Recent studies have begun focusing on the importance of father involvement in a child's life. This focus is supported by research showing that a child's development and well-being are impacted positively when that child has a valuable quality relationship with their father. Statistics show that adolescents who have spent a portion of their childhood in a single parent household are twice as likely to drop out of school, twice as likely to have a child before age 20 and one and half times as likely to be out of school and out of work in their late teens.

It is obvious that father involvement makes a real difference. A new local program is focusing on that with fathers and father figures throughout our community. The Father & Child Connection program, housed in the Early Learning Coalition office in Fort Pierce, is working with local fathers to promote positive father and child relationships with a focus on the 40 Developmental Assets developed by the Search Institute. Enrollment in the program is FREE thanks to a funding grant provided by the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County.

Program Director, Kathy Bauer, has been busy introducing the program to the community over the last few months, working closely with agencies who serve families to get referrals. She has successfully developed partnerships with programs such as Exchange Club CASTLE, the Counseling and Recovery Center, New Horizons, and the Healthy Start Coalition, just to name a few. What makes this program unique is the criteria for entrance; there is none. There are no requirements to register, no income restrictions, and no rules. You simply must be a father or father figure in a St. Lucie County family with a child age 5 or younger.

Bauer says that in her first months talking with fathers in the community, the overwhelming response she received was an awareness that their role as fathers was important in the life of their child. She feels that the first step in encouraging these relationships will be to convince the men that their impact goes beyond the paychecks they bring to their families. Her personal mission, she says, is to "help fathers see that it is in the ordinary, everyday moments of life that we are given the best opportunities to connect with our children in positive ways."

This month, the Father & Child Connection will begin hosting monthly meetings to discuss issues important involving their parenting as well as surveying them to see what they would like to see from the program in the future. Two meetings will be held monthly, one in Port St. Lucie and one in Fort Pierce to maximize the areas this program can serve.

In addition to the monthly meetings, Bauer will also be planning monthly activities geared toward father-child interaction that will be fun for both parents and children. The activities will be held in various locations around the county to make them accessible to as many families as possible.

For more information regarding the Father & Child Connection Program in St. Lucie County, please call Kathy Bauer at 772.595.6424 x 123 or e-mail bauerk01@elcslc.org.