Head Start’s Fatherhood Focus

We need to restore a culture that uplifts men in their role as fathers.

by Dr. Wade F. Horn

Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., was named the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on July 30, 2001. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Horn was President of the National Fatherhood Initiative, whose mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the number of children growing up with involved, committed, and responsible fathers in their lives. From 1989-1993, Dr. Horn was the Commissioner for Children, Youth and Families and Chief of the Children’s Bureau in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. He also served as a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on children from 1990-1993 and was a member of the National Commission on Childhood Disability from 1994-1995 and the U.S. Advisory Board on Welfare Indicators from 1996-1997. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Horn was the Director of Outpatient Psychological Services at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University. From 1993-2001, Dr. Horn was also an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute and an affiliate scholar with the Hudson Institute. In this article, Dr Horn responds to questions about father involvement in Head Start.

What is it about fathers and fathering that makes dads unique and irreplaceable?
Children do best in life when they grow up with the active, positive involvement of both a mother and father. Whatever the measure—physical and emotional health, educational achievement, behavior, substance abuse, crime or delinquency—children are more likely to lead healthy, productive lives when both their mother and father are actively involved in their lives in positive ways. This is because moms and dads tend to parent differently, at least in some important ways, and their complementary parenting skills and attitudes combine to give children the best environment in which to grow up healthy and successful.

Why is incorporating fatherhood programming into Head Start so important? How will it improve child outcomes?
Because of the importance of fathers to the healthy development of their children, our goal should be to strengthen the role of responsible and loving fathers in the lives of their children. Under the direction of President George W. Bush, Head Start is committed to taking a leadership role in fostering the positive involvement of fathers with their children. Studies from all sides of the philosophical spectrum have shown that children in similar situations do better on a host of outcomes, including educational achievement and physical and emotional health, when raised with responsible, loving, involved, and committed fathers in their lives.

What would a father-friendly Head Start program look like?
A father-friendly Head Start program will seek out fathers wherever they are in the community—whether at the barber shop, in the workplace, or on the playground. Also, the program will schedule fatherhood activities at times that work for fathers and will do everything to welcome fathers—from hiring staff that can communicate well with fathers to including posters on the wall that imply, “This is a place where a man can be comfortable spending time.” Program staff will collect information to help them understand the fathers in their community—how many are married, how many are living with their children, how many are employed, and their cultural backgrounds.

These are just a few thoughts. More can be learned from the Building Blocks for Father Involvement and from the videos that complement the Building Blocks series.

How would you suggest a Head Start program start to incorporate a fatherhood focus into their program? In other words, what are the first steps?
I would tell them a few things. First, look at your program. Imagine you are a father visiting for the first time. Does it look and feel welcoming? Help your staff explore any concerns or misconceptions about fathers that may get in the way of an effective fatherhood program. Learn about the fathers of the children in your program and your community. What do they need and how will you meet them where they are? Maybe that is the biggest piece of initial advice I can give—be willing to meet fathers where they are in terms of their issues and needs.

Some Head Start programs have already taken to heart the importance of father involvement. How can they ensure that they continue to “stretch” themselves and to operate on the cutting-edge of fatherhood programming?
We have just added fatherhood as an area of focus in our new Technical Assistance (TA) program. Be sure to explore with your TA Parent Involvement Specialist how to continually expand and improve your fatherhood program. For example, fatherhood should be a component of your TA budget, whether by sending staff to training seminars or bringing in expert consultants. Also, be sure to provide training about fatherhood to all staff, not just your parent involvement or male outreach coordinator. Some of the most interesting research and demonstration work going on in the fatherhood movement involves low-income fathers. Your regional TA specialist can help you incorporate the findings of this research into your own work.

How will we know if Head Start father involvement efforts are successful?
We should be concerned with program outcomes such as the number of Head Starts with fatherhood programs and fatherhood outreach staff and the percentage of Head Start programs with fatherhood as part of their TA budget.

There are other outcomes we should look at, including the number of fathers involved in the Head Start program, whether the types of activities offered are relevant and helpful to fathers, and the perceptions fathers have of the Head Start program.

Most important, of course, are child outcomes: physical and emotional health, school readiness, and overall child wellbeing.

Does this mean we should not focus our outreach on mothers?
Of course not. Head Start will continue to work closely with mothers of children enrolled in the program. But fathers also play a major role in the lives of children and families. Consequently, we need to restore a culture that uplifts men in their role as fathers—not just as economic providers, but as nurturers, disciplinarians, teachers, and role models. The fatherfriendly Head Start program was created to do just that. Combined with our existing efforts, we can promote the great roles of both parents—mothers and fathers—and, in so doing, improve the lives of children and families.

Dr. Wade F. Horn is the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families.