MANSFIELD, Ohio – New fathers and dads-to-be will have the opportunity to talk to other men, share stories, and seek advice during a “Boot Camp for New Dads” on March 7.
The 9 a.m. to noon boot camp at the Mansfield YMCA is designed to be a strictly male-based event. No women or moms will be permitted to attend in order to allow a comfortable atmosphere for male bonding.
The Richland County Fatherhood Initiative Leadership Team, the Mansfield YMCA and with support from the Richland County Foundation have organized this event for new dads and dads-to-be as part of the Richland County Fatherhood Initiative.
The Richland County Fatherhood leadership team met last week for their quarterly meeting in the board room of Richland County Children Services (RCCS). Agencies represented at the meeting included: Youth and Family Council, RCCS, the Mansfield YMCA, Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron and Richland Counties, Inc., the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, Domestic Relations court and State Farm Insurance.
The leadership team decided on the name “Richland County (RC) Dads” to promote the local initiative.
The Ohio Fatherhood Commission awarded the county with a $10,000 grant in 2014 to promote healthy relationships between fathers and their children. The boot camp is one of many things that are being designed by RC Dads to improve local father/child relationships.
“I have two men signed up (for the boot camp) but I still need more dads and babies from four-weeks-old to six months,” said Teresa Alt, executive director of Youth and Family Council and community liaison for RC Dads.
Tim Harless of RCCS, Kerrick Franklin of the Y and Gary Feagin of State Farm Insurance so far have agreed to be facilitators of future new dads boot camps.
“If you know of anyone else who might be interested in facilitation, please let me know,” said Alt.
In addition to learning how to handle a newborn baby, changes in new mom and safety issues, dads will receive the free book, “Crash Course for Dads-To-Be.” Food and door prizes will also be provided.
“A lot of the information that is being provided in the boot camp is to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome,” said Alt, mentioning the two different recent local cases where men have been jailed for allegedly hurting young infant babies.
“It’s just so bad (outside) now, and people can’t get out, so the frustration of being cooped in the house and then not understanding how to deal with (a crying baby), it’s obviously drawing attention to this subject, so this will be very helpful to us as well,” Harless said.
Donations for food and door prizes are being accepted, Alt said. Gift cards, food and good information are a great incentive for new or veteran dads.
RC Dads also plans to implement a mentoring piece with junior high and high school boys, a demographic they believe needs attention. Mentors will undergo backgroud checks.
“Since I’ve become involved with this I’ve started to notice that this seems to be the buzzword now. People are starting to throw the statistics out there about the value of the father…it seems to really be catching on that the value of a male figure in the household with these children is important,” Feagin said.
The team also plans to create a Facebook page and apply for a mini-grant from the Ohio Fatherhood Commission in June, which is Responsible Fatherhood month.
The next leadership meeting of RC Dads is scheduled for 11 a.m. on May 4 at Richland County Childrens Services, 731 Scholl Road.
To sign up for the Boot Camp for New Dads, to donate door prizes, food, or to become a mentor, contact Teresa Alt at 419-522-8213 or email her at teresa.alt@jfs.ohio.gov.
