FACT GROUP

Fath

ers A

re C

once

rned

Too

ABCD, Inc.

(203) 366-8241 ext. 267 or 272

Purpose:

Purpose

oftheGroup

isto

increase

positive

involvem

entand

interaction

betweenfathersandtheirchildren.We

encourage

fathers

tohelp

increase

their

ability

tomeettheir

parental

responsibilities

of

providing

social,

emotional,medical,educational

and

financial assistance of their children.

1070 Park Avenue

Bridgeport, Connecticut 06606

Phone: (203) 366-8142

E-m

ail: cmoore@abcd.org

ABCD Inc.

The

group

isan

exciting

and

rewarding

journey

for

men.

Group

focuseson

characterthat

everyfather

needsandcoversall

aspects

offatherhoodso

that

men

ofallcultures,races,religionsand

backgroundcanbenefit

from

the

group.

SUPPORT SERVIC

ES:

Child

Support,

Fam

ily

Court,

ParentingTim

e,andRelationship

Building

and

Community

Involvem

ent.

Where Have All the

Fathers Gone?

Stay involved, be committed,

be patient and your influence

will pay off in the long run!

Get involved-- join the FACT

GROUP (uncles, cousins,

friends, grandfathers, and god

fathers).

"If th

e new

Am

eric

an fath

er

feel

s bew

ilder

ed a

nd eve

n

def

eate

d, le

t him

take co

mfo

rt

from

the fa

ct that whate

ver he

does

in a

ny fath

erin

g situation

has a fif

ty p

erce

nt ch

ance

of

bei

ng rig

ht."

-- B

ill Cosb

y

ABCD, Inc.

(203) 366-8241 ext. 267 or 272

Where Have All The Fathers

Gone?

Never underestimate the power

of your presence Dad.

Know that parent rejection is

often

part of the developmen

t

process of young children.

What Statistics says about

the influence of fathers.

•Father-childinteractionhas

beenshown

topromote

achild's

physicalwell-being,

perceptual

abilities,

and

competency

for

relatednesswithothers,

even

atayoung

age.

•A

survey

ofover

20,000parents

found

that

when

fathersare

involved

intheir

children's

education

including

attending

school

meetings

and

volunteering

at

school,childrenweremore

likelyto

get

A's,

enjoy

school,

and

participate

in

extracurricularactivitiesandless

likelyto

have repeated a grade.

•Childrenin

father-absenthomes

arefive

times m

ore likely to be poor.

•The

U.S.Departm

entofHealth

and

Human

Services

states,

"Fatherless

childrenareat

adramatically

greater

risk

of drug and alcohol abuse."

•Fatherless

childrenaretw

iceas

likelyto

drop out of school.

•Adolescentfemales

betweentheages

of

15and19years

reared

inhomes

without

fathers

are

significantly

more

likely

to

engagein

premarital

sexthan

adolescent

females

reared

inhomes

with

both

a

mother and a father.

•Father

involvem

entmakes

adifference

in kids’ emotional lives.

•Childrenwithinvolved

fathershaveless

emotional

and

behavioraldifficultiesin

adolescence.

•Teenagerswhofeel

close

totheirfathers

inadolescence

go

on

tohave

more

satisfactory adult m

arital relationships.

• Girls who have a strong relationship with

theirfathersduringadolescence

showed

a

lack of psychological distress in adult life.

Fathers will increase their

effectiveness as parent by:

•Increasing

their

knowledge

of

child

development.

•Im

provetheirabilityto

providefinancial

andother

resources

totheirchildrenand

families.

•Increase

father

involvem

entin

thelives

of their children.

• Paternity establishment.

•Re-establishment

of

linkages

with

children

•Active

participation

inHead

Start

Programs and fam

ily partnership process.

FACT Group -- Fathers Are Concerned Too

"I cannot th

ink o

f any

"I cannot th

ink o

f any

"I cannot th

ink o

f any

"I cannot th

ink o

f any

nee

d in childhood a

s nee

d in childhood a

s nee

d in childhood a

s nee

d in childhood a

s

stro

ng a

s th

e nee

d for a

stro

ng a

s th

e nee

d for a

stro

ng a

s th

e nee

d for a

stro

ng a

s th

e nee

d for a

fath

er's p

rote

ctio

n."

fath

er's p

rote

ctio

n."

fath

er's p

rote

ctio

n."

fath

er's p

rote

ctio

n."

-- S

igm

und F

reud

-- S

igm

und F

reud

-- S

igm

und F

reud

-- S

igm

und F

reud