ZERO TO THREE and Artist La Guardia Cross highlight the critical role dads play in young children’s development.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — ZERO TO THREE and La Guardia Cross have teamed up to create a special web series to engage parents in a lively conversation about why dads matter and what matters to dads.
Starting June 2, the four-part Daddy Matters video series – exclusive to Facebook – will highlight the unique ways that dads foster their young children’s development, and bring more dads’ voices into the conversation through specific questions at the end of each episode and a lineup of social media events throughout the month.
“As the nation’s leading resource on early childhood development, we know that many parents are not getting the support, information and inspiration they need – even though there is so much information out there,” said Stephanie Millian, spokesperson, ZERO TO THREE. “By partnering with La Guardia on this series, we hope to open an honest dialogue with new, experienced, and soon-to-be dads to get to the heart of what fathers want and how they feel, and to let them know they’re not alone.”
“I sat down with a variety of dads to discuss the silly mistakes we’ve made, what we’ve learned or unlearned from our fathers, the new normal of involved fatherhood, parenting struggles we face, and how to support each other,” said Cross, who has produced over 120 episodes of the New Father Chronicles weekly series “We’d love for everyone to join the conversation by inviting a friend or family member, asking questions, and sharing what they’ve learned on their own journeys, because our role matters in the lives our children.”
In addition to being the creator and director of the viral web series New Father Chronicles, La Guardia Cross is a loving husband to his wife, Leah, and dad to toddler Amalah and new baby Nayely. Cross is one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100; along with his daughter, Amalah, he has also been featured in numerous other national media outlets.
“La Guardia is a trusted and powerful voice; we are proud to partner with him to bring important parenting information and ideas to life in a way that is fun and enlightening, and that will encourage others to join in the conversation” said Millian.
One of the best ways to support young children is to support their parents. Cross and ZERO TO THREE hope viewers will tune in and use the Daddy Matters series as a way to start important conversations to help dads get the respect and support they deserve. More information is available at zerotothree.org/DaddyMatters, and everyone is invited to join the conversation on social media with #DaddyMatters.
Daddy Matters was inspired by previous ZERO TO THREE research.
Dads love fatherhood, are more engaged with their kids’ development, and crave more conversations with each other. Ninety percent of dads say being a parent is their greatest joy, and 73 percent say their lives began when they became a dad. More than half (54 percent) say “I love you” more and 47 percent read more to their child than they recall their own parents did. Still, six in 10 fathers agree that dads don’t get enough credit for their involvement in raising and caring for young children. Dads want to hear and learn from each other about the challenges and the triumphs and everything in between. Learn more: Tuning In: Parents of Young Children Tell Us What they Think, Know and Need.
About La Guardia Cross
La Guardia Cross, the creator and director of the viral web series New Father Chronicles, is loving dad to toddler Amalah and new baby Nayely, whom he and his wife Leah just welcomed in April. He is one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 which celebrates the most inspiring African-Americans. La Guardia and Amalah have been featured in national media outlets including Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Today.com and the Rachael Ray show. His warm, candid and always comedic take as he chronicles life as a dad has drawn millions of viewers to come back each week to join the conversation. LaGuardiaCross.com | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
About ZERO TO THREE
ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, and to learn how to become a ZERO TO THREE member, please visit zerotothree.org, facebook.com/ZEROTOTHREE or follow @ZEROTOTHREE on Twitter.
