Ann Silberman, executive director of the Bowen Island Children’s Centre, says that when she looks around at the programs and services offered to local families, she sees solid programming for children up to age 12, and for mothers and children. She sees a gap in programs to support fathers, and that is something she hopes to see change in the very near future.
“Last Spring I participated in a webinar put on by the UBC Department of Human Early Learning on the importance of dads being involved with their kids, as well at the changing nature and perceptions of fatherhood,” says Silberman. “I was energized by what I learned in this webinar and I brought the information to our Family Place Committee and to Sarah Haxby, our community partner at BICS. We were all excited about offering some new programs aimed at providing more support for Bowen dads, and the first step was to secure funding for these programs.”
Silberman says that weekend events programs at IRLY Bird, originally tagged as “Dad and Me,” were an instant success - like the Hammers and Hotdogs event held last week at Irly Bird. Dads (or any adult that a child attends with) and their children worked together to build a birdhouse and then enjoyed a hot dog lunch. “What we learned from hosting these events is that the Building Centre is a place where Dads feel comfortable, and they feel comfortable there with their kids, too,” says Silberman. “Even if we don’t call it “Dad and Me” anymore we know we’ve created something that appeals to Dads and that’s our goal.”
Silberman says, following a Skype conference with one of the hosts of the UBC Webinar, Jeff McLean, from Abby Dads Father Involvement Program, they decided that bringing him to Bowen would be a great step towards raising awareness about Dads and early years parenting.
“We are hoping that this will happen this Spring,” says Silberman.
Another idea BCC is working on, in conjunction with the Community School Association, is booking Family Place on Saturday morning specifically for Dads and their kids.
“We’d like to get an experienced Dad there to host so he can act as a support and a role model,” says Silberman. “We are currently working on securing the funding so that such a program can be realized and so that it has a chance at a good run in the community. New parenting, while a blessing, can also bring new challenges and we want to offer support to dads as well as moms during the early years. If a Dad is present and active in the child’s life, he or she will develop some different skill sets and different character traits are likely to emerge than if there are only female role models. We want to continue to offer programming that dads will enjoy with their children and to provide more support to dads on Bowen.”
And they’re hoping to make it happen in the New Year.
The changing face of Fatherhood
Notes from the UBC Early Learning Webinar: Engaging Fathers in Early Years
- 70% of fathers believes a good father is a teacher of culture and values, 19% believe a good father is gentle, 7% believe he is fun, 4% believe he is a provider.
- 10% of single parent households in Canada are headed by a male (300,000 households). This is a 16% increase since 2006.
- 75% of Canadian fathers say they are more involved with their children than their father was.
