Off to school with dad

1. Off to school with dad • Dr Jeremy Davies • The Fatherhood institute

2. About the fatherhood institute • Advocating for involved fatherhood since1999 • Research summaries, policy reports, training and consultancy for professionals, employers & parents • Helping policymakers adapt to changing landscape of work and family life • Changing the national conversation.

3. Where are the dads? • What percentage of parents are in a couple relationship at the time of the birth? • 85% married or cohabiting • 5% non-cohabiting but self-define as a couple • 5% ‘good friends’ • 5% no relationship

4. Where are the dads? • What percentage of families attending children’s centres are headed by lone parents? • 19% • In what percentage of these families does the child have contact with the other parent? • 77% (and 25% say the other parent sees the child every day)

5. Where are the dads? • In couple households with children, if you add up time spent working and care-giving, who does the most on weekdays: • Mums do most / Dads do most / Roughly equal • Dads do 50 minutes longer

6. Why should we care about them?

7. What difference do they make? Overall, children with highly involved fathers tend to have: • Higher educational achievement • Increased emotional security • Greater capacity for empathy • Non-traditional attitudes to earning and childcare • Greater social mobility/earnings relative to parents’ • More satisfying adult sexual partnerships • Higher self-esteem and life-satisfaction • Lower adolescent risk behaviour and criminality (Sarkardiet al, 2008; Bronte-Tinkew et al, 2006; Menning, 2006; Flouri, 2005; Pleck & Masciadrelli, 2004)

8. Fathers’ impact on education: key points • Several reliable studies have shown that: • high levels of interest by a father in his child’s schooling and education, his high expectations for their achievement and his greater direct involvement in their learning, education and schools are associated with children’s: • better exam / test / class results • higher educational qualifications • greater progress at school • greater enjoyment of school • higher educational expectations • better behaviour AND reduced risk of suspension or expulsion (Goldman, 2005)

9. Fathers’ impact on reading: Key points • Time spent by fathers reading to very young children is the strategy most consistently associated with their early reading and writing skills (Clark, 2009) • When fathers of 1-2 year olds read lots of books to them, their children tend to be more interested in books later (Lyytinen et al, 1998) • Pre-schoolers whose dads read and talk to them a lot behave and concentrate better at nursery, and do better in maths as well (Baker, 2013) • Such early, sensitive involvement by dads continues to deliver benefits. At age 5, their children know and use more words, can pick out letters more accurately, and are better at problem solving; by 10, their vocabulary is wider and their maths skills better (McKelvey et al, 2010).

10. So how can we engage with fathers? • Over to you… • Take 5 minutes • Share your best ideas!

11. Engaging with fathers • Collect and update dads’ contact details: text, email, WhatsApp • All dads matter – not just biological • Address them directly. Use the F word (father) • In Grantham, Lincolnshire (2009) two health visitors conducted a comparative study in which one continued to use the standard letter about the primary birth visit (“Dear Parents”) while the other used a new, father-inclusive version (“Dear New Mum and Dad”). • With the standard letter 3 out of 15 dads attended. • With the father-inclusive letter 11 out of 16 dads attended.

12. ’mature’ father-engagement Fathers are three times more likely to be involved if the school is “mature” in its engagement with fathers (Raikes et al, 2005): • There is school-wide commitment to engaging fathers • Staff view fathers as co-parents, not as ‘add on’ parents • The school sets out to meet both mother and father when registering the child • Relationships with fathers (as with mothers) are routinely built • Fathers are continually reminded that their engagement with the school will benefit their child • Staff address fathers from a strengths-based, solution-focused perspective

13. ‘mature’ father-engagement • A father-involvement co-ordinator is appointed and trained • The whole staff team are trained • Parent-engagement points are reviewed and adjusted – e.g. to meet needs of working mothers and fathers • There is ongoing critical reflection and learning by staff / management • Fathers are continually reminded that their engagement with the school will benefit their child • Father-only activities or fathers’ groups are NOT the only/ main way fathers are engaged with

14. Fathers reading every day • 4-week ‘reading for pleasure’ programme developed in the US • Marketed actively to fathers and father-figures, including celebration event • Clear, simple expectations and measurable results • Flexible: whole school, whole class, ‘roll-on, roll-off’ approach • A great ‘way in’ to engaging with dads. • Email me: j.davies@fatherhoodinstitute.org