Houston-based 'All Dads Succeed' program helps fathers become better parents

With help from a federal grant, a Houston-based foster care and adoption agency is offering classes to help fathers succeed.

The DePelchin Center’s “All Dads Succeed” program is an expansion of services the agency already offers to help fathers become better parents.

One in four children in the U.S. live in a home without a biological father, stepfather or adoptive father in the home, according to the National Fatherhood Initiative.

“Consequently, there is a father factor in nearly all social ills facing America today,” the organization said.

The DePelchin Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 1892. It also has locations in Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock.

“We strengthen the lives of children by enhancing their mental health and physical well-being,” the agency said on its website.

The free “All Dads Succeed” program includes instruction on communication, discipline, children’s growth, father involvement and financial stability.

There is also a separate program for fathers and their co-parent partners. Call 713-802-7777 for more information.

Children raised in a home without a father, are four times more likely to live in poverty, the National Fatherhood Initiative said, citing U.S. Census statistics.

They are more likely to commit crimes, go to prison, drop out of high school and use drugs and alcohol.

Having a father in the home can help improve school performance, help emotional and social well being, the group said.

It cited a study from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research on the presence of fathers.

“They found that individuals from father absent homes were 279% more likely to carry guns and deal drugs than peers who lived with their fathers,” the organization said.

Absent fathers can also affect children’s health, the group said.

It cited a study showing children without fathers in the home are also more likely to be obese.