It Takes a Village to be a Father

Originally published in The Patriot Ledger on June 20, 2020 

In 2018, Kenny Coy of Quincy received our Parent Recognition Award at A View from All Sides. Kenny became a young father to twin boys, Niklaus and Casper, at just 21 years old. He learned about Healthy Families Massachusetts from a nurse at the hospital when the boys were born and he immediately enrolled. As a single father co-parenting with the boys’ mother, Kenny has made it a priority to be the best father that he can be. Throughout his time in Healthy Families Massachusetts, Kenny worked with his home visitor to set numerous goals pertaining to child development, co-parenting and self-sufficiency – all of which he completed during his time in the program. When asked to describe Kenny in three words, his home visitor said “motivated, resilient and positive.” 

Kenny reports that Healthy Families helped him to feel more confident as a parent and more supported in his role as a father. Kenny also completed a fatherhood program at Quincy Family Resource Center and was a regular attendee of Healthy Families’ program groups.  

Kenny and his boys graduated from the program in 2018 but he stayed involved to mentor other young parents. “Now that my boys and I have graduated from Healthy Families, I’ve stayed involved by helping other parents break the ice and feel more comfortable in group,” said Kenny. “Healthy Families has given me so much. I’m really proud that I am now able to give that back to other new parents.” 

“Now that my boys and I have graduated from Healthy Families, I’ve stayed involved by helping other parents break the ice and feel more comfortable in group. Healthy Families has given me so much. I’m really proud that I am now able to give that back to other new parents.” 

Kenny Coy

About the 30 for 30 Fatherhood Series 

This story is part of 30 Stories for 30 Years, marking 30 years of the Children’s Trust Fatherhood Initiative. The series highlights how professionals and organizations across Massachusetts support father involvement, healthy co-parenting, and stronger parenting partnerships as part of upstream prevention.