THE NETWORK
80%
AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN IN ATLANTA IN LOW INCOME HOMES
34%
CHILDREN LIVING IN SINGLE PARENT HOME
73%
AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN IN SINGLE PARENT HOMES
Children growing up in single-parent families typically do not have the same economic or human resources available as those growing up in two-parent families. Compared with children in married-couple families, children raised in single-parent households are more likely to drop out of school, to have or cause a teen pregnancy and to experience a divorce in adulthood. According to Kids Count; 71% of its children grow up on Single parent households.
More than one-quarter of all children in the United States live apart from one of their parents and nearly 30 percent of these children are poor. Low-income noncustodial fathers tend to face multiple employment barriers that affect their ability to pay child support. Although most have some work experience, many work intermittently. Fewer than 10 percent have full-time year-round work, and 40 percent report being jobless for a year or more (Sorensen and Oliver 2002). Forty percent lack a high school diploma or GED, and only 6 percent report having received job-specific training or education.
THE HARD TRUTH
FATHERS ARE
AN OVERLOOKED
POSITIVE RESOURCE
TO RAISING CHILDREN
The Atlanta Fatherhood Network is an online platform designed to engage fathers/men across the city of Atlanta. Men and more specifically fathers are an overlooked positive resource in raising our children and building our communities.
One of the hardest things for men to do is to communicate with each other. While we can be overburden with issues, concerns, successes and life in general, we are often guarded in how we express our feelings or thoughts with others. However, when we are trusting of other men; it is evident that communication and networking can serve as an answer in addressing our deepest challenges.
It is our desire of the Atlanta Fatherhood Network to impact the societal perception of how fathers desire to engage with their families. According to an Ad Council survey 97% of all men said that the day of their children’s birth was the best day of their life. We want to build on that feeling by helping the worst of us to be better and the best of us serve as an example.
When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, children learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behavior. Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. There are countless ways to be involved in your child’s education at all ages.