NEW BEDFORD – Earlier this year at our annual Celebration Day, Andrew McKnight spoke to a crowd of family support professionals to share his experience with Healthy Families Massachusetts, a home-based family support and coaching program that supports first-time parents aged 23 and under to help them create stable, nurturing environments for their children. The program matches parents with trained home visitors to provide support during pregnancy and the child’s first three years of life. The Children’s Trust partners with Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) to implement Healthy Families MA within the New Bedford community. Healthy Families MA is part of the Children’s Trust network of programs.
Reflecting on his experience with Healthy Families MA, Andrew shared, “My Home Visitor made me feel comfortable. They asked what I needed, it was more about me. It was to help me. Our visits prioritized helping me get out of the house and finding ways to be less stressed.” McKnight was part of the growing number of fathers taking part in a dad-focused support group pioneered by Healthy Families New Bedford.
The Healthy Families MA program in New Bedford has taken an active approach to supporting fathers by encouraging them to become primary program participants. Across the country, fathers make up less than 2% of Healthy Families America’s primary participants. In Massachusetts, that percentage increases to about 4%. At the New Bedford Healthy Families MA program, fathers account for an incredible 16% of primary participants. This increase is largely due to an active outreach and engagement campaign implemented by the program that encourages local fathers to play an active and nurturing role in their children’s lives.
The New Bedford Healthy Families Team’s concerted efforts have played a crucial role in recruiting fathers to the program and keeping them engaged through individualized services and group programming. Thanks to these efforts, the program saw 23 dads enroll as primary participants last year. The unique approach has also introduced father-specific groups, allowing fathers to come together and discuss their experiences, fostering support, and building a shared community of engaged dads. The combination of home visits and father-focused group sessions has significantly increased program engagement among fathers.
Supporting fathers, connecting them to community resources, and building their understanding of children’s development and the importance of positive parenting strategies is critical to the well-being of children and families. Father involvement is correlated with a wealth of positive outcomes for children, including enhanced social competence and self-esteem, improved cognitive development and higher levels of academic achievement. Furthermore, father involvement is linked to positive maternal and child health outcomes, such as reductions in prematurity and infant mortality. The dads themselves see benefits too, with research showing fathers who are engaged in their children’s lives see greater health, income, and satisfaction over the span of their lives. Healthy Families is also one of the only programs that regularly screen fathers for depression, ensuring they have access to the mental health support they may need. By fostering these important initiatives, Healthy Families New Bedford is making a lasting difference in the lives of local families and communities, helping to lay a stronger foundation for future generations.
When wrapping up his speech at Celebration Day, Andrew McKnight concluded by saying, “The last thing I want to say here really is, if I could share my message to parents considering enrolling in the program, it would not be to walk, but to run to their local Healthy Families office. I've been in so many programs and Healthy Families is different. Home Visitors make it all happen.” McKnight has now graduated from the program and is currently saving up to buy a house for his family.
The New Bedford Healthy Families program hopes to recruit and encourage more fathers in their area to become primary participants. Looking ahead, the program aims to expand father-focused programming to give local dads more options to stay engaged.
Resources:
