Empowered Fathers Have a Big Impact

Evidence demonstrates that fathers play a critical role in children’s health and development, beginning in the prenatal period and continuing through early childhood and adolescence. As health professionals, it’s important to let fathers know that they need and deserve support.

Empower Fathers as Advocates for Children’s Health

Fathers can serve as powerful allies for maternal and child health. Intentionally talking to fathers about their impact and what they can do at every stage of their children’s lives will empower them as champions for children’s health and well-being.

Read more from NICHQ CEO Scott Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, about the important role fathers play in supporting children during infancy and early childhood, and the significant barriers to involvement that fathers face.
Learn strategies to help make fathers visible in MCH from fatherhood expert Kenn Harris, NICHQ Executive Project Director and Engagement Lead.

Equity Table: Fatherhood in the Age of Mass Incarceration

NICHQ's Healthy Start Technical Assitance and Support Center (HS TASC) recently facilitated a conversation about fatherhood in the age of mass incarceration during our recent Equity Table.

The insightful conversation included members of the HS TASC team, Healthy Start's Kevin Sherman, and experts Dr. Art James and The Sentencing Project’s Marc Mauer.

The Equity Table is a series of roundtable conversations that explore the racism and inequities communities of color face in the United States, today and historically. Specifically, this series focuses on the persistent disparities seen among Black and Native communities, both in maternal and child health outcomes and beyond.

Watch the Recording

Resources for Supporting Fathers and Families

A Grandfather’s Passion to Transform Early Childhood Systems

David Armstrong's grandson was born into a neighborhood where drug use was common, and poverty and gang violence were pervasive. He was born into a home where his parents struggled with substance abuse and where their fighting sometimes ended in domestic violence. He is one of too many children born into circumstances that illustrate why families need better supports and better systems. Here, Armstrong shares their story.

Promoting Fathers’ Mental Health During Children's Early Childhood

Father involvement has significant benefits for everyone involved. But too often, social expectations about masculinity and structural barriers make it difficult for fathers to get involved, especially during the early years of life.

Supporting the Whole Family: Fathers in Infant Health Outcomes

Cam, a father in Massachusetts, wants to lift the message that supporting the whole family is essential to child development. After becoming a father at 16, Cam connected to some community-based resources but says that more targeted efforts should be made available to fathers. Here, he shares a story that raises issues about fathers’ barriers to support and resources — and the impact of their engagement on child health outcomes.

Supporting Father's Mental Health Infographic

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re sharing a social media toolkit and infographic to raise awareness and share resources that can change the way the world sees mental health. Download these resources to use on your own social channels and make sure to tag @NICHQ so we can like and share your post.