FATHER Project

2010 Summary
 Child
Well-being

Promoting
Healthy
Fatherhood
Men’s Family
Development Context

Community
Development
The Crisis of Fatherhood:
Low-Income Communities

Incarceration rates are increasing for men in
communities of color

More children born to never-married parents: grew to
3 of 10 births overall
 Among African American children: 7 of 10
 Among Hispanic children: 4 of 10
 Among Native American children: 6 of 10

Individual and Family Issues: Domestic violence,
alcohol/drug abuse, mental health, child welfare/child
protection, and teen pregnancy
 The Crisis of Fatherhood:
Socio-economic and political
crises faced by young men of color

Low educational attainment

High rates of unemployment and under-
employment

High rate of arrest and incarceration

Intergenerational poverty; structural racism
Positive Father Involvement:
Benefits for children and youth

Children learn more and exhibit higher levels of

academic achievement

Greater empathy, self esteem, and creativity

Higher verbal skills and higher scores in
cognitive competence

Results hold true for both resident and non-
resident fathers and across social class
Positive Father Involvement:
Protective / Preventive factors
for children and youth

Lower rates of truancy

Lower rates of juvenile delinquency

Decreases in substance abuse and criminal
behaviors among adolescents

Lower frequency of disruptive behavior,
depression, sadness, and dishonesty
Positive Father Involvement:
Benefits for men and women

Men gain heightened expression of emotion

Men experience expanded ability for caring and
nurturance

Men demonstrate higher civic engagement

Mother-child attachment increases

Opportunities for enhanced relationships, co-
parenting and and mutual family support are
increased.
FATHER Project Partners

Hennepin County Child Support

Central Minnesota Legal Services

Parents as Teachers/Meld

African American Family Services

Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)

The Division of Indian Work

Way To Grow

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)

William Doherty, PhD, The University of Minnesota

Minneapolis Public Schools / Adult Basic Education

Project for Pride in Living

Minnesota Fathers and Families Network
“Empowering fathers to overcome barriers
that prevent them from supporting their
children economically and emotionally”
 The FATHER Project:
Solution-Focused

We believe that the positive involvement of

both parents is important to the healthy
development of children and increases their
chances of leading a safe, happy childhood.
 The FATHER Project
What services are offered?

Intensive Case Management

Parenting and Empowerment Groups

Child Support Services

Legal Services

Employment Services

GED Services/Education

Mental Health Services

Father and Family Activities

Citizen Father Project / Community Action
FATHER Project:
Description of Participants (2010)

Average Age = 29 Years

48% lack High School Diploma

31% are ex-offenders; majority have criminal
background

All are low-income, more than 90% are non-
custodial parents

African American (51%),Latino (23%), Native
American (12%), Caucasian (13%)

Residence: Hennepin (77%), Ramsey (13%),
Other (10%)
 FATHER Project: Latino and Native American Enrollments (2006-2010)
70

60
59
55

50

46
40

34 Latino
31 Native American
30
31

20 18

10
9
3
3
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Located in the heart of the Phillips neighborhood,
South Minneapolis
A welcoming environment for dads and families…
 FATHER Project Team: Randy Johnson, Guy Bowling,
Carmen Otero (CLUES), Michelle Bell, Robert Wesley, Ira
Dixon and Dwight Vinson
 FATHER Project On-Site Service Providers

Judie Haughton and Nicole Martin, Samuel Simmons

Hennepin County Child Support African American Family Services

Walter Burk Kathy Dobovsky & Willie Lorsung

Central Minnesota Legal Services GED Preparation Services
In 2010, 247 fathers enrolled in the FATHER Project’s
intensive program.
In 2010, FATHER Project reported 44 job placements with an
average wage of $9.87/hour
In 2009, FATHER Project participants, despite significant
barriers to employment, paid 51% of child support owed.
195 participants attended the child support orientation.
 Percentage of Child Support Paid: FATHER Project and
Hennepin County "JOBS" Participants (2007 - 2009)

60

51

50 46
44

40
33
31

FATHER Project
30
JOBS (discontinued in
2009)

20

10

0
0
2007 2008 2009
In 2010, FATHER Project offered 90 “Meld” parenting support
groups to 279 fathers; 42 fathers completed the curriculum
In 2010, in partnership with CLUES, FATHER Project offered
43 Latino Parenting Group sessions, 115 dads and 22 moms
attended; 40 participants completed the curriculum
 2010 Parenting Group Impact: Before/After Results (n=63)

26.7
30.0

25.0
18.7

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
Pre-Score Post-Score
 2010 Parenting Group Impact: Before/After Item Results
(n=63)

5.00 4.61 4.69

4.42 4.46 4.38
4.30
4.50

4.00 3.64

3.19 3.27
3.50 3.11 3.15 3.15

3.00

2.50
Pre-Score
2.00 Post-Score

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
Ability to Make Support Child's Establishing Use of Positive Making home Knowledge about
Good Decisions Development routines, rules, Discipline with my safe for my child responding to my
for Self and through Play, and limits for my child child's social and
Family Reading, and child emotional needs
Spending Time
 2010 was a record-breaking year for our GED Program:
159 students completed the intake, students passed a total of
158 subtests, and 25 students earned their GED Degree.
In 2010, the FATHER Project implemented 33 “Play and
Learn” sessions, a skill-building parenting group.
26 dads, 15 moms, and 62 children attended.
 In 2010, 18 fathers participated in the “Citizen Father Project”
leadership and community action initiative. The men provided 13
community presentations and a total of 339 service hours.
 FATHER Project History:
Fundamentals of the Model

Built around responding to real needs of fathers

Reflects a maturating fatherhood field:
economic and emotional support, positive father
involvement, and co-parenting

The model connects public/private systems

Grounded in an approach that honors women
and focuses on early childhood development

Collaborative approach, molded to fit the context
of different communities
The FATHER Project
A vision for the future
 FATHER Project
Shaping the Future: Beyond 2011

Meet grant goals of the Federal Responsible
Fatherhood Initiative (ongoing)

Sustain, expand and replicate the FATHER
Project’s holistic model (in progress)

Train and educate staff across agencies

Disseminate evaluation results and promising
practices

Integrate services within other fields, such as
Early Childhood, Re-Entry and Co-Parent Court
 FATHER Project
Evaluation Results / Dissemination

Standard measure of Parenting Attitudes
(AAPI-2)

Impact of Parenting Groups and Employment
Readiness Training (Retrospective Surveys)

Child Support data (aggregate annual data)

Father – Child Interaction (internal form)

Return on Investment Project (Wilder Research
Center)

Replication manual (completed, version 1)
FATHER Project:
Timeline for ongoing
collaboration
New Opportunities (2011 – beyond)
Sustain, expand, and replicate services.

Building for the Future (2009 – 2010)

Solidify partnerships; secure funding.

Planning for the Future (2008 – 2009)

Strategic planning process.

Current Federal Grant (2006 – 2011)

Increased collaboration and diversified enrollment.
Guy Bowling, Program Manager
gbowling@goodwilleasterseals.org

Andrew Freeberg, Program Director

afreeberg@goodwilleasterseals.org