Challenges and Successes of Pregnancy Assistance Fund Programs Supporting Young Fathers
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FROM THE FIELD
Challenges and Successes of Pregnancy Assistance Fund Programs Supporting Young Fathers Katherine Niland1 · Rebekah Selekman1
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Introduction Since 2010, the Office of Population Affairs (formerly the Office of Adolescent Health) has offered funding to support expectant and parenting youth through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF). PAF grantees typically focus on serving young mothers, so programs serving young fathers are more limited. Methods Based on a purposive sample of nine past and current PAF grantees that serve young fathers, this study describes the overall program designs, provides a detailed view of the challenges to serving young fathers, and identifies key strategies for successful father engagement. Results Across grantees, program components were largely the same for both young fathers and mothers. Recruitment and engagement were the most commonly cited challenges to young fathers’ participation in the PAF-funded programs. Discussion Successful strategies for serving young fathers included recruiting from places that fathers naturally frequent, creating program space welcoming to fathers, and hiring staff who understand the experiences of young fathers. Keywords Young father · Fatherhood · Parenting teen · Expectant and parenting youth
Significance Several studies have demonstrated that father involvement with young mothers and their children benefits all parties. Research on how programs engage with young fathers to improve family involvement is limited. This study describes current and past PAF grantee approaches to recruiting and serving young fathers. The findings of this exploratory study aim to highlight these programs’ experiences serving young fathers and contribute to the currently limited research available on this topic.
Introduction Several studies demonstrate the importance of father involvement for young mothers and their children, though research also documents the challenges that young fathers face to being involved with their families (Amato and Gilbreth
* Katherine Niland kniland@mathematica‑mpr.com 1
Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, USA
1999; Tamis-LeMonda et al. 2004; McWayne et al. 2013). The family benefits of father involvement include enhanced social and academic development in children and improvements in mothers’ receipt of prenatal care (Bronte-Tinkew et al. 2008; National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse 2007; Alio et al. 2011; Martin et al. 2007; Howard et al. 2006). However, challenges related to poverty, relationships, and criminal justice involvement make it difficult for lowincome fathers to be as engaged as they may want to be in the lives of their children (Bryan 2013; Edin and Nelson 2013; Mincy et al. 2016; Carlson et al. 2017). Since 2010, the Office of Adolescent Health has offered funding to support and improve outcomes for expectant and parenting youth through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF). The first cohort of PAF grantees, whose awards began in 2010, focused efforts on providing ser
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