City’s Fatherhood Intiative Supports Fathers by Helping Them Reconnect with Their Children, Provide Financial Support, and Develop Parenting Skills
Announcement Comes in Advance of City’s First-Ever Symposium Focused on Fatherhood
First Announced in Mayor Adams’ Fourth State of the City Address, Today’s Investment Builds on Adams Administration’s Efforts to Make New York City Best Place to Raise a Family
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a $7 million expansion of the “Fatherhood Intiative,” which helps fathers reconnect with their children, provide financial support, and develop parenting skills. First announced in Mayor Adams’ 2025 State of the City, today’s expansion is part of the Adams administration’s commitment to make New York City the best place to raise a family. Studies have shown that children with involved fathers are less likely to enter the criminal justice system, benefting the whole city and keeping communities safe. Overseen by the New York City Deparment of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), the additional funding will help double the number of fathers served from 1,500 to 3,000 over the next two fiscal years. The investment comes in advance of the city’s first-ever symposium focused on fatherhood, “Empowering Fathers, Thriving Children: A Citywide Fatherhood Plan for Child Well-Being,” led by the New York City Children’s Cabinet on Friday, Feburary 28.
“Throughout my life, I have held many official titles: police officer, state senator, borough president, and now mayor. However, the title that has always meant — and will always — mean the most to me is ‘dad,’” said Mayor Adams. “To be the best city to raise a family, we need to ensure families remain connected and receive holistic support from city government. DYCD’s ‘Fatherhood Initiative’ has a proven track record of investing in fathers and families for over two decades. Now, our administration is going even further by doubling the program, expanding services, and ensuring that families continue to thrive in our city.”
“Thanks to Mayor Adams’ forward-thinking investments and real-life experience as a father, DYCD will expand to serve twice as many dads and begin to serve custodial as well as non-custodial fathers, offering them more resources and support than ever before,” said DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard. “For many years, I was a single father raising two kids, and a recipient of services through the Real Dads Network. If it weren’t for that help, I would not have been able to raise Maya and Tyler in a loving and supportive environment. With this unprecedented growth of DYCD’s 23-year-old ‘Fatherhood Initiative,’ our outstanding network of providers will have the resources to make this the greatest city to raise a family.”
DYCD has operated and overseen the Fatherhood Initiative for over 20 years, supporting an average of more than 1,000 fathers and families. The program is informed by proven studies that show children with involved fathers are less likely to enter the criminal justice system, and that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with improved verbal skills for infants, greater patience for toddlers, and better intellectual functioning and academic achievement among adolescents. The Fatherhood Initiative offers dads and their children up to six months of case management — with follow-up services as needed for up to one year — and service plans that address five core areas: parenting skills development, effective co-parenting with the child’s guardian, employment/education, child support, and child visitation/placement. DYCD partners with other agency fatherhood efforts, and coordinates annual Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Dads Take Your Child to School Day events.
Today’s announcement builds on the work the Adams administration has done to dramatically increase early childhood education and build a sustainable program where demand matches supply. Under the Adams administration, a record 150,000 children are enrolled across the early childhood education system today, the out-of-pocket costs of child care subsidies have been reduced from $55 per week in 2022 to $5 per week today, and the Adams administration met its commitment to offer a seat to every child who applied for 3-K on time — the first time this has ever been done in the city’s history. The administration also invested $514 million to protect programs that were previously only temporarily funded with federal stimulus dollars. Finally, Mayor Adams and leadership of the New York City Council announced a historic joint effort to strengthen early childhood education across the five boroughs and address longstanding systemic issues, while boosting enrollment and connecting families with more Pre-K and 3-K seats. The strategic plan — developed by an unprecedented joint Adams administration-Council working group, chaired by Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — is anchored by $100 million in new city investment allocated in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget to implement an action-oriented roadmap for outreach and seat allocation across the city. With the new $100 million investment, the total investment in the FY25 city budget for early childhood education is $3 billion.
No comments:
Post a Comment