More Accomplishments
Efforts to Engage Fathers
Fatherhood EFFECT
EFFECT) program. The procurement was open to all PEI contractors who serve families because the goal was to incorporate strong fatherhood efforts into existing family supports. Fathers and their healthy engagement in the lives of their children play an important role. This contract will help communities do a better job of recruiting, supporting, and retaining fathers in programs that help them overcome challenges and stay involved in their children’s lives, especially fathers who are not married to their child’s mother.
Father’s Playbook
PEI paid for the development of a mobile application for fathers, the Father’s Playbook, which was developed by UT Health Science Center Tyler. The Father’s Playbook provides fathers with education and information about pregnancy, ways to prepare for baby, delivery, and postpartum issues. The app launched in the Google Play store early in Fiscal Year 2019 and there are plans to launch in Apple’s App store in Fiscal Year 2020.
Fatherhood Summit
In FY 2019, PEI collaborated with the Child and Family Research Partnership (CFRP) to hold quarterly meetings of stakeholders across state agencies to work toward addressing the needs of fathers through programs and services across the state. This collaboration helped inform the direction of the popular Fatherhood Summit.
The Fatherhood Summit toured the state to give regional public and private sector professionals a chance to learn current research-based best practices and innovations to best support fathers, mothers, and their children. PEI held these summits in the Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Dallas and Lubbock and offered a full agenda about the importance of healthy father involvement, the impact of father absence, and how communities can improve their system of services to support fathers in their communities. Lessons learned from these regional summits will be incorporated into online trainings launching in the coming fiscal year.