 Purpose

Good Dads 2.0 aims to equip fathers with the knowledge and skills to become actively involved in their children's lives, fostering healthy relationships and positive parenting. According to Good Dads 2.0, they seek to answer one question throughout their entire curriculum: “How do you build a safe and stable home for you and your family when you didn’t experience one as a child and you lack many of the tools necessary to construct a solid structure?”

The curriculum has been developed to supplement a larger fatherhood empowerment program that offers case management and support services.

 Pricing Overview (subject to change)

Start-up costs for a facilitator: $525 + travel to Springfield, MO ($225 for training and an additional $300 for the Leader's Kit) 

Costs for participants: $0

 Perspective

The Good Dads 2.0 Curriculum is “faith-friendly” but not faith-based. In their research, Good Dads has seen the impact that fathers have when they lead their home with integrity and character. They also teach with the belief that “you can't build a safe, stable home when you don't have the right tools.”

 Structure

The curriculum is 15 modules long but can be adjusted to anywhere between two to four months in order to meet the needs of participants. The lessons cover such topics as:

• Manhood

• Self-sufficiency

• Communication

• Conflict resolution

• Stress and anger management

• Decision making

• Family values

• Helping children learn

• Understanding your child

A sample lesson of both the participant and leader guide can be found here.

Each meeting time ends with a meal – typically sponsored by churches in the community. Good Dads recognizes that most participants never get a homecooked meal. This time offers a chance for life skills, such as meal etiquette, but, most importantly, it is a time to build genuine relationships. 

 Best For

Good Dads 2.0 is ideal for any dad or father figure who wants to enhance their parenting skills and strengthen their relationships with their children. However, it was developed specifically for fathers who are considered at-risk. This includes those who may have not had a stable home environment growing up, have just been released from incarceration, or perhaps those walking through transitional housing. 

It is suitable for organizations or communities interested in promoting positive fatherhood practices.

 Evidence That It Works

Good Dads 2.0 curriculum development has shown positive outcomes in improving father-child relationships and promoting healthy child development. 

• 122 dads graduated from a Good Dads program in 2022. 

• For non-custodial fathers in 2022, approximately $700,000 was paid in child support by participants after program enrollment, indicating the importance these fathers recognized of being engaged with and supporting their children.

 Cost and Resources

Good Dads offers a 3-day training multiple times a year in Springfield, MO. If an organization prefers to host the training at their own location, additional costs will be incurred, such as lodging, mileage and/or airfare, and meals for the Good Dads team. 

It is recommended that at least three individuals are trained as facilitators due to the length of the program. In addition, Good Dads requires that there be a male facilitator on the team. Ideally, a man and woman (not necessarily a couple) lead together in order to show an example of good communication and respect. Good Dads believes that facilitators are the “secret sauce,” as they are the ones building relationships through class and over a meal. 

Meals should also be taken into consideration when evaluating whether to implement Good Dads 2.0. The program asks facilitating organizations to include a meal with each meeting time. 

In addition to the manpower, Good Dads 2.0 has been developed to be a small part of a larger community initiative for men, ranging from a fatherhood ministry for incarcerated dads to state-mandated program for those working towards family reintegration. Therefore, programming resources are needed outside of this curriculum to provide men with the most holistic care possible. 

Finally, facilitators should have access to the internet and a projector system to show the video trainings that accompany the curriculum.

 How to order:

Get started by signing up for facilitator training at https://www.gooddads.com/good-dads-2-0-training-materials.

 What We Love

Broken relationships are one of the main root causes of poverty. We love that Good Dads 2.0 seeks to help families overcome poverty by restoring and strengthening relationships in the home. We also appreciate Good Dads commitment to building social capital for those they serve. They do this through intentional relationships built through facilitator-participant relationships. 

The curriculum is exceptionally designed and tailored to appeal to men. This course follows an extended metaphor about being a construction contractor and leans on leadership and conflict resolution advice from actual contractors. Other courses follow other metaphors, like learning from the best practices of sports coaches. This approach is compelling, interesting, and makes the courses feel engaging rather than remedial.

 Considerations

Good Dads 2.0 is not meant to be a standalone curriculum. Instead, their hope is to provide holistic support to at-risk fathers as part of a larger community. Facilitator training is also required for anyone hoping to use this curriculum. If your organization or church is looking for a lower-entry curriculum, we recommend considering Good Dads’ study, Helping Fathers in the Heartland.

If you’re just getting started with a father empowerment program, the Good Dads team points out that there is value in starting with a curriculum for dads from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Their primary curriculum, Fundamentals of Fatherhood, is great for this purpose. If you begin with a program that targets “at-risk” dads, then your organization may get “typecast” in the community as a place for at-risk dads only, which would make it difficult to subsequently expand the program to all fathers.