Impacts of a Parenting Newsletter on Fathers of Kindergarten Children

Abstract

This study is the first assessment of the perceived effectiveness of a parenting newsletter written specifically for fathers or father figures. The Father Times newsletter was distributed weekly for six weeks to all families of kindergarten children at a local school. One hundred seventy-seven fathers responded to a self-report questionnaire regarding usage of the parenting newsletter, perceptions of the newsletter as a resource, and impacts on fathers’ attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and father-child relationship quality. Two-thirds of fathers in the sample reported changing at least “somewhat” in all nine outcomes explored. Neither father age nor number of children in the home influenced fathering outcomes, but fathers with lower levels of education reported greater impacts from reading the newsletter. While the newsletter targeted fathers, 70% of mothers also read the newsletter suggesting that targeting fathers may be an effective way to continue to bring parent education to mothers. It further suggests that a fathering newsletter could be a useful tool for coparenting discussions. We conclude that directly reaching out to fathers and father figures can bridge the divide between men and parent education programs, providing an effective alternative to traditional parent education programs.