Why is Fatherhood Involvement So Important? - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

Why is Fatherhood Involvement So Important?

The Goal of the New Life Program: To make Nashville the best place for a child to be raised.

Objective: To provide fathers with the skills,knowledge and support they need to become more positively involved in the lives of their children in order to maximize the health and well-being of Nashville's families.

Program Overview:  NLP will provide comprehensive services including parenting education, relationship building, life skills training, employment and educational resources, risk reduction case management, economic stability support and mentoring in order to encourage successful fatherhood, and maximize the physical, emotional and academic well-being of their children.   

Target Population: This project will be piloted in North and East Nashville, and will be expanded throughout Nashville based on success and future funding.

Need: In Nashville, Davidson County there are 35,784 married couples with children under the age of 18. There are also 22,829 households led by single mothers with children under the age of 18. A large number of these homes are in North and East Nashville. Only 12% of the married couples were living below the poverty line while 49% of the single mothers were living below the poverty line. Based on the National Fatherhood Initiative Report on the cost of father absence, Nashville spends approximately $830 Million on social service programs supporting the 22,829 father absent households. NLP will provide Nashville with an opportunity to reduce these numbers.

Scope of Service: The grant will provide comprehensive services to at least 500 fathers, 750 mothers, and approximately 1300 children in the target communities.

Grant Components:
NLP will focus on providing comprehensive fatherhood services to fathers and their families in these target areas. This comprehensive program will include

• Utilization of evidenced based Parenting and Relationship curriculum including  Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program 7.0 (PREP), 24/7 Dad, Dr. Dad, Why Knot, Boot Camp for New Dads, Tied Together, and The National Partnership for Community Leadership (NPCL) Fatherhood Development Curriculum.
• An electronic referral system to service any father or father to be referred to the program or who is in need of partner services. 
• Healthy marriage and relationship activities to provide individuals and couples with the tools necessary to maintain relationships that are in the best interest of their children.
• Economic stability services through agreements with our experienced community partners and responsible parenting education.
• Modified Case Management model that includes community support, tracking progress, and longitudinal interventions.

The New Life Program is for ALL FATHERS living in Nashville/Davidson County, and
especially for fathers who are not living full time with all of their children. To enroll
or refer a father to our program, call 615-340-8989—our staff are EXCITED to   
register our men of Nashville.

Click here to learn more.