Fathers are critical in a child’s life. Research consistently documents the connection between engaged fathers, and improved outcomes for children in areas such as safety, health, education, and social/emotional well-being. When communities recognize the importance of fathers in their children’s lives, families and communities are more apt to succeed. In 2005, PCAK helped launch a collaborative venture between community partners, faith-based organizations and various state departments to enhance the lives of Kentucky’s children and promote family well-being through positive father involvement. For more than a decade, PCAK has been instrumental in furthering this initiative, now identified as the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families, by providing direct services to fathers, advocating for father inclusion throughout all family focused programming and informing professionals and practitioners of best practice and relevant fatherhood information. Our goal is to establish and improve the father/child relationship so fathers can be the launching point for their children’s success in life.

• “I am grateful for the fatherhood classes. The judge is allowing us to have unsupervised visits with our granddaughter, and we will begin the transition from the 30 days transition to our home next month.”
• “I wanted to let you know these classes are awesome. I cannot wait to share and model what I’ve learned with my kids.”
• “When I come to class, I feel supported. I feel respected and welcomed, and realize my kids need me.They need me to know this stuff.”
• “I wish I would have known the information and tools sooner, I would have never spanked my boys.”
• “When I leave class, I go home every night, seriously, and write down what I’ve learned in my journal. I share it with my child’s mother on the phone everyday. I don’t want what happened to me as a kid to happen to my daughter, and it’s my responsibility.”