evidence that

fatherhood and marriage are

indispensable for the good of

children and society. New York:

The Free Press.

Horn, Continued from 7

families. These materials will be available

for purchase from the National

Fatherhood Clearinghouse and Resource

Center (NFCRC) in May. Email:

info@fatherhood.org, Web Site:

http://www.fatherhood.org. ■

Resources, Continued from 58

of literacy activities as mothers, and play

a powerful role in supporting literacy

development in young children, according to multicultural studies. Fathers, like

mothers, read story books, environmental material, newspapers, and stories on

the internet. Furthermore, both parents

engage in the same writing activities

including spelling; identifying, coloring,

and tracing letters; and typing words on

the computer. All fathers model the

power and value of reading and literacy

when they engage in joint literacy activities with their children.

Gadsden, V.L., & Bowman, P. 1999.

African American males and the

struggle toward responsible fatherhood. In A continuing challenge in

times like these: African American

males in schools and society, (Eds.

V. Polite & J. Davis). New York:

Teachers College Press.

Ortiz, R.W. 2000. The many faces of

learning to read: The role of fathers

in helping their children to develop

early literacy skills. Multicultural

Perspectives, 2(2), 10-17. ■

Compiled by Bulletin Staff.

Research Facts, Continued from 15

ways to move to higher levels of father

involvement .

This article references Father Studies in Early

Head Start. These studies are supported 

by the National Institute of Child Health and

Human Development; the Administration 

on Children, Youth and Families; the Office of

the Assistant Secretary for Planning 

and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services; and the Ford Foundation.

The Father Studies include information from a

variety of sources including quantitative and

qualitative studies of approximately 800 lowincome fathers participating in the Early Head

Start Research and Evaluation Project, an

embedded study of nearly 200 fathers of newborns, qualitative and quantitative studies of

practitioners, and local research studies.

The Early Head Start Research and

Evaluation Project is a longitudinal study of

17 Early Head Start programs’ implementation and impacts. The study is funded by the

Administration for Children and Families

under contract to Mathematica Policy

Research and Columbia University Center for

Children and Families in collaboration with

the Early Head Start Research Consortium.

Reports from this project are available at

http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/core/ongoing_research/ehs/ehs_intro.html. ■

Helen Raikes is Society for Research in

Child Development Consultant,

Administration on Children, Youth and

Families. T: 402-433-7278; E:

hraikes@neb.rr.com

The Practictioners Study, Continued from 23
Head Start Bulletin 61

the predicament of non-residential fathers

and speaks about his own experiences

with a protracted custody battle and paying child support. Marvin and Ron’s experiences allow them to empathize with

fathers facing similar crises and to serve as

effective role models. 

Looking Ahead

Eric Brown thinks that dads bring a

unique perspective to their children by

encouraging curiosity and stimulating

their interest in the wider world. He

hopes the male involvement program

will continue to grow. “For every child,

there is a father. I want every father to

be involved in his child’s life.” Marvin

Hogan and Ron Collins would certainly

agree. They, and many others around

the country, share Eric’s wish for the

future of male involvement in Head

Start programs. ■

Written by Bulletin staff based on interviews with Marvin Hogan, Ron Collins,

Eric Brown and review of program

materials.

Marvin Hogan is Executive Director of

Friends of Children of Mississippi, Inc.

T: 601-353-3264 ext. 3002; 

E-mail: fcmeagleeye@bellsouth.net; 

Ron Collins is Male Involvement

Coordinator. T: 601-353-3264 ext. 3042;

E: ronald-collins@bellsouth.net; 

Eric Brown is Vice Chairman of the Head

Start County Council. T: 601-823-5700.

dated and strengthen their nurturing

side.” The men share experiences and

talk about being fathers. They plan activities like cook outs and sports which

become opportunities for them to bond

with one another.

Lessons Learned

According to Michael, who has been

involved in the ABCD fatherhood activities from the start, engaging men is an

evolving process. A critical part is educating staff on how to get men involved.

Staff needs to understand that there are

gender differences, that is, the needs of

men are different from the needs of

women. But both moms and dads need

respect and validation from staff. One of

the additional challenges for the Head

Start program has been addressing conceptions of masculinity and femininity

that differ from culture to culture. 

The agency-wide focus on male

involvement has supported the hiring of

male staff. Michael is one of two program

directors in ABCD Head Start; at his own

center, he has hired a male teacher, case

manager and three males who serve on

the Policy council. He notes how important it is to help children see men in caregiving positions and to provide positive

role models. Not surprisingly, hiring male

staff has led to increased male involvement. Michael makes it a point to shake

hands with men who come in the building

to set an example for the rest of his staff

and to welcome the men. 

Good Guys has nurtured positive

staff-father relations. Michael observes,

for example, that men are feeling more

comfortable talking with the classroom

staff when they drop off their children.

They experience Head Start as a place

for them, not just for moms. Of course,

when dads spend time talking with the

staff, they have an opportunity to learn

about their children’s progress as well 

as the program’s activities for fathers 

and families. 

The challenge for Good Guys, like

any parent program, is to be responsive

to the changing needs of the parents.

Michael notes that there are more and

more single dads and ABCD Good Guys

has to find better avenues to promote

their involvement in their children’s lives

and in the program activities.

Thinking ahead to future directions,

Michael offers this insight: “Men’s

strength is not in their muscles but in

their passion for doing things with their

children.” Promoting father involvement

is not always easy, but the benefits are

obvious for the Head Start children and

their families. ■

Written by Bulletin staff based on an

interview with Michael Rivera and

review of program materials.

Michael Rivera is the Program Director

of Parker Hill-Fenway Head Start and

Co-Chair of the ABCD Good Guys,

Boston, MA. T: 617-427-0464; E:

rivera@bostonabcd.org n

Rivera, Continued from 36 Friends of Mississippi, Inc., Continued from 44
U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services

ACF/ACYF/HSB

Washington, DC 20201

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Penalty for private use $300

http://www.fatherhood.hhs.gov/index.shtml 

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES has developed a special initiative

to support and strengthen the roles of fathers in families. This initiative is guided by the

following principles: 

* All fathers can be important contributors to the well-being of their children. 

* Parents are partners in raising their children, even when they do not live in the same

household. 

* The roles fathers play in families are diverse and related to cultural and community norms. 

* Men should receive the education and support necessary to prepare them for the

responsibility of parenthood. 

* Government can encourage and promote father involvement through its programs and

through its own workforce policies. 

A Toolkit for Fatherhood is available on the site.