How Dads Make a Difference – on Father’s Day and Every Day

It will soon be time to fire up the grill and gather in the back yard! When Father’s Day is celebrated this year on June 21, many families will enjoy the day together, and barbecue is often part of the celebration. Families recognize and honor fathers on this day in special ways, but fathers make a difference in the family all year long. 

One significant way that fathers make a difference is obvious. Fathers help families meet financial needs by contributing as part of a household or by paying child support to take care of their children who do not live with them. Either way demonstrates a father’s commitment to his children. 

Conduent is proud to partner with state and county child support programs to make this part of fatherhood easier. Through the Title IV-D child support program, Conduent offers proven electronic methods (like ExpertPay) to enable parents to make payments faster and more efficiently. Many families depend on child support payments, so Conduent strives to make the payment process as easy as possible.

More noticeable to children are other ways that fathers contribute by being a regular part of the child’s life. When you ask young adults how fathers impacted their lives, you will hear stories about school, sports, backyard games, vacations, and other times spent together. Time and presence mean much to children.   

Fathers also set examples that children follow. In 2018, we shared thoughts from Conduent employees whose memories of their fathers were about examples fathers set for them.  This post never grows old.  I enjoy reading it again and again. You can read it here.

How can state child support programs help? Some child support programs partner with fatherhood programs, which emphasize many facets of fatherhood and provide training and support to fathers who need help. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a Federal agency which funds the states’ child support programs, offers help with grants from the Responsible Fatherhood initiative. States and non-profit organizations can take advantage of these opportunities.

An example of fatherhood collaboration was evident at the 2019 Kentucky Fatherhood Summit in Lexington last September. The child support program combined with the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families, the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work, Kentucky Community Action, Fatherhood Research & Practice Network, and other organizations to initiate a public-private partnership to serve and support fathers. The director of an adjoining state’s program, Patricia Littlejohn of South Carolina, was on hand to share experience and knowledge. 

If you want to feel good about fatherhood, attend a conference (in person or virtually) or visit a fatherhood project. Great work is being done and the results are exciting.

This Father’s Day will be a day of celebration for fathers and children, that is, if no one lets the barbecue burn! If not, fathers, family, and children will be happy (and well fed) as they enjoy this special day.  Happy Father’s Day!