THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES Katherine Ancell, M. Ed Jonathan Chitiyo, M. Ed Southern Illinois University

Discuss the importance of father involvement Provide examples of programs that involve fathers and offer strategies to promote father involvement Recommendations that focus on infants and toddlers with disabilities

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT Family involvement is defined as parents’ investment in the education of their children Ways in which parents can demonstrate this investment: � volunteering at school, � helping children with homework, � attending school functions � visiting the student in the classroom � taking leadership roles at school

BENEFITS OF FAMILY INVOLVEMENT Improved school readiness and social development Improved social connections, emotional security, higher IQ scores Students enroll in higher-level programs Students attend school regularly Improved social skills

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT AND CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IDEA mandates that families should play an integral part in all decisions and participate in services and supports Students have better chances of meeting their IEP goals

FATHER INVOLVEMENT

BENEFITS OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT Higher IQ scores for children Advanced linguistic and cognitive capacity Improved quantitative and verbal skills � Fathers have unique ways of speaking to and playing with children. They use more direct, challenging speech that involves directions, requests, and open-ended questions

BENEFITS OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT TO THE FATHERS Involved men are more confident and effective as parents Feel more important to their child Feel more involved and encouraged Exhibit high levels of psychosocial maturity More likely to participate in community and leadership roles

FATHER INVOLVEMENT IN EI & ECSE Despite these benefits, mothers are still the primary participants in EI and ECSE programs Barriers to father involvement � Employment � Educators working exclusively with mothers � Lack of knowledge about the system � Fathers feeling unwelcome to programs � Environments which are not father friendly Single-father and two-father households are on the rise

FATHERS-IN-TRAINING 20 weekly training sessions Focus on finances, responsible fathering, working with support systems

NATIONAL CENTER FOR FATHERING Training, programs, education, information and services Father Daughter Summit Watch-Dogs

STEPS TOWARD EFFECTIVE, ENJOYABLE PARENTING Secure attachment between parent and child Targets fathers’ knowledge, skills and commitment to fatherhood role Sought to increase father support given to mothers

DADS MATTER PILOT STUDY Dads Matter enhancement to typical EI services Home visitors are taught to assess father’s role, engage fathers in services, and building effective co-parenting team Taught fathers about different social skills and language skills children learn from fathers

HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START

HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START Building Blocks handbooks: � Importance of father involvement � Explore barriers and how to overcome � Father involvement plan � Suggestions for keeping activities appealing

HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START Specifically assigning resources for father involvement strategies Staff training on father involvement Help to make and measure “father friendliness” of programs

FATHER INVOLVEMENT STRATEGIES Developing Father Friendly Activities Providing Incentives for Father Participation Logistics of Father Involvement Feedback from Participating Fathers Hiring Male Providers Father involvement in training and PD

DEVELOPING FATHER FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES Acknowledge fathers as skilled and knowledgeable caregivers Partner with park district/rec agency for a basketball game Use EI family liason Theme night in collaboration with a community partner � Sports Nights � Family Game Night � Art Night

PROVIDING INCENTIVES FOR FATHER PARTICIPATION Drawings or raffles to promote participation at events Discounts on monthly tuition or fees in exchange for participation Incentives from local restaurants Child responses can be incentives as well Providing materials to promote continued interaction

LOGISTICS OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT Evening and weekend activities Using technology to reach fathers � Short videos or pictures of activities done in therapy sessions � Email parent letters and information rather than give at pick-up Location of activities may need to be adapted particularly for non-resident fathers � PT session at a park or community setting

FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPATING FATHERS Rely on participating fathers for recruitment and feedback Assign someone in the agency the task of father involvement and recruitment Father Assessment Tools � DFAA

HIRING MALE PROVIDERS & PD EFFORTS University programs should target male students Staff training on father involvement strategies Knowledge of the importance of father involvement

FATHER INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES Sports Activities (including Father-Child Adapted Basketball Game, make your own bowling with plastic cups and lightweight ball, and gross motor activities like obstacle courses, kicking/throwing foam balls, or using exercise balls for games) Family Games (including developmentally appropriate turn-taking games and make your own activity folders) Literary Activities (including monthly highlighted authors or genres and library events) Build With Me (including milk-carton airplanes, and Lego cities) Nature Activities (including nature walks, leaf rubbings and growing vegetables) Cooking Activities (including ideas for Weekend Breakfasts and healthy snacks) Art and Sensory Activities (including materials for sensory play and art projects such as Daddy and me self-portraits) Music Activities (including make your own instruments and lending CDs) Daily Activity Skills (including dress-up activities so children can practice putting on coats and shoes)

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE FATHER INVOLVEMENT Strategies for Practitioners/Program Administrators Develop “father friendly” activities Provide incentives for participation Assist with logistics as needed (e. g. , flexible scheduling, transportation) Request ongoing feedback from participating fathers on ways to enhance and nurture involvement Include fathers as parent volunteers Inviting fathers to read to children in the classroom Use available technologies (email, text message, social media) to communicate regularly with fathers Use short videos and pictures to provide examples of strategies, therapies, and successes Strategies for Higher Education Personnel Increase efforts to recruit males to pursue study and employment in ECE and EI Increase focus on father involvement in preservice and inservice training and professional development

FATHER INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS Fathers-in-Training Birth to 18 years Education on health, parenting, financial responsibility; Aims to increase father engagement http: //www. vbgov. com/government/departments/human-services/for-residents/Pages? Fathers-In-Training. FIT. aspx National Center for Fathering Birth to 18 years Support fathers through research, training, resources and programs including Father-Daughter Summit and Fathering Court www. fathers. com National Fatherhood Initiative Birth to 18 years Disseminate information on the importance of paternal involvement and provide resources and literature www. fatherhood. org US Department of Health and Human Services Birth to five years Provides information on the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project which focuses on the role low-income fathers play in the lives of their children http: //fatherhood. hhs. gov/Parenting/hs. shtml

SELECT REFERENCES Guterman, N. B. (2012). Promoting father involvement in home visiting services for vulnerable families: A pilot study. Final Report to the Pew Center on the States, University of Chicago. Retrieved on 2 October 2013 from Raikes, H. (2004, June). Father Involvement in Early Head Start: The practitioners study. Head Start Bulletin. www. acf. dhhs. gov/programs/hsb Raikes, H. H. , & Bellotti, J. (2006). Two studies of father involvement in Early Head Start programs: A national survey and a demonstration program evaluation. Parenting: Science and Practice, 6(2 -3), 229 -242. doi: 10. 1080/15295192. 2006. 9681307 Raikes, H. H. , Summers, J. A. , & Roggman, L. A. (2005). Father involvement in Early Head Start programs. Fathering, 3(1), 29 -58. White, J. M. , Brotherson, S. E. , Galovan, A. M. , Holmes, E. K. , & Kampmann, J. A. (2011). The Dakota Father Friendly Assessment: Measuring father friendliness in Head Start and similar settings. Fathering, 9(1), 22 -43.

kancel@siu. edu