Access to affordable, reliable child care as vital for dads as moms

People often think of child care as a women’s or a mothers’ issue. However, access to affordable, reliable, high-quality child care equally benefits fathers. While the ideal may be having a parent or grandparent care for young children in the home, economic realities and parental leave policies make this impossible for many young families. 

In 1967, about two-thirds of families had one parent staying home with the children. Today, those numbers are reversed. According to a 2024 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 66.5% of married-couple families with children, both parents were employed. And because, among 41 nations,  the U.S. is the only country that does not require or offer paid leave for new parents, the need for child care starts very soon after a baby’s birth.

On the upside, more fathers are becoming involved in all aspects of their children’s lives. Chana Edmond-Verley, CEO, Vibrant Futures, believes that parenting today is closer to a true partnership. Based in Kent County, Vibrant Futures provides leadership, services, and education to advance quality care for children.

“Times are different, both in the role of the father and the involvement of fathers in children’s lives,” says Edmond-Verley. “Compared to when I was growing up, fathers are sharing deeply in both the development and rearing of their children at really profound levels — loving, hugging, providing guidance and comfort, and being responsible for speaking life into a child.”

When both parents are heads of household, access to child care becomes equally important to both mothers’ and fathers’ career success.

“Fathers, just like mothers, love their children equally. They want their child to be safe, cared for, and learning. Then, they can confidently go to work and pursue their own economic goals for themselves and their families,” Edmond-Verley says. “I love that fathers impress that learning part on their children. They seem to have a long view. Fathers often are talking about ‘When my child grows up.’”

Knowing that their children are well cared for within a safe environment gives fathers peace of mind and, hence, a better quality of life. 

“Particularly men of color, who die at a rate higher than other men — when you reduce the level of stress in their lives, that’s going to be a significant advantage to the quality of life,” Edmond-Verley says. “It allows them to really focus on being a father and focus on being excellent in the work that they do.”

What’s good for dad is good for kids, too

Edmond-Verley tells a story about talking on the phone with one father. He described his special routine for dropping off his child, who is often reluctant to leave him and go to preschool. First, he asks, “Are you ready to have fun today?” The child gets a little excited and replies, “Yeah.” Then dad asks, “Are you ready to learn everything you can learn?” By this time, the child’s eyes are brightening up. Finally, dad asks, “Are you ready to have a great day?” 

“The next thing you know, the kid is ready to run off and meet the day,” Edmond-Verley says. “He is setting the direction. They do a special handshake — a high five, a pound, and a finger up — and the kid is ready to go.”

Edmond-Verley believes when fathers set expectations in this way, it significantly increases kids’ social development and social-emotional development and reduces problem behaviors.  

“I think that’s exactly what fathers’ roles are and have become,” she says. “There’s a firmness to it, but a nurture to it as well. So we want to encourage more fathers to be involved in the handoffs and the schooling, including child care — even for single heads of households to include their children’s father, as well. To a child, it doesn’t really matter how well the father’s doing. There is just something about his presence.”

An emerging body of research backs up what Edmond-Verley sees happening with fathers who are involved in their children’s early education. As one example, she cites the book “The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children” by Ronald Ferguson, Harvard economist and expert on the U.S. educational achievement gap.

“You know that nurture, that love, that being there, that presence, and setting those expectations — speaking life into your child, giving them that guidance that when they go to school, they know that they are there to achieve and have a bright future. That expectation makes a difference,” says Edmond-Verley.

Estelle Slootmaker is project editor for the Early Education Matters series. She is also the author of a fun, new children’s picture book, Places Where the Sun Don’t Shine. You can contact her at Estelle.Slootmaker@gmail.com.

Photos by Tommy Allen

Early Education Matters shares how Michigan parents, child care providers, and early childhood educators are working together to create more early education opportunities for all little Michiganders. It is made possible with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.