Jon Trudgeon, communications director of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Foundation
Fathers are instrumental in early childhood years
When my children were younger, meeting their basic needs was important, but it was often the simple moments, like reading or play time, that left the biggest impression. Developing a strong and nurturing relationship with my children from an early age helped build their self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being during a pivotal time in their development.
In the annual State of the State address earlier this month, Gov. Kevin Stitt spoke about the importance of fatherhood. The statistics he shared are worth repeating: Various studies show children with engaged fathers are 43% more likely to get As in school, twice as likely to go to college, and 80% less likely to spend time in jail.
For this reason, our state offers programs that specifically support fathers. For example, Oklahoma Human Services provides an online toolkit for new dads. Oklahoma State University also offers a Strong Dads program with a free weekly workshop.
As communications director of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR), I support efforts to educate families across the state about how to improve their children’s health and development from birth to 5 years old. During this phase, a child’s brain develops most rapidly, laying the foundation for future learning and life-long success.
OPSR’s Before the Bell campaign encourages and equips parents to participate in early learning before their child attends school. Our website, beforethebellok.org, is packed with tools for parents and caregivers — from free books to educational songs to insightful parenting podcasts. Resources are offered in English and Spanish.
These efforts are funded through a partnership of the federal government, Oklahoma Human Services and OPSR. The Federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has provided $36 million over three years to support a comprehensive range of early childhood services. Thanks to the state’s 30% match of those federal dollars, this investment totals nearly $47 million – all to support children and their families.
Strong families set children up for success in nearly every area of life. With the support of our community leaders, early childhood providers, state leadership and OPSR, parents can improve the future of our young children and encourage other families across our state to do the same.
Oklahoma children are eager learners who deserve to be safe, healthy and ready to succeed by the time they enter school. Fathers play an important role in this work. Thankfully, it doesn’t require perfection — and we don’t have to do it alone.
Ghostwritten for Jon Trudgeon, the director of communications for Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness.