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United Way Blog

Community Supports Dads Involvement in Child’s Life

Research shows that children with an involved father or father figure are more successful in life.  When fathers engage in the lives of their children, those kids demonstrate better social behavior and do better in school.

According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, not only do kids benefit from an actively engaged father, but dads profit too.  Fathers are just as likely as moms to see parenting as central to their identity.  In fact, 54% of dads say parenting is rewarding all the time, compared to 52% of moms.

In support of dads in Corpus Christi, TX, United Way of the Coastal Bend and the Success By 6 Coalition hosted their second annual “Celebrating Dads” event.  Designed to raise awareness of the benefits of a father’s involvement in a child’s life, the event celebrated, informed, and engaged men in a free and fun environment. 

Complete with carnival games, educational goodie bags for both kids and dads, and countless parenting resources, “Celebrating Dads” gathered the community in the spirit of fun and support.

“Spending time with my son whether it’s Father’s Day or not is extremely important to me,” said Charles, who attended the event.  “I liked going to a fun event I could take my son to, especially since Father’s Day gets less attention than Mother’s Day. Usually the resources and information are targeted for women, so it was good to see that fathers can get that information too as well as resources for us.”

Today, dads are playing an increasingly more critical role in the development of their children.

According to the American Community Survey based off of the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau for Nueces County, TX, an estimated 36% of children under six years old and 34% of six to 11 year-olds have fathers who do not live at home. 

The Success By 6 Early Childhood Coalition, a United Way program, aims to ensure all children in the Coastal Bend area arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. Focusing on the needs of the whole child – their physical, intellectual and emotional health – Success By 6 assists families and child care workers to deliver the care, support and education needed to prepare kids for success at kindergarten.

“I am so passionate about this part of my work not only because this activity brings community awareness, but also we are providing information to change how we communicate with fathers through various community support systems and programs,” said Sherry Peterson, Director of Success By 6.   

“Fathers who are doing well need affirmation and fathers who are struggling need our support.”