Empowering Fathers: How the Dad2Dads Program Thrives with Business Support
Foster families play a vital role in providing support, stability, and love to children who have faced challenging circumstances. However, foster parenting often comes with its own unique challenges. That’s where, through the support of sponsorships, The Up Center’s Dad2Dads program steps in. This program provides fathers with the tools, resources, and guidance needed to build stronger, healthier families.
This blog explores how The Up Center, with the support of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, empowers dads through tailored services to create positive, lasting change in their lives and the lives of their children with the Dad2Dads program.
A Father’s Importance
For decades, conversations about parenting have often focused on mother-child relationships. While mothers undoubtedly play a critical role, the importance of father involvement is equally significant. According to the Administration for Children and Families, children with involved fathers are more likely to perform well in school, develop healthy self-esteem, and maintain better emotional well-being.
For foster children in particular, father figures can provide much-needed stability and guidance, filling a gap that many of these children deeply feel. Active father engagement offers a unique perspective on caregiving by introducing different problem-solving approaches, emotional support methods, and routines that help children feel secure.
The Up Center’s Dad2Dads father mentoring programs encourage engagement by helping dads and father figures foster stronger bonds within their families. Mentorship and resources tailored specifically to fathers help them feel more confident and capable, leading to stronger foster family support systems.
The Up Center’s Commitment to Family Support
At the heart of The Up Center’s mission is a commitment to empowering families by providing trauma-informed, equity-driven programs that meet the diverse needs of the Hampton Roads community.
While our Maternal Health Hub provides holistic support during pregnancy and postnatal care, the Hub’s Dad Engagement Services are designed to ensure that dads are equally supported in their parenting journeys. These resources address the unique challenges fathers face, providing guidance on how to raise emotionally resilient children and nurturing a sense of shared responsibility in family life.
The Dad2Dads Program: Empowering Fathers to Strengthen Families
The Dad2Dads program offers support, education, and mentorship for fathers and father figures, empowering them to become active participants in their children’s lives.
Core Goals of the Program:
- Raising Awareness: Highlighting the importance of father engagement in maternal health and child development.
- Encouraging Positive Parenting: Promoting healthy parent-child interactions and equipping dads with tools for positive reinforcement.
- Advocacy and Preparation: Preparing fathers for the realities of family life through hands-on parenting workshops.
- Mental Health Support: Providing strategies for better coping with stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.
The program is intentionally designed to be accessible to as many families as possible, offering home visits, telehealth services, and hybrid options for participation.
Programs Available for Fathers and Father Figures
Under the Dad2Dads program, The Up Center offers dad parenting classes and other resources aimed at guiding and supporting fathers on their parenting journeys:
- Dads Under Construction: A group for expecting and new fathers that meets twice a month (1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 6–7:30 PM). These gatherings focus on preparing dads for fatherhood and navigating the early stages of parenting. Registration is required.
- Dad2Dads Support Group: Held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month (6–7:30 PM), this group provides a safe space for fathers and father figures to share experiences, seek advice, and build their community.
- Coach’s Corner: A one-on-one resource that offers personalized parent coaching and connections to community resources tailored to individual needs.
What We’ve Achieved Together
In 2023, the Dad2Dads program reached 67 fathers who, in turn, positively impacted their families and foster children. By empowering dads to engage more deeply in their parenting roles, The Up Center contributes to stronger, healthier households across Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.
How to Get Involved
Supporting foster families takes a community effort, and there are many ways businesses and individuals can contribute to this important cause.
Ways You Can Help:
- Mentorship: Volunteer as a mentor to guide fathers and father figures in becoming more confident caregivers.
- Donations: Your contributions help fund initiatives like Dad2Dads and other foster family support programs.
- Advocacy: Spread the word about the importance of father involvement in foster family support groups and other parenting programs.
- Sponsorship or Corporate Partnership: Encourage your business to support foster families and other initiatives by sponsoring a program or becoming a corporate partner of the Up Center.
Building Stronger Families, One Father at a Time
Foster families provide invaluable care and stability to children in need. But they can’t do it alone. Through programs like Dad2Dads, and with support from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, The Up Center is transforming the role of fathers, one family at a time.
By focusing on father engagement, mentorship, and tailored support services, we’re providing critical foster care support, and you can help, too!
For fathers ready to take the next step, or for anyone simply looking to make an impact, visit our website to learn more about The Up Center’s Dad2Dads program. Together, we can redefine what family support looks like.
