The Ohio Senate has allocated $20 million for the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative, which will be overseen by a state commission that champions father involvement to enhance and support the success of Ohio’s children.
The Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, part of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, develops and promotes strategies that strengthen families and healthy relationships. The Senate included the $20 million in its version of the state’s two-year budget.
“We are living in the midst of a spiritual and cultural crisis,” Jack Brewer, a former professional football star and chairman of America First Policy Institute’s “Opportunity Now Policy,” said in a release. “Over 18 million children in our nation are growing up without fathers in the home.
“As Malachi 4:6 reminds us, the hearts of the fathers must turn to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers or the land will suffer,” Brewer added. “This isn’t just a family issue, it’s a national emergency. I thank the Ohio Senate for being bold leaders in recognizing the fatherlessness crisis and taking action where so many have stayed silent. Restoring fatherhood is the foundation for restoring our nation.”
Republican leaders announced the initiative at a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse.
“As a father of three, there is no greater role in my life than that of dad,” Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said in a release. “Stability is critical for children and the family.
“There’s a lot of research to show that we can do better in this area,” Cleveland.com quoted McColley as saying. “There’s a lot of research to show that children who grow up in a home with a father figure are much more likely to grow up outside of poverty. They’re much more likely to grow up without some behavioral issues. They’re much less likely to end up incarcerated at some point in their life.”
Ohio officials pointed to Florida, which they said has led the way on such programs. The Sunshine State launched its Responsible Fatherhood Initiative in 2020.
“The message is you don’t have to be perfect,” Chris Sprowls, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, said in a release. “You have to be there. You’ve got to be able to reach your kids where they are, and you’ll make a difference in their lives, and you will change the lives of Ohio’s children.”
While the Senate included money for the program in its budget version, the Ohio House did not. Lawmakers are currently negotiating the budget, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine must sign by the end of the month.
“The challenge here is we have young boys and young girls who are looking for an identity, looking for somewhere to belong, and we know that identity comes from the father, fathers give us our identity, fathers are the ones who provide, promote, and protect us,” state Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, said in a release. “We have a fatherless generation of boys who become fathers, but then we just expect them to know how to be one.”
Brewer said the goal is to teach fathers who didn’t have a father how to be one.
“53% of Ohio’s kids are raised in non-intact homes,” Ohio’s Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) President Aaron Baer said in a release. “This cuts across geographic and racial lines all over the state. Wherever you see homes without married dads, you see child poverty on the rise.”
According to the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood’s website, fatherhood programs help fathers and families improve economic stability, foster responsible parenting and promote healthy relationships.
“Knowing God as a Father, how can we show the love of our Heavenly Father? That is the question we must ask,” Kamryn Babb, a former Ohio State University football team captain, said in a release. “He painted the family dynamic.”
