BY LORY POUNDER
Summit Daily News

SUMMIT COUNTY - Dads - if you haven’t kicked a ball around, hopped on bike trail or taken a trip to a park with your child lately, it may be time to make that happen.


Research shows that playing with children is central to their development, and teaches patience, turn taking and countless fundamental skills, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services. It is also the primary way fathers impact their children and generally spend the greatest percentage of their time with them.

“Dads really influence kids through play. … They tend to be more physical, playful and louder,” said Rich Batten, fatherhood specialist with the department of human services.

He is working to raise awareness about the importance of fathers and the need for their involvement in children’s lives - something that could have countless benefits. According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, a summary of the findings for children who have a poor or no relationship with their father is that they are more likely to live in poverty, participate in crimes, drop out of school, become pregnant as a teenager, use drugs and alcohol or be obese.

“It really does matter for them (fathers) to be present in the lives of their children,” Batten said. “One of the things I have learned as a son and a father is that it is not the major moments that count the most, but rather the consistent, small moments spent playing together. It is important for fathers to just be there with their children, not only watching them grow but growing with them as well.”

In some cases, dads are not sure what to do because they did not see it modeled from their father, he later explained. While there were nurturing dads even in the 1930s, many fathers played the more traditional role of the provider.

That being the case, some dads need a bit of help learning parenting skills, Batten continued. Co-parenting, acting as a caring partner and being a good role model can make a tremendous difference in children’s lives, he said.

“It’s for the well-being of the child and I think dads can have a powerful influence,” Batten said, adding that the role of acting solely as a provider has changed quite a bit to being more involved.

Now, he is working to help this trend continue. About a year ago, the state received a federal grant of $2 million annually for five years for programs targeted at fathers. This year, $1.2 million of the money is going toward programs for “at-risk” fathers in communities throughout the state, Batten said. An “at-risk” dad could be unemployed, a teen dad, or someone with development disabilities, he added.

“We’ve often heard the term ‘dead-beat dad’ - well some of those are also ‘dead-broke dads’ who want to support their children, but don’t have the skills, resources,” Batten said. Through the grants, he is hoping to impact this group.

No agencies in Summit County have applied for the $50,000 one-year grant, but the state is currently working on the second selection cycle, Batten said.

Throughout the next couple months, the department will be putting together a survey to get a picture of what’s available for dads throughout Colorado. Also, in about a month they will launch a website, www.coloradodads.org, to communicate resources, offer advice and more.

“If we can improve father engagement, their children will do better in school, stay out of trouble more and be more productive in school,” Batten said.

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