Making Father Engagement in Early Childhood Education the Norm
In this article we use the terms “father” and “dad” to refer to any caregiver who has the role of father figure to a child.
Challenging the default and shifting perspectives
When you think about the families served by your early education program, who do you consider the default primary caregiver?
Are dads ever the first point of contact for you when you want to discuss a child’s progress? If you see fathers as the “backup” parent, you’re not alone — it’s part of a larger problem of inclusion that plays out in early childhood spaces around the country.
Consider how fathers are represented in the media. Until recently, commercials and TV shows often stereotyped dads as incompetent caregivers, who needed mom to step in and take care of parenting duties. Unfortunately, these outdated ideas continue to inform how we feel about fathers.
From assumptions about who the primary caregiver is to mom-centric language and activities, internal biases may be dissuading dads from more active parental involvement.
Dads are increasingly frustrated by being referred to as the “babysitter” when spending time with their own children. And fathers are often left out of parenting and early education spaces. This is a problem because we now know about the many positive outcomes for children and families when fathers are present and involved. With this in mind, how can we work to create environments and promote practices that engage and support fathers?
Father involvement and engagement positively impacts a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development
First, let’s look at why father engagement is so important. Years of research have shown us that there are distinct and measurable benefits to father involvement in a child’s early years.
- A father who reads to his child has a positive impact on vocabulary — in fact, it is the father’s vocabulary usage that has been linked to more advanced language development at both 15 and 36 months of age. Researchers believe it may be because fathers use more unfamiliar and diverse words when reading to or engaging with their infants and toddlers.
- Fathers who share stories and engage in pretend play with their toddlers predicted higher language development when the children were preschoolers.
- There are long-term cognitive benefits for a child with both an involved father and mother, including higher math and reading skills in fifth grade.
- Fathers, while just as diverse as mothers, typically engage in more “rough and tumble” play and active outdoor games. This type of play encourages healthy risk-taking and is important for the development of a child’s self-regulation skills.
The benefits derived from father involvement don’t stop with the children. The whole family unit experiences positive outcomes. According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, actively involved fathers are happier and have improved mental and physical health, and mothers feel less parental stress and are at a lower risk for post-partum depression.
The barriers to father involvement that exist in early childhood spaces
How exactly is father engagement lacking, or discouraged, in early childhood programs?
Beginning with birth, infant and toddler spaces can seem like they cater exclusively to female caregivers, and most professionals in these spaces are women. The names of parenting groups also often exclude fathers — dads may not feel like they are welcome to attend “Mommy and Me” classes, and there are rarely similar groups aimed at fathers. And if children start attending center-based early childhood education (ECE), mothers are by default usually the main point of contact. Fathers may feel less comfortable asking questions at drop-off and pick-up about their child’s progress and development.
To complicate matters, parental discord (like a mom holding negative views of her partner’s parenting abilities) can influence ECE professional’s views. A professional’s own personal experience with a father figure or spouse can add to this bias. In this issue of the ZERO TO THREE Journal, Christopher A. Brown writes, “When professionals hold negative views of fathers, they are reluctant to engage fathers and may unwittingly support negative maternal views of fathers by not encouraging the mothers to involve fathers.” What this means is fathers may be actively discouraged from involvement.
Moving toward greater engagement of fathers
Educators and other ECE professionals can make concerted efforts to engage fathers, and these changes are relatively simple to implement.
It requires understanding the biases that exist and being intentional in eliminating those roadblocks. Here are a few highlights from our Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators, which includes guidance on promoting identity and belonging as well as family and father engagement in early childhood education.
- Be explicit about father inclusion and the importance of both parents attending open houses, meetings, and conferences. In meeting with parents, treat fathers as experts on their own children just as you would with mothers.
- Follow through on this engagement by contacting both mothers and fathers with updates on their child throughout the year.
- Make an effort to talk to fathers as much as mothers at drop-off/pick-up, even if dads may not seem as comfortable (or familiar with) initiating conversation about their children.
- Does your program display images of families? Ensure that pictures of fathers with children are included. It’s also important that your library has picture books that depict fathers with their children, so that both children and fathers can see their relationship represented.
- Celebrate fathers! Build on their strengths and find opportunities for them to spend special days with their children. Gauge fathers’ interests — would they like to try messy art or outdoor play? These days may look different than a day with moms and that’s a good thing!
If you’re wondering whether these changes can really make a difference in father engagement, there is evidence that they do. One study examined the quality of fathers’ interactions with ECE program staff. When fathers felt included and that their input mattered, they reported more engagement in the program and greater involvement with their children. Intentionally engaging fathers in ECE programs is worth the effort and truly benefits children and families.
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