Dr. Dad Works
"It eased my mind" said one dad who went through the program.
Dads receive a free first aide kit at the close of the final session.
Calendar
Find out when the next Dr. Dad will be offered at
a local Family Center in McKean County.
Dr. Dad Workshop
Why Dr. Dad?
Dr. Dad, a workshop distributed by the
National
Fatherhood Initiative, recognizes that dad's are an integral part in their child's
development. The program helps "fathers to become actively involved in their child's
healthcare, thereby enabling the child to flourish and set a course for a healthy
future."
1
McKean County has been seeing more and more dads becoming the primary caregiver to
their children. With this change comes the challenge of ensuring the skills and
knowledge are in place for dads to give their children the best care they can.
This is one reason why the McKean County Family Centers is providing Dr. Dad
workshops to McKean County dads.
Program Overview
These workshops are specifically for dad's of infants and toddlers. Held at the McKean
County Family Centers, this series has four sessions titled: "
The Well Child",
"
The Sick Child", "
The Injured Child", and "
The Safe Child".
During the sessions, information will be presented to help dads learn the basics of taking care
of an infant/toddler - things like how to feed and change a baby; how to be in tune
with their child's mood; handling minor illnesses; taking a child's temperature; and when to
go to the Doctor for more serious ailments.
Upon completion of the Dr. Dad workshop, each father gains:
2
- the ability to respond to the immediate needs of his child
- the ability to quickly and confidently respond to a medical emergency
- the ability to know when to seek professional medical assistance for his child
- the knowledge that he can have a positive impact on the daily life of his child
- an appreciation of the father-child bond
- enhanced parenting skills
1National Fatherhood Initiative. "Doctor Dad": available
from
http://www.fatherhood.org/drdad.asp#overview; Internet; accessed August 29, 2008.
2Ibid.