PITTSBORO — Since its debut in 1999, a program offered by the Chatham County Public Health Department has helped prepare nearly 400 new fathers for the challenging role of a lifetime.
Called Focus on Fathers, the unique program — it’s one of only two formal programs in North Carolina aimed at fostering better fathers — helps equip new dads with a variety of skills to make them better parents and providers, particularly during a child’s critical early years of development.
“The objectives of the Focus on Fathers program are to increase Chatham fathers’ family and life-skills competencies to prepare them for a life-long role of mentoring their children, to address emotional support and provide life-skills training, and to promote father-child bonding through recreational and educational activities,” said Shannon Godbout, a social research associate for the department.
“To meet these objectives,” she said, “the Focus on Fathers team provides one-on-one assistance and support through home visits as well as group meetings and skill-building sessions.”
Focus on Fathers also offers job training and GED preparation in partnership with N.C. Works through Central Carolina Community College as well as a support group, kid’s playtime, educational time, and goal setting, Godbout said.
Parents with children up to 5 years of age may participate in the program.
The Focus on Fathers program also offers job training and GED preparation in partnership with N.C. Works through Central Carolina Community College as well as a support group, kid’s playtime, educational time, and goal setting. Godbout said.
SmartStart funding is provided to the Focus on Fathers program by the Chatham County Partnership for Children, which focuses its efforts on children’s development from 0-5 years.
Focus on Fathers — a collaborative effort involving a number of agencies including Chatham County Department of Social Services, Chatham County Clerk of Court, Chatham County Schools, Chatham Literacy, Chatham County Communities in Schools, and the Chatham County Partnership for Children — was launched here in the late 1990s after then-Gov. Jim Hunt held a SmartStart summit addressing “the declining role of men in young children’s lives,” said Genevieve Megginson, executive director of the Chatham County Partnership for Children.
“We also were motivated by research,” she said.
For example, research in the field of child development found that children whose fathers read to them at a young age are more successful in high school, Megginson said.
“Parents want to be connected to their kids,” said Megginson. “Sometimes they need a little extra support.”
Megginson underscored the importance of a concept known as “serve and return,” which is interaction between a child and significant adults in their lives. This back-and-forth interaction — talking, making faces — between young child and parent is fundamental in the development of a child’s brain.
“It’s how children learn to talk,” Megginson said, “and it’s how they learn their emotions, just to name two things.”
In developing Focus on Fathers, Megginson said, “We realized we had a lot of fathers in trouble.”
They may have been involved in the court system, or facing other obstacles interfering with their ability to be a parent.
“Dads needed support,” Megginson said.
Focus on Fathers was created to offer that support.
And though the program is now in its 20th year, its value hasn’t diminished with time.
“It’s more important than ever,” said Megginson. “We know even more now about how critical those early years are. The first three years are so critical.”
The program is offered year-round and is designed to serve 20 clients at a time. Services are provided in both English and Spanish.
“Focus on Fathers is individually focused on clients,” Godbout said, “so the time clients are engaged in the program typically ranges from six months to two years.”
The program employs “fatherhood specialists from the community, including a Spanish-speaking specialist who focuses on clients from the Hispanic population,” Godbout said. “Attention is also given to provide culturally appropriate services and training.”
Since its inception, more than 370 Chatham County clients have taken part in the program.
“The program is often full and does currently have a short wait list, but program staff work hard to make sure that all potential clients needing services get the support they need,” Godbout said.
Focus on Fathers has been proven effective.
“The Focus on Fathers program has been evaluated by Nova Southeastern University,” Godbout said. “Fathers also complete a pre- and post-assessment called the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI) that assesses attitudes and risks across five domains.”
Megginson said many fathers who complete the program have expressed how beneficial it was.
“So many dads have said how much it helped them,” said Megginson. “They feel like, ‘Well, I am important.”
For more information, or to enroll in the Focus on Fathers program, contact Anthony Izzard at anthony.izzard@chathamnc.org or 919-545-8382 or Nellie Benitez at nellie.benitez@chathamnc.org or 919-545-8340. Additional information can also be found at www.chathamnc.org/focusonfathers.
Randall Rigsbee can be reached at rigsbee@chathamnr.com.