Why Father Figures
Positive Impact of Father Involvement
In a study examining father involvement, with 134 children of adolescent mother over the first 10 years of life, researcher found that father-child contact was associated with better socio-emotional and academic functioning. The results indicated that the children with more involved fathers experienced fewer behavioral problems and scored higher on reading achievement. This study showed the significance of the role of fathers in the lives of at-risk children, even in case of nonresident fathers.
Source: Howard, K.S., Burke Lefever, J.E., Borkowski, J.G., & Whitman, T.L. (2006). Fathers’ influence in the lives of children with adolescent mothers. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 468-476.
Without Mentoring
- Poor school attendance rates
- Less likely to attend college
- More Likely to have behavior discipline problems
- More likely to be assigned to special educations classes
Facts
- Sub-standard academic performance perpetuates already low self-esteem and can contribute to violent behavior
- Increased violence at home and in school causes disruption in development for all youth
- Lack of role model support leads to poor decision making, no set goals and submission to peer pressure
Benefit of Mentoring
- 59% of mentored teens get better grades
- 81% of teens feel talking with adults help reduce teen pregnancy
- 53% of student credit mentors with improving the ability to avoid drugs
- 27% of mentored youth are less likely to begin using alcohol
- 52% are less likely to skip school