Fatherhood Initiative Program : Outcome Evaluation of the 24/7 Dad Program in Kalamazoo – A Proposed Study

Abstract

In recent years, fatherhood intervention programs have gained recognition for improving the lives of fathers, their partners, and children. More evidence has been available for supporting the effectiveness of fatherhood intervention programs. Most fatherhood intervention programs incorporate education components on topics such as parenting, co-parenting, infant health, counseling, employment, and risky behaviors. However, there is little research that has evaluated the effectiveness of the educational-based intervention on parenting knowledge. The goal of this proposed study aims to evaluate whether providing the 24/7 Dad program curriculum on parenting can increase parenting knowledge. The Knowledge of Parenting Strategies Scale (KOPSS) will be used to assess participants’ knowledge before and after the 24/7 Dad. This evaluation uses an experimental design with an “immediate” and a “delayed start” condition and a pre/post-program test to measure whether the program achieved its goals. I hypothesize that participants who complete the 24/7 Dad program will demonstrate a greater increase in their KOPSS scores than those who did not complete the 24/7 Dad program. I expect a main effect for both group conditions and test time point, as well as an interaction between the factors where there is a greater difference in test scores for the “immediate” condition than the “delayed start” condition.