Programs » The Fatherhood Program

The Fatherhood Program, funded through the Fatherhood Initiative of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, assists non-custodial fathers who have had past involvement with the criminal justice system. The Fatherhood Program helps formerly-incarcerated fathers rebuild relationships with their children when they return to their homes, and enhances their ability to care for their children, both financially and emotionally. Research has shown that strong familial bonds reduce the likelihood of recidivism for the parent, and those bonds also reduce the likelihood that the child will become involved in the criminal justice system.

The Fatherhood Program's goal is to provide a structure through which the fathers gain the skills and emotional strength to re-connect and build positive relationships with their children after having been out of the child's life, often for many years. The Fatherhood Program provides a range of services, including individual and family counseling, educational and employment services, social services, parenting skills, peer mentoring, and assistance with visitation and child support issues.

The effectiveness of the Fatherhood Program is best described by the program's participants. For example, Emanuel is a father-participant in the Fatherhood Program who has been incarcerated on and off throughout his adulthood. Emanuel has served over 15 years in jail and prison; as a result, he missed many of the early years of being a father to his son, who is now 13. When Emanuel started to get his life back on track, he joined the Fatherhood Program to learn how to become a better father, and to join a community of other similarly-situated dads.

Emanuel says that one of the most important things he learned at NDS's Fatherhood Program was about his legal rights as a father. He learned that he had a legal right to play an active role in his son's life and help his son's mother make important decisions about the upbringing of their child, even though Emanuel and his son's mother are no longer in a relationship. He also discovered that many of the challenges he faces in rebuilding a relationship with his son were shared by other men in the program.

Now, several months into the program, Emanuel still benefits from the sense of community that the Fatherhood Program provides. He loves that at the weekly meetings all of the participants watch out for one another's children who attend; it's like an extended family for both the children and the fathers. The family field trips that the Fatherhood Program arranges have added to this feeling of connectedness among the group.

Emanuel admits that NDS's Fatherhood Program has been only one part of learning how to be a responsible citizen and father, but it's a component that he cherishes and would recommend to any father who is looking for support in becoming a better parent.

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