GERMANTOWN, Md. – June 2023 – 24:7 Dad®, the flagship fatherhood program of National Fatherhood Initiative®, has achieved a new milestone: 20 years of educating thousands of fathers across the U.S. to be involved, responsible, and committed dads 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Twenty years ago, National Fatherhood Initiative® created 24:7 Dad®—a fatherhood curriculum based on research that shows fathers are essential to the emotional, physical, and social development of their children,” said Christopher Brown, President of National Fatherhood Initiative®. “We are proud of the program's lasting impact on fathers, children, and families. As our work to build capacity in human service organizations to serve fathers continues, 24:7 Dad® is vital to helping fathers develop positive fathering skills.”
24:7 Dad® is an evidence-based fatherhood program used by hundreds of organizations across the U.S. to improve the knowledge, behavior, and skills of diverse dads. The program is built on the basis that fathers can be nurturers, and nurturing is a learned skill for men. Throughout the program, men examine their fatherhood history, learn the five characteristics of a 24:7 Dad®, and learn other essential behaviors such as working with mom and proper child discipline to help them be the best dads possible. Since 2003, National Fatherhood Initiative® has trained more than 6,200 individuals to facilitate 24:7 Dad®.
Now in its third edition, NFI has improved 24:7 Dad® using based on independent academic evaluations and suggestions made by facilitators in the field and fathers who have participated in it. Its flexible design allows the program to be delivered in various settings, including group and one-on-one sessions, in-person and virtually. Two versions of the program are available: 24:7 Dad® A.M. and 24:7 Dad® P.M. 24:7 Dad® A.M. covers basic fathering skills and topics, while 24:7 Dad® P.M. covers deeper fathering skills and topics.
“24:7 Dad® is at the top of a short list of curricula that the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families recommends to organizations seeking to seed and sustain fatherhood services in Kentucky,” said David Cozart, Chief Visionary Officer for the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families. “The agility of 24:7 Dad® makes it ideal for use in a variety of settings, among a diverse population of fathers. It increases participants’ knowledge of what it means to be a responsible father, and dads leave the program feeling like a more equipped parent.”
National Fatherhood Initiative® comes alongside human service organizations and practitioners with a strengths-based approach to father engagement training, evidence-based and evidence-informed fatherhood programs, and other educational materials to help them be more father-inclusive. In addition to developing parent education skills, fathers who participate in the organization’s 24:7 Dad® program encourage other dads to take care of themselves so they can care for and be there for their children.
Healthy father involvement is associated with better outcomes on nearly every measure of child well-being. Skills taught in 24:7 Dad®, such as building resiliency, developing pro-fathering attitudes, and knowing where to get support, can reduce the risk of child maltreatment. Independent research shows that the program increases pro-fathering knowledge, attitudes, and skills, and reduces the risk of child abuse and neglect.
For more information on National Fatherhood Initiative® and the 24:7 Dad® program, visit http://www.fatherhood.org.
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About National Fatherhood Initiative®
National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI) was founded in 1994 to reverse our nation’s destructive trend toward father absence. Today, nearly 20 million American children live in homes where their biological fathers do not live. Yet, the fact remains that millions of families interact with human-service organizations every year that are primarily mother-focused. Therefore, NFI’s mission is to increase father involvement by equipping human service organizations and communities with the father engagement training, programs, and resources they need to be father-inclusive. Our vision is that all human service organizations and communities are proactively father-inclusive so that every child has an involved, responsible, and committed father.
Accordingly, we accomplish our mission by:
- Educating all Americans, especially fathers, through social media, earned media, research, and free resources.
- Equipping organizations and communities with fatherhood programs and resources through training, planning, and technical assistance services.
- Engaging and assisting organizations and communities in mobilizing at the micro- and macro-level to increase fathers' involvement in children’s lives.
For more information on NFI, visit http://www.fatherhood.org.
