Minnesota Fatherhood Summit St. Cloud, MN January 23, 2007 Men Positively Impacting the Lives of Young Children Vander Green, FCP Specialist Region V Head Start This document is confidential and is intended solely for the use and information of the client to whom it is addressed.

1Filename/RPS Number Overview .Father involvement has a unique impact on children’s outcomes, including cognitive development, achievement, math and reading scores, as well as behavioral problems. The fact that this benefit is here should raise concern to those who do not have these resources.  Over the past four decades, absent fatherhood has emerged as one of our greatest social problems. We know that children who grow up with absent fathers can suffer lasting damage. They are more likely to end up in poverty or drop out of school.  The single biggest social problem in our society may be the growing absence of fathers from their children’s homes because it contributes to so many other social problems. Without a father to help guide, without a father to care, without a father to teach boys to be men, and teach girls to expect respect from men, it’s harder.

2Filename/RPS Number Research Findings  There is substantial evidence regarding significant associations between positive father involvement and offspring well-being.  Having a loving and nurturing father is as important for a child’s happiness, well-being, and social and academic success as having a loving and nurturing mother.  Fathers are important contributors to child development because they significantly affect the development of sex roles, cognitive abilities and achievement motivation.  Children who have an involved father in their lives in the early years show up for school with more of the qualities needed for learning. They are more patient, curious and confident.  Children with involved fathers generally have higher levels of self-esteem and higher social skills, including positive interactions with others.  Children with involved fathers generally have lowered levels of disruptive behavior and “acting out.”

3Filename/RPS Number Research Findings (continued)  Studies have shown that children who had fathers who read to them regularly were more likely to do much better in many cognitive skill categories than children who did not have fathers who read to them.  Well-fathered preschool boys and girls had increased verbal skill compared with kids with absent or overbearing fathers.  Father involvement in the early months of a child’s life contributes to increased intellectual, motor, and physical development.  Father-involved children are more confident and successful in solving complex mathematical and logical problems.  Preschool children who had involved fathers had higher cognitive competencies on standardized intellectual assessments.

4Filename/RPS Number Pre-Birth and the Early Years  Infants who have involved fathers in their lives for the first eighteen to twenty-four months of life are more secure and are more likely to explore the world around them with increased enthusiasm and curiosity than children who did not have close, involved fathers.  Father’s active play and slower response to help the child through frustrating situations promotes problem-solving competencies and independence in the child.  The strongest indicator for a child being empathetic later in adulthood was warm father involvement during the early years of the child’s life.  Fathers must identify their roles with infants and toddlers and begin planning time for their children while the mother is pregnant.  Fathers can dialogue with pregnant moms concerning their roles and expectations for child rearing when the newborn arrives.

5Filename/RPS Number Pre-Birth and the Early Years (continued)  Fathers and mothers should nurture positive relationships with each other in the best interest of the child.  Fathers are compelled to form secure attachments with their small children.

6Filename/RPS Number The Parenting Factor  Fathers bring unique contributions to the job of parenting children that others cannot provide.  Fathers have a distinct style of communication and interaction with children. By eight weeks of age, infants can tell the difference between their mother or father in interactions.  Children are learning at an early age, that men and women are different and have different ways of dealing with life, other adults, and children.

7Filename/RPS Number It’s Playtime  Although mothers and fathers are both physical with their children, fathers are typically physical in different ways. Fathers tend to play with their children, and mothers tend to care for them.  Fathers generally engage in the exciting play activities (wrestling, tickling and chasing their children), while mothers oftentimes engage in “quieter” activities.  Children are able to learn methods of self-control and appropriate behaviors through playtime activities with their fathers.

8Filename/RPS Number Communication Factors  Mothers generally simplify their words to accommodate the child’s developmental level, while fathers are not as inclined to modify their language.  Fathers’ communication challenge the child to expand his/her vocabulary and linguistic skills, which is important for academic success.  Father’s talk tends to be more brief, directive and to the point. It also makes greater use of facial expressions and subtle body language. (Mothers tend to be more descriptive, personal, and verbally encouraging). Children need to be able to understand both styles.

9Filename/RPS Number “The World of Men”  Men and women ARE different. They cope with life differently. Stereotypically, fathers do man things and mothers do woman things.  Girls and boys who grow with a father are more familiar and secure with the world of men. Girls with involved fathers are more likely to have healthier, more confident relationships with boys in adolescence and men in adulthood.  Boys who grow up with dads are less likely to be violent. They have their masculinity affirmed and can learn from their fathers how to channel that masculinity and strength in positive ways.  Fathers can help boys understand appropriate male sexuality, hygiene and age-appropriate behavior.

10Filename/RPS Number Practical Strategies  Fathers should spend as much time as possible with their children, whether or not a cordial relationship with the mother exist.  Fathers can figure out what their children are interested in and find ways to do some of those things together.  Fathers can become involved in networking/support groups to enhance their knowledge and understanding of early childhood development.

11Filename/RPS Number Fathers Speak  “The most exciting day of my life was when I found out I was going to be a father…I could not believe it. My life has not been the same since my daughter was born.”  “Growing up without a father really encouraged me to be involved in the lives of my children. I did not want them to live without a father.”  “Being a dad is truly the toughest job you will ever love.”  “The greatest gift you can give a child is your time.”  “I became a father the moment I found out my wife was expecting!”  “I would like to believe that I am my child’s first role model.”