New York City will soon be offering lots more resources on the Daddy Front! First order of business is to hire a “dad czar.”
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced last week a sweeping new initiative “to help fathers become more active, involved, and productive members of their families. The new initiative includes more than a dozen programs aimed at educating and supporting fathers and fathers-to-be, Mr. Bloomberg said.” Programs will include “parenting classes at public hospitals and homeless shelters, a part-time education program at the City University of New York, and the addition of family visiting centers in city prisons.” Additionally, Bloomberg announced, New York City will soon hire it’s first citywide fatherhood services coordinator! That’s right – a dad czar!
While 32 percent of all New York City children under the age of 17 live in households without a father, 54 percent of black and 43 percent of Latino children grow up in fatherless households.
The launch comes after the Mayor directed city agencies to review their policies and practices to make sure fathers were not unintentionally excluded from, or missing opportunities to engage in their children’s lives.
Read the entire press release here: MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CITYWIDE FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN NEW YORK CITY FAMILIES. As a dad who is always seeking more useful resources, I am truly interested to see how this new major initiative unfolds for all fathers in New York City. Either way, this is one giant leap forward for fatherhood! Perhaps, other major cities across the country will hop on this dad-wagon as well. One of the organizations that we recently partnered with for an upcoming meet up event, WE GIVE BOOKS, will play a role in this new initiative with raising awareness for more dads to read with their kids. I am hopeful that the NYC Dads Group will get involved and participate in multiple ways with this new citywide fatherhood initiative as it starts to take shape. Stay tuned!
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