A Program to Involve Fathers

            In the US approximately 40 percent of children are born to unmarried parents.  Many of these children come from younger, economically distressed parents where they mostly likely will be raised with an inconsistent or absent father.  There have been many attempts to address the lack of consistency of fathers in the live of their children, unfortunately there are very few that have been successful, until now.

            In Minnesota, Hennepin County Family Court Judge, Bruce Peterson created Co-Parent Court.  Co-Parent Court is modeled after the drug courts, which offer alternatives to incarceration.  The premise behind Co-Parent Court was that kids will do better with two involved parents.  Co-Parent Court sought to maintain and strengthen the relationship between the unwed mother and father.  Participants are required to attend four weekly co-parenting classes and complete a parenting plan that covers holiday schedules to communicating with each other.  Completion of the program allows the parents to receive support from community agencies with finding work, housing, addiction, domestic violence, and mental health problems[i]. 

            Getting unwed mothers and fathers involved in maintaining a positive relationship for the benefit of their child should provide the psychological and economic stability needed to focus their efforts on school.  Additionally, the support parents receive from community agencies should remove or greatly diminish barriers that would usually create a division between mother and father. 

The removal or diminishment of barriers should lead to greater stability of the relationship between mother and father.  The stability of the relationship directly affects the child’s overall environment and well-being.  If a child lives in a stable home, feels safe and doesn’t have to worry or feel frustrated about being placed in a “tug of war” by the parents, the child should be able to thrive in a learning environment that is supplements by the parents.

            The Co-Parent Court program in Minnesota is currently serving a small number of parents.  However, it’s a program that Family Courts across the country should duplicate.  The potential impact this program could have on the achievement gap is exciting.  By providing supports to maintain a positive relationship between the unwed mother and father could increase academic achievement, reduce truancy, suspensions, and decrease delinquency.  Another benefit could be an increase in active parent involvement in school.  A final benefit is children learning how to have a positive relationship with women.

            By trying to get more fathers involved in the lives of their children, Co-Parent Court may be the program that breaks the cycle of negative consequences for a child who is raised with an absent of inconsistent father. 

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[i] www.npr.org/2012/05/07/152157287/never-married-parents-get-help-from-special-court