Caring Dads Program

This 12-week education group modeled after the Caring Dads curriculum is designed to help improve parenting skills. Groups run approximately three times per year. The next group's start date is TBD. It will meet on Tuesdays at 7pm via Zoom.

Our goals for participants are:

  • Understanding and responding to your children’s needs

  • Identifying reasonable expectations and rules for children of different ages

  • Improving parenting and co-parenting skills

  • Building trust and understanding with your children

Weekly | 2 hours | free

Program Curriculum

The Emerge Responsible Fatherhood Program follows a 12-session group curriculum adapted from the Caring Dads curriculum that was originally developed by the Changing Ways abuser education program. The goals of the curriculum are to increase fathers’ awareness of children’s needs at different ages, to give fathers skills to become better parents, and to help fathers become more responsible co-parents with the mothers of the children.

The twelve lessons include:

1. What we’ve learned about parenting from our fathers
2. Knowing your child? (Quiz)
3. Positive parenting skills, Part 1
4. Positive parenting skills, Part 2
5. Children’s developmental abilities at various ages
6. Setting a positive example for children in supporting the children’s mother
7. Your parenting style and its effects on children
8. Recognizing the differences between abuse, punishment and discipline
9. Child management strategies
10. Child neglect and deprivation
11. Identifying how children are affected by domestic violence
12. What have you learned about your children?

For more information about the original Caring Dads curriculum, please visit the Caring Dads site.

Program Model

Emerge currently provides three annual Responsible Fatherhood Groups. The Responsible Fatherhood Program utilizes an adapted version of the Caring Dads curriculum, a model developed by the Changing Ways abuser education program in London, Ontario and specifically intended for fathers with histories of domestic violence. Emerge was the first American pilot site for this model in 2002 and has been refining the curriculum since then, particularly by making it more culturally relevant for the men we serve.

Though originally intended just for men who had completed or who were still attending the Emerge Abuser Education Program, these groups are now available to fathers referred by the Department of Social Services, District and Probate Courts, other agencies, and self-referrals. Currently, about 45% are referred by Emerge, 30% from the Department of Children and Families, 15% from the courts, and 10% from others.

The London model is designed to run 15 weeks. Emerge has adapted the model to meet the needs of our agency and clients.

For more information on our program, please call the Emerge office at 617-547-9879 and speak with Kerry McDermott.