Making Room for Daddy
February 25, 2003

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Session Summary

Welcome (Eric Snow and Greg Patton)

Biological Father to Committed Parent (Vivian Gadsden)

Improving Public Policies for Dads (Wendell Primus)

The Role of Men/Fathers in the Lives of Children, Families, and Communities (Johnny Rice, II)

Conclusion

Session Summary

On February 25, 2003, MCC hosted "Making Room for Daddy," the first session of its 2003 Professional Education Series, Women's Health, Children's Futures. Nationally known experts on fatherhood spoke on diverse subjects at the session, such as the importance of education in father identity formation, the dilemma of low-income fathers in the child support enforcement system, and the role of fatherhood programs in assisting men in making the critical transition from biological father to dad.

Welcome
Eric Snow, former Philadelphia 76er and Recipient of 2002 Fatherhood Award National Fatherhood Initiative, Greg Patton, National Practitioner Network for Fathers and Families

Eric Snow, Philadelphia 76er, husband of MCC Board member DeShawn Snow, and father of E.J., Darius, and Jarren Snow opened the session. Snow is also the founder of "Eric's Challenge," a community outreach program designed to help Philadelphia-area families build stronger foundations by focusing on father-son relationships. Snow shared his conviction that the most important thing a father can do is spend time with his child. He encouraged fathers to "start a trend" by having fun with their children and by supporting other fathers to do the same. According to Snow, strong fathers give their sons the knowledge and emotional well being to avoid many of the problems that teenagers and young adults face.

The session moderator, Greg Patton, thanked Snow for his support of MCC, and shared some of his own thoughts on fatherhood programs and policy with the audience. Patton is currently the Family Support Coordinator for the School District of Philadelphia, and has twenty-five years experience working with teen fathers. He serves on the boards of the National Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families and Maternity Care Coalition. Patton explained that in most legislative policy, and program circles, "family" exclusively means mother and child, not father. Historically, public policy has contributed to this construction by making it more economically beneficial for the father in a low-income family to disappear. Patton reminded policymakers and direct service providers that the ultimate goal of their work is to improve the life chance of children, and that having both parents in children's lives increases their chances for socioeconomic success.

Biological Father to Committed Parent: Research Perspectives on the Role of Fathers
Dr. Vivian Gadsden, National Center on Fathers and Families University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Vivian Gadsden, director of the National Center on Fathers and Families at the University of Pennsylvania, presented "Transitions to Adulthood - The Case of Young Fathers." In her presentation, Gadsden raised a series of questions derived from her research about different types of policy and program supports that ensure positive outcomes for young fathers. By sharing case studies of young, low-income fathers, Gadsden demonstrated some of the implications of education and employment in their lives. After discussing some of the other issues that young fathers face such as race and racism, the criminal justice system, and relationships with their own fathers, Gadsden offered a set of recommendations. By bringing the issue of fatherhood to schools, by making fatherhood a national priority, and by increasing local knowledge and collaboration between fatherhood agencies, national and local fatherhood programs can truly support young men in their transition to fatherhood. More information on the research done by NCOFF, including a database of fatherhood resources, can be found at http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu.

How Can We Improve Public Policies for Dads?
Wendell Primus, Joint Economic Committee, US Congress

Wendell Primus is the Minority Staff Director of the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress and Chair of the Board of the Center on Fathers, Families, and Public Policy. In his presentation, "Improving Child Well-Being by focusing on Low-Income Noncustodial Parents", Primus examined the influences of public policy on father involvement. He explained that the current child support enforcement practices do not ensure that low-income noncustodial parents have the resources or the incentives to support their children in the most efficient manner. Because of employment barriers for low-income males and declining real wages for men without college degrees, most low-income males cannot afford to make the child support payments required of them. In addition, because of the minimal amount of child support that actually go to the child, as well as the current arrearage policies, child support policies often increase the poverty of low-income males without greatly increasing the economic well being of their children. Primus recommended major policy changes to amend the inefficiencies and disincentives to participate in the current child support system. Some of his recommendations included: increasing public sector jobs for dads; providing public benefits, such as medical support, to low-income fathers; increasing the percentage of child support that goes to the child; and adding more earning subsidies for fathers who make their payments. Primus ended by saying that in the current budget climate, with an administration focused on the marriage solution, strong advocacy efforts at the state level on national legislation are imperative.

The Role of Men/Fathers in the Lives of Children, Families and Communities: Can This Work?
Johnny Rice II, Center for Fathers, Families, & Workforce Development, Inc.

The final speaker for this session was Johnny Rice II, the Director of Men's Services for the Center for Fathers, Families, and Workforce Development (CFWD), a model fatherhood program in Baltimore, Maryland. Johnny discussed his program and how to assist low-income fathers both economically and socially. CFWD seeks to empower the men it serves by supporting them to increase their personal power to benefit their families and communities, as well as increase their employability. Eight percent of the fathers CFWD supports are unemployed when they enter the program. Many have struggled with drugs, incarceration, and the influence of negative role models in their lives. CFWD does outreach to men in a number of locations, including the streets, homeless shelters, governmental agencies, faith communities, correctional institutions, as well as hospitals and clinics. The fathers attend support groups at CFWD, in which they not only discuss their lives, but also are given information from CFWD. In addition, CFWD runs STRIVE Baltimore, a voluntary workforce development program that provides low-income fathers with job skills, training, and connections to potential employers. Rice closed by offering suggestions to programs looking to empower fathers. He stated that with a clearly defined mission and the foresight and preparation to handle challenges from site visits to economic downturns, fatherhood programs can make a difference in the lives of the men and families that they serve.

Conclusion

Johnny's presentation was followed by an informative question and answer session during which a variety of topics were discussed, such as funding of fatherhood programs, the role of professional women in agencies that serve fathers, racism in the lives of fathers of color, and the re-entry of imprisoned fathers into society. The moderator Greg Patton encouraged the audience to reflect on the degree to which their own programs are father-friendly. Finally, JoAnne Fischer, Executive Director of Maternity Care Coalition, closed the session by reminding the audience that at this critical juncture in government and politics, with the upcoming TANF reauthorization, Medicaid cuts, and fatherhood agencies in particular. She encouraged providers and policymakers to face these challenges through collaboration and cooperation, by meeting one another and building their programs together.