Engaging Fathers: The Westside Father Involvement Program

“What you live with, you learn; what you learn, you practice; what you practice, you become.”

This is the adage Peter Maldonado uses to inspire fathers who participate in the Westside Father Involvement Program in Patterson. The Father Involvement Program is for dads who participate in Welfare to Work which is a program that helps individuals receiving CalWORKS cash aid to obtain or prepare for employment.

The goal of the Father Involvement Program is to encourage fathers to be engaged in the lives of their children, and also to show them that there are people out there who care about helping them receive the emotional and concrete support they may need to be a good father. Fathers are role models for their children, and it is important to engage fathers in order to help them break generational patterns of behavior that are negative and encourage generational patterns of behavior that are positive.

“We engage them as soon as they walk through the door,” said Peter Maldonado, coordinator of the Westside Father Involvement Program, “we welcome them and make sure they know they aren’t being looked at as another case number.”

Father Involvement meetings include class hours and activity hours during which fathers spend time doing an activity with their child. There are also sometimes group outings for dads and their children to fun events like Modesto Nuts games.

During class hours, dads are encouraged to think about their relationship with their own father and think about what words they would use to describe him. They are then asked, in fifteen or twenty years, what do they want their children to say about them if they are asked the same question? This allows them to reflect on the type of example of fatherhood they lived with as a child and how it affects their own parenting practice and the type of father they are or want to become.

Another way in which dads are engaged besides through class and activity hours is through monthly Dad Cafes. At Dad Cafes, fathers can enjoy morning coffee with others who are going through similar experiences. At Dad Cafes, they learn about the Five Protective Factors that families need to lower risks of hardship in their lives. Dads learn what the Five Protective Factors are and then discuss questions about how those factors apply to fatherhood and specifically to their own parenting.

Another part of the program is Daddy Tool Kits (pictured above). Daddy Tool Kits are boxes given to fathers that are full of items like games, potty training sets, toys or other items that are age appropriate for their child. The tool kits encourage dads to spend quality time with their children to help them bond and create a connection.

Many fathers face challenges that prevent them from being able to engage in their children’s lives the way they would like to. Some of these challenges include financial support, having and maintaining a job, lack of co-parent support for single dads and low self-esteem. All of these factors can make a father feel apathetic or discouraged and therefore not want to attend Father Involvement meetings.

Some of these fathers have not previously felt comfortable discussing the issues that are talked about during program meetings. Therefore, the goal of the program is to help these fathers feel like they are in a safe space to talk and not feel threatened. As Peter said, “when they feel safe, it’s beautiful to watch.” The Father Involvement Program creates a culture of understanding and a network of support for dads that may have previously felt alone. The program focuses on developing and recognizing strengths. These dads are already strong, even if they don’t see their strengths yet.