Fathers have a powerful and positive impact upon the development and health of children, and they also play a vital role in fueling the nation’s — and their family’s — economic success.
Kids without caring, committed fathers are more likely to grow up in poverty. Absent fathers also increase a child’s likelihood that they will perform poorly in school, struggle with their emotions, engage in risky behaviors and experience violence during their childhood.
Families without fathers also suffer financially. Across America, 35% of all kids — nearly 24 million children — are growing up in a single-parent family. Most these single parents are women, and too many are facing financial hardships. In 2017, for example, 31% of single-parent families had incomes below the poverty line compared to just 7% of married couples with children.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is working with partners in four cities — Austin, Charlotte, Miami and Santa Fe — as well as several national organizations to better support young parents and their children.
Young parents have been hit especially hard by the economic turmoil spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Review a list of resources that aim to assist practitioners and stakeholders in supporting young parents.
Young fathers of color face myriad challenges — from struggling to maintain housing and family-supporting jobs to keeping up with child support. At the same time, organizations, funders and others can improve how they’re supporting these fathers.
A webinar, hosted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Center for Urban Families, discussed recommendations for advancing program strategies and policies to help young fathers thrive. View the presentation.
Home visiting programs that partner with justice system-involved parents are gaining attention — and rightfully so. A growing body of research suggests that these initiatives are uniquely positioned to support the parents they serve.
Two recent reports funded by the Casey Foundation explore challenges faced by young parents, particularly mothers of color. The publications also share recommendations for how public systems and policy makers can enhance outcomes for these parents and their children.
Two reports funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation explore the benefits and challenges that young parents experience when they are working while in school or training. The publications, released by the Urban Institute, highlight the need for policies and programs that help young parents manage their busy schedules and afford their educations.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, with help from the Center for the Study of Social Policy and more than 20 national experts, has created a tool kit to help systems leaders improve their data collection so that they can build better policies and practices for expectant and young parents in foster care.
This tool kit, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation with help from the Center for the Study of Social Policy and more than 20 national experts, assists systems leaders in gathering, assessing, sharing and leveraging data on expectant and parenting youth in foster care. The end goal? A better, brighter future for these families.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is hosting an Oct. 30 webinar to explore how collective impact strategies have been used to reduce infant mortality and support family well-being in Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
