From the Wheatley Institute at BYU, this report examines how economic shifts, education gaps, and digital engagement patterns are influencing men’s participation in work, relationships, and family life. The resource connects broader structural trends to challenges in marriage formation and father engagement. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it provides context for understanding barriers men face in employment and family roles, and it informs efforts to strengthen fatherhood supports, workforce engagement, and family stability strategies.

This Institute for Family Studies resource examines how consistent, quality employment for men is connected to stronger family stability and engagement. The report highlights employment not only as an economic factor, but as something closely tied to relationship stability and family formation. Within Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it can be used to better align workforce development efforts with family well-being goals, particularly in supporting fathers’ economic participation and long-term family contributions.

This webpage offers a comprehensive approach to empowering parents and serves as an example of how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can think more intentionally about family formation as part of their services. It shows how strengthening relationships, supporting responsible fatherhood, and building parenting skills can contribute to greater financial stability and better outcomes for children. For TANF practitioners, this helps fill a gap where programming may focus on employment alone without addressing the family dynamics that influence long-term success.

The model provides ideas TANF programs can adapt, such as incorporating relationship education, co-parenting support, and father engagement into existing services. These approaches can improve participant engagement by meeting families where they are and recognizing the role both parents can play in stability and self-sufficiency.

For practitioners in the St. Louis area, this program also serves as a direct referral option. Eligible participants can access services at no cost, giving TANF staff a concrete way to connect clients to additional support that strengthens their family structure while they work toward employment and economic goals.

The National Fatherhood Initiative offers ready-to-use programs and tools that help fathers build stronger relationships with their children and take a more active role in family life. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this fills a common gap: many services focus primarily on mothers, leaving fewer structured ways to engage fathers. These resources give TANF practitioners concrete curricula, activities, and strategies they can use to involve fathers in case planning, parenting education, and family stability efforts. By bringing fathers into the conversation in a meaningful way, programs can better support whole-family outcomes, improve child well-being, and strengthen long-term stability. Materials are available for purchase, making them a practical option for programs looking to implement structured fatherhood services rather than building content from scratch.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) will host the National Fatherhood Summit from August 3 to August 5, 2026, providing a forum for stakeholders interested in sharing and discovering ways to support and promote responsible fatherhood. OFA encourages stakeholders from a variety of vocations and walks of life to help shape the Summit agenda by submitting workshop proposals that align with the Summit theme, “The Fatherhood Mandate: Building Families, Building America,” and one of their five concurrent Summit learning tracks:

1. Strengthening Marriage and Family Stability in the Context of Fatherhood
2. Fathers, Child Welfare, and the Path Beyond Foster Care
3. Workforce Readiness and Economic Mobility for Fathers
4. Fathers as Leaders in Faith-Based and Civic Institutions in Their Communities
5. Data-Driven Fatherhood Programming

If you are interested in presenting, OFA is welcoming submissions until April 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

For more information on participating as an attendee, please check out The 2026 National Fatherhood Summit webpage. 

This video shares information to help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs connect with father-focused programs—Responsible Fatherhood, Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education, and Home Visiting— in their communities.

This video is the final part in a three-part series designed to describe how Fatherhood Engagement programming and services can enhance TANF cash assistance programs to support the formation and stability of two-parent families and foster responsible parenting. The corresponding resource list allows viewers to access any links mentioned in this series.

This video provides an overview of three types of father-focused programs—Responsible Fatherhood, Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education, and Home Visiting— and their services. The video explains these programs so that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can identify opportunities for coordination and partnership to support TANF participants in forming and maintaining strong and stable families.

This video is the second in a three-part series designed to describe how Fatherhood Engagement programming and services can enhance TANF cash assistance programs to support the formation and stability of two-parent families and foster responsible parenting. The corresponding resource list allows viewers to access any links mentioned in this series.

This video explains the benefits of fatherhood engagement and how programs that serve fathers can support Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants in forming and maintaining strong and stable families.

This video is the first in a three-part series designed to describe how Fatherhood Engagement programming and services can enhance TANF cash assistance programs to support the formation and stability of two-parent families and foster responsible parenting. The corresponding resource list allows viewers to access any links mentioned in this series.

This Fatherhood podcast episode examines the economic and social impact of investing in fathers, highlighting how father engagement contributes to improved outcomes for children and families. TANF programs can use these insights to strengthen fatherhood initiatives and reinforce the value of inclusive family supports.