June's Centre has long had a number of fathers participating in our Prenatal Classes. They come to our eight-week sessions to learn about pregnancy and about how to support their partner during labour and delivery. We encouraged dads to come to our parenting programs and to drop in to our nursery, but the risk of being the only man in the room discouraged many.
June's Centre launched a Father's Group in September 1999. The United Way's Success by 6 funding supports this program. It is offered weekly on Monday evening and is co-facilitated by a male co-leader and a counsellor from June's Centre. We encourage the dads to start coming to the group before their child is born and then to return and share their birth stories and experiences of parenting a newborn baby with other expectant fathers.
The group's objective is to acknowledge and promote young fathers' potential as nurturing caregivers to their child and to encourage their emotional support to their partners and continued participation in the lives of their children. A growing group of young men at June's Centre are demonstrating their commitment to their new role as a father. A common sentiment expressed by the young men is: "My dad wasn't there for me but I'm committed to being there for my baby."
The group is divided into two parts; first a discussion time where the fathers bring forward their concerns and second, practical hands-on experiences to develop parenting skills. The group helps fathers develop empathy with their child, understand the stages of development of their infant, learn ideas for dealing with a crying or colicky baby, explore issues in their relationship with their baby's mother and deal with their own feelings and frustrations.
