Katherine Ancell MEd Jonathan Chitiyo MEd Southern Illinois University Discuss the importance of father involvement Provide examples of programs that involve fathers and offer strategies to promote father involvement ID: 575849
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "The Importance of Father Involvement in ..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
The Importance of Father Involvement in Early Childhood Programs and Early Intervention Services
Katherine Ancell, M.EdJonathan Chitiyo, M.EdSouthern Illinois UniversitySlide2
Discuss the importance of father involvement
Provide examples of programs that involve fathers and offer strategies to promote father involvementRecommendations that focus on infants and toddlers with disabilitiesSlide3
Family Involvement
Family involvement is defined as parents’ investment in the education of their childrenWays 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 schoolSlide4
Benefits of family involvement
Improved school readiness and social developmentImproved social connections, emotional security, higher IQ scoresStudents enroll in higher-level programsStudents attend school regularlyImproved social skillsSlide5
Family involvement and Children with Disabilities
IDEA mandates that families should play an integral part in all decisions and participate in services and supportsStudents have better chances of meeting their IEP goals Slide6
Father involvementSlide7
Benefits of Father Involvement
Higher IQ scores for childrenAdvanced linguistic and cognitive capacityImproved quantitative and verbal skillsFathers have unique ways of speaking to and playing with children. They use more direct, challenging speech that involves directions, requests, and open-ended questionsSlide8
Benefits of father involvement to the fathers
Involved men are more confident and effective as parentsFeel more important to their childFeel more involved and encouragedExhibit high levels of psychosocial maturityMore likely to participate in community and leadership rolesSlide9
Father involvement in EI & ECSE
Despite these benefits, mothers are still the primary participants in EI and ECSE programsBarriers to father involvement EmploymentEducators working exclusively with mothersLack of knowledge about the systemFathers feeling unwelcome to programs
Environments which are not father friendly
Single-father and two-father households are on the riseSlide10
Fathers-In-Training
20 weekly training sessionsFocus on finances, responsible fathering, working with support systemsSlide11
National Center for Fathering
Training, programs, education, information and servicesFather Daughter SummitWatch-DogsSlide12
Steps Toward Effective, Enjoyable Parenting
Secure attachment between parent and childTargets fathers’ knowledge, skills and commitment to fatherhood roleSought to increase father support given to mothersSlide13
Dads Matter Pilot Study
Dads Matter enhancement to typical EI servicesHome visitors are taught to assess father’s role, engage fathers in services, and building effective co-parenting teamTaught fathers about different social skills and language skills children learn from fathersSlide14
Head Start and Early Head StartSlide15
Head Start and Early Head Start
Building Blocks handbooks:Importance of father involvementExplore barriers and how to overcomeFather involvement planSuggestions for keeping activities appealingSlide16
Head Start and Early Head Start
Specifically assigning resources for father involvement strategiesStaff training on father involvementHelp to make and measure “father friendliness” of programsSlide17
Father Involvement Strategies
Developing Father Friendly ActivitiesProviding Incentives for Father ParticipationLogistics of Father InvolvementFeedback from Participating FathersHiring Male ProvidersFather involvement in training and PDSlide18
Developing Father Friendly Activities
Acknowledge fathers as skilled and knowledgeable caregiversPartner with park district/rec agency for a basketball gameUse EI family liasonTheme night in collaboration with a community partner
Sports Nights
Family Game Night
Art NightSlide19
Providing Incentives for Father Participation
Drawings or raffles to promote participation at eventsDiscounts on monthly tuition or fees in exchange for participationIncentives from local restaurantsChild responses can be incentives as wellProviding materials to promote continued interactionSlide20
Logistics of Father Involvement
Evening and weekend activitiesUsing technology to reach fathersShort videos or pictures of activities done in therapy sessionsEmail parent letters and information rather than give at pick-upLocation of activities may need to be adapted particularly for non-resident fathersPT session at a park or community settingSlide21
Feedback from Participating Fathers
Rely on participating fathers for recruitment and feedbackAssign someone in the agency the task of father involvement and recruitmentFather Assessment ToolsDFAASlide22
Hiring Male Providers & PD Efforts
University programs should target male students Staff training on father involvement strategiesKnowledge of the importance of father involvementSlide23
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
)Slide24
Strategies to Increase Father Involvement
Strategies for Practitioners/Program AdministratorsDevelop “father friendly” activities Provide incentives for participationAssist 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 developmentSlide25
Father Involvement Programs
Fathers-in-TrainingBirth to 18 yearsEducation on health, parenting, financial responsibility; Aims to increase father engagementhttp://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/human-services/for-residents/Pages?Fathers-In-Training-FIT.aspxNational Center for FatheringBirth 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 literaturewww.fatherhood.orgUS Department of Health and Human ServicesBirth to five yearsProvides 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.shtmlSlide26Slide27Slide28
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. Slide29Slide30
kancel@siu.edu