Celebrating Father's Day Weekend
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/06/15/weekly-address-celebrating-fathers-day-weekend?utm_source=snapshot&utm_medium=email&utm_content=061514-topper
President Obama discusses Father’s Day and notes that
nothing substitutes for the love and support of the presence of a parent in a
child’s life.
Our 13 Favorite Photos of President Obama Being a Dad
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/06/14/13-our-favorite-photos-president-obama-being-dad
President Obama has a lot of important responsibilities in
the White House, but he’s said that no job is more important than being a
father to his two daughters. We’ve put together a quick slide show of some of
our favorite moments of the President being a parent.
This commitment to his family has also translated into the
President’s policy agenda. For the past four years, President Obama has
promoted legislation to encourage fathers to take on a more active role in
their children’s lives through an inter-agency effort: the Fatherhood and
Mentoring Initiative.
The Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative has prompted
government agencies to enact programs to assist fathers in raising and
supporting their families and has made a significant impact throughout the
country.
The Reconnecting Dads Initiative, founded by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development, works with more than 300 Public Housing
Authorities every year to provide men living in the public housing with
resources to make them more self-sufficient and active in the lives of their
families.
The White House also connects with local barbershops to
promote the “Fatherhood Pledge” through the “Fatherhood Buzz Campaign.” This
pledge provides resources and urges people to commit to promoting responsible
fatherhood. In addition, this month, the White House is partnering with
text4baby to target expecting fathers. The soon-to-be fathers will receive a
free text message encouraging them to engage with their children early.
The Administration has also released reports and guides to
aid fathers. Last year, the White House issued “Promoting Responsible
Fatherhood,” a report that explains the President’s record on fatherhood. The
U.S. Health and Human Services have also released the Head Start Father Engagement
Birth to Five Programming Guide, which works with Head Start programs to
provide strategies and resources to new fathers.
For more information on the Obama Administration’s efforts
to encourage father’s involvement in their children’s lives, visit http://www.fatherhood.gov .
Happy Father’s Day!
Celebrating Quality Time on Father’s Day
http://www.fatherhood.gov/dadtalk-blog/celebrating-quality-time-fathers-day
June 14, 2013
As we head into Father’s Day this year, we are celebrating
the bonds created through spending quality time between fathers and father
figures, families and children. As the President has said before—Our children
don't need us to be superheroes. They don't need us to be perfect. They do need
us to be present. They need us to show up and give it our best shot, no matter
what else is going on in our lives. They need us to show them -- not just with
words, but with deeds -- that they, our kids, are always our first priority.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues
to support the important role fathers play in families and we’re pleased to
highlight these recent efforts:
Protecting Men’s Health - To help fathers take control of
their health and be around for a lifetime of quality time with their kids,
we’re reminding all men that thanks to the Affordable Care Act new options will
soon be available for the nearly 23 million uninsured men who are eligible.
Beginning October 1, 2013, individuals and small businesses will be able to
visit the Health Insurance Marketplace to compare health coverage options and
choose the plan that best fits their needs and wallet. In fact, some
individuals will be eligible for free or low-cost plans. Coverage will begin as
early as January 1, 2014.
Getting Engaged Early through Head Start and Early Head
Start - We’re also helping fathers develop responsible parenting skills and
economic stability. Head Start and Early Head Start programs are bolstering
resources and training as a part of their Father Engagement Week for creating
father-friendly programs to make it easier for men to engage in their
children’s lives. Through these efforts,
we are encouraging and equipping fathers and families to create quality time
with their children through these programs.
Tips for New and Expecting Dads - Spending time together can
start early. That’s why text4baby is launching a new series of messages for
expecting fathers and fathers with a baby under the age of 1 through its free
text messaging service. These messages created in partnership with HHS contain
critical information and tips on how to improve child health and safety, ways
to engage with your baby and how to support a mother’s health.
Equipping Organizations to Reach Dads – Office of Adolescent
Health within Office of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health developed an
e-learning module that provides an overview of important insights and data on
the unique and irreplaceable role that fathers (including teen fathers) play in
the well-being of their children. It
equips organizations to effectively support fathers, consistently and for the
long-term, and reduce the ill effects of father absence in communities and have
more families spending quality time together.
Modernizing the Child Support Program – As the President
laid out in State of the Union and his budget,
we will continue to reform our child support program to work better for
families and fathers, including by getting more men working and engaged with
their children. This includes rigorous research to evaluation promising
strategies to improve fathers’ employment prospects and an interagency
initiative to assist military and veteran parents manage their child support
responsibilities as they come home.
Supporting Fatherhood and Marriage Programs - Programs
within the Administration for Children and Families continue to connect dads to
jobs, training, and other resources. They also aim to strengthen the bonds
between couples with children, reduce domestic violence, and help provide
children strong role models of adulthood. Through these programs, more fathers
and families are connecting creating more opportunities for quality time and an
evaluation of these strategies is helping further understanding of how best to
improve parent, couple and parent-child relationships.
Continuing the Fatherhood Buzz - The Administration for
Families and Children works in partnership with the National Responsible
Fatherhood Clearinghouse to support Fatherhood Buzz, an initiative to promote
responsible fatherhood and provide community resources through barbershops
across the country. These barbers and clients are focusing on how they can
encourage fathers to engage with their families and make more time quality time
with their children.
Launching New PSA Campaigns - The National Responsible
Fatherhood Clearinghouse also recently unveiled new public service
announcements, featuring the characters from the movie Despicable Me 2 and
focusing on the theme “Take Time to be a Dad Today.”
Investing in Fatherhood Research – In addition to investing
in research to learn more about fatherhood involvement and promising strategies
for employment and engagement, HHS is establishing a Responsible Fatherhood
Research Network that will disseminate information about good fatherhood parenting
practices by supporting the development and evaluation of evidence- or
theory-based interventions to increase positive father involvement in the lives
of their children.
Father’s Day, and every day, can be about Quality Time
http://www.fatherhood.gov/dadtalk-blog/fathers-day-and-every-day-can-be-about-quality-time
June 13, 2013
This June, Essence Magazine’s “10 things we’re talking
about” focused on Father’s Day. At number 8, we were honored to see the
National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) and our tips and resources
mentioned. This article along with many
others that will be published this June highlight the fact that it’s time to
celebrate fathers who play a critical role in the lives of their children and
families.
For some, deciding how to celebrate Dad on this day will
come naturally and for others it will be more challenging.
According to a 2012 NRFC/Ad Council survey, 64 percent of
fathers said that bonding/spending time with their families is what they most
look forward to on Father's Day. Rather
than any item I gave or have received, most of my fondest childhood memories
with my father involved spending quality time together doing things. Simple car
repairs, playing ball, or practicing driving were all vivid memories of time
spent together with my father and siblings.
Today in my role as husband and father, my kids’ recollections of their
most fun-filled times are all centered around us spending time together flying
a kite, doing arts and crafts, playing board games, etc.—again, placing more
value on spending quality time than on spending money.
Whether it’s preparing his favorite meal, taking him to
dinner, watching a game, or fixing something around the house, Father’s Day and
every day have the potential to be a family affair and an investment of quality
time with fathers and families.
In celebration of Dad on this Father’s Day, acknowledge him
in whatever way you choose, but be sure it includes his children and
family. If Dad does not live with his
children, send him a letter or use technology to communicate appreciation to
him via social media, texts and/or video messages.
Happy Father’s Day from the National Responsible Fatherhood
Clearinghouse!
Suit Up
https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/esquire/91612?source=300x250_04
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