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Fatherhood Initiative
Problem:
- Fatherhood Absence is a growing problem in America.
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 17.6 million children, nearly 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. That’s enough children to fill New York City twice or Los Angeles four times over. Research shows that a father's absence affects children in numerous unfortunate ways, while a father's presence makes a positive difference in the lives of both children and mothers. U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Living arrangements of children under 18 years old: 1960 to present. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic.
- The National Center for Fathering reports that: “71% of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills; children from father-absent homes are more likely to be truant from school, more likely to be excluded from school, more likely to leave school at age 16, and less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood. | SOURCE: Edward Kruk, Ph.D., “The Vital Importance of Paternal Presence in Children’s Lives.” May 23, 2012. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/co-parenting-afterdivorce/201205/father-absence-father-deficit-father-hunger.
Goal:
- The Prince William County Fatherhood Initiative (PWCFI) exists to empower and educate fathers to serve the best interests of their children through the maintenance of healthy home environments and the development of strong relationships.
Objectives:
- The program helps ALL FATHERS increase contact with their children.
- MILITARY FATHERS re-acclimate to the parenting role following deployment.
- INCARCERATED/FORMERLY INCARCERATED FATHERS strengthen familial bonds with their children following incarceration.
- NON-CUSTODIAL/NON-RESIDENTIAL FATHERS develop and maintain the motivation to financially support their children.
- TEEN FATHERS develop the maturity to remain actively present and relevant in their children’s lives.
PWCFI Service Continuum
- Learn
Participating fathers learn how to become involved, committed and responsible parents through their participation in either the 24:7 Dad (for in-community fathers) or Inside Out Dad (for detained fathers) educational workshops, as well as Fatherhood Focus educational forums. The educational workshops are held at designated sites in the Woodbridge and Manassas areas, educational forums at public libraries and community centers. The educational forums are free to the public and are designed to educate attendees about the father absence problem and to encourage more fathers to register for available PWCFI workshops.
- Support
Educational workshop graduates are presented with the opportunity to receive additional support (if needed) through their participation in the PWCFI’s Support Group. Two separate groups will be offered – the first the 1st Monday of each month at a designated site in Woodbridge, the second the 3rd Monday of each month at a designated site in Manassas. The PWCFI Support Group will reinforce lessons learned during the Learning Phase and will assist PWCFI staff in identifying participating fathers in need of social service fast tracking.
- Collaborate
A segment of each Support Group meeting is dedicated to obtaining feedback from participating fathers. This solicited feedback is used to make improvements to the program. More than anything, participating fathers are engaged in conversations about the Father Absence problem with the goal of collectively developing strategies for stemming the problem in Prince William County.
- Serve
Participating fathers are challenged to identify school- and community-based opportunities to serve their children and other fathers’ children.
Available Services
Expand all- 24:7 Dad Workshops
Register here for twelve-session workshops, held weekly at designated sites, for in-community fathers to teach them how to become more involved, responsible and committed fathers whether they reside with or without their children.
- Inside Out Dad Workshops
Register here for six-session workshops, held weekly at detention centers, for incarcerated fathers or formerly incarcerated fathers to teach them how to become more involved, responsible and committed fathers during and after long-term incarceration.
- Fatherhood Focus Forums
Public learning events held at public libraries and community centers where facilitators and guest speakers educate residents about the Father Absence problem and encourage more parenting men to remain actively present in their children’s lives. Learn more about upcoming Fatherhood Focus forums.
- Fatherhood Engagement Individual Consultations
Participating fathers meeting individually for 45 minutes with the Fatherhood Engagement Coordinator. The goal is to help them establish individualized goals for familial harmony and prosperity.