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Illustrative father and child sharing a reading moment

The Dad Project / Mental health · Fatherhood · Connection

For the father.
For the child.
For what comes next.

A place to check in, find support, and keep building the relationship that matters—before pressure becomes crisis.

I’m interested as a father ↗Build with us ↗

IN DEVELOPMENT / PROPOSED PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY DEMONSTRATION

ILLUSTRATIVE CAMPAIGN PHOTOGRAPH

The invitation

You can be present.
You can be strong.
You can still need support.

The Dad Project is a proposed community-based mental health and fatherhood initiative designed to help fathers recognize distress, practice practical skills, connect with appropriate care, and remain meaningfully present in their children’s lives.

For new, partnered, separated, divorced, nonresident, caregiving, veteran, and rebuilding fathers.

AN I AM RESEARCH INSTITUTE INITIATIVE

Community welcome.
Clinical partnership.
Measurable follow-through.
8Practical Dad Nights
2Family experiences
1Personal Dad Plan
6 mo.Proposed outcome follow-up

Proposed program design. Launch, enrollment, screening, and clinical services depend on funding and partner agreements. Interest inquiries are not clinical intake.

7%

Of fathers of one-year-old children met the study’s depression criteria in a 2011 United States analysis of 1,746 fathers.

Davis et al. · Pediatrics
42%

Higher odds of offspring depression associated with paternal depression in a 2023 meta-analysis. Association does not establish causation.

Systematic review + meta-analysis
One path

Screening, practical skills, peer support, care navigation, family connection, and measurable follow-up.

Proposed Dad Project model

The unmet need

Fathers are often found only after the fracture.

Many fathers enter systems through parenting stress, relationship breakdown, sleep problems, employment disruption, family conflict, substance use, or physical health concerns long before anyone asks about their emotional health.

Distress does not always look like sadness.Irritability, numbness, exhaustion, overwork, withdrawal, disrupted sleep, loss of concentration, substance use, or emotional disconnection may be part of the presentation.
Services may exist without a father-specific doorway.The project organizes behavioral health, family support, healthcare, workforce, veteran, and community resources into one visible pathway.
This is not another lecture about being a better man.Fathers gather over food, conversation, practical exercises, family activities, and individual support while screening and referral remain clinically responsible.
Father
Under Pressure
“I am just tired.”
Working constantly
Anger + irritability
Withdrawal + silence
Sleep disruption
Loss of connection
Illustrative model developed for The Dad Project. Symptoms vary by person and should not be used alone to diagnose depression.

Community experience · clinical partnership

Four ways in.
One connected model.

The proposed model brings community engagement, clinically supervised screening, practical skills, family connection, and care navigation into one coordinated pathway.

Illustrative fathers sharing a meal and conversation at a Dad Night
THE DAD NIGHT EXPERIENCE / ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHA meal. A conversation.
A place to begin.
01

Dad Nights

Conversation that does not feel like a clinic. Fathers gather over food and manageable exercises focused on stress, emotion, anger, fatherhood, support, and recovery.

02

Dad Check

Early identification before the emergency. The proposed Dad Check pairs approved screening with private follow-up by appropriately trained staff and clinical partners.

03

Dad + Kids

Connection practiced in real life. Family experiences help fathers build rituals, practice emotion coaching, and strengthen connection with their children.

04

Dad Navigation

More than handing someone a phone number. Navigators help fathers access behavioral health, healthcare, employment, housing, veteran, family, and legal-resource supports.

Participant pathway

A clear path after a father says, “I am not okay.”

Screening is paired with an action pathway. The project should never ask fathers to disclose significant distress without providing appropriate follow-up.

1

Welcome

Community event, restaurant partner, healthcare setting, referral partner, or self-referral.

2

Dad Check

Confidential screening for depression, anxiety, stress, isolation, substance use, and safety.

3

Triage

Community participation, curriculum enrollment, clinical referral, or immediate crisis response.

4

Dad Nights

Eight manageable sessions delivered through meals, discussion, skills, and real-life scenarios.

5

Connection

Peer support, family experiences, clinical care, county resources, and practical navigation.

6

Dad Plan

Personal recovery plan, father-child connection plan, certificate, follow-up, and alumni pathway.

Eight Dad Nights

A curriculum fathers can actually finish.

Each gathering includes a meal, emotional scan, honest conversation, one practical skill, a scenario or activity, and one manageable commitment.

01The Weight Fathers CarryPressure · warning signs · distress+
Pressure, warning signs, depression, distress, and what fathers hide while appearing functional.
Participant product: Personal pressure map · identify how stress enters parenting.
02Reading the DashboardScanning · awareness · pause+
A 90-second scan covering mood, body, anger, connection, fatherhood, and personal safety.
Participant product: Dad Dashboard · pause before reacting to a child.
03Anger, Pressure, and Self-ControlTriggers · reset · repair+
Triggers, emotional flooding, de-escalation, reset plans, and repair after a poor response.
Participant product: Personal reset plan · use a safer response during conflict.
04Fatherhood During ChangeSeparation · continuity · contact+
Separation, divorce, reduced contact, coparenting tension, and protecting the father-child relationship.
Participant product: Fatherhood continuity plan · protect routines and predictable contact.
05What My Child Sees and FeelsEmotion coaching · reassurance+
Emotion coaching, reassurance, child signals, and preventing children from carrying adult distress.
Participant product: Three communication scripts · name, validate, and guide emotion.
06Connection Without PerfectionRituals · presence · repair+
Low-cost rituals, nonresident fatherhood, virtual connection, repair, and consistent presence.
Participant product: 30-day connection calendar · create repeatable father-child moments.
07Building the Support TeamHelp seeking · social support+
Social isolation, asking directly for help, provider access, peer connection, and community resources.
Participant product: Five-person support map · reduce isolation that affects parenting.
08The Dad PlanRecovery · setbacks · next steps+
Warning signs, reset tools, professional support, fatherhood commitments, and 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals.
Participant product: Personal Dad Plan · protect connection during future stress.

Evidence-informed intervention architecture

Practical community delivery built on tested methods.

The full Dad Project package should not be described as a proven evidence-based program until local outcome data are available. Its components draw from established intervention approaches.

Behavioral activation

Depression support

Small, structured commitments rebuild routine, activity, connection, and momentum.

Cognitive-behavioral skills

Thought + response patterns

Fathers examine triggers, interpretations, physical reactions, urges, decisions, and consequences.

Motivational interviewing

Treatment engagement

Nonjudgmental conversations help fathers explore ambivalence and move toward appropriate care.

Peer support

Connection + retention

Dad Nights are designed to support connection, normalize help seeking, and build relationships that can continue beyond the series.

Parenting + emotion coaching

Father-child connection

Fathers practice naming, validating, and guiding children’s emotions while maintaining age-appropriate boundaries.

Care navigation

Access + follow-through

The proposed navigation model coordinates appointments, works on access barriers, and measures successful connection rather than referral volume alone.

Whole-father outcomes

The project will measure more than attendance.

Final instruments and reporting standards should be approved with county and clinical partners.

Whole-father evaluation

Connection
is the purpose.
Evidence is
the discipline.

Track access, engagement, wellbeing, and father-child connection. Establish baselines and follow-up before interpreting change.

PROPOSED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK
NO PILOT RESULTS DISPLAYED
Depression and anxiety

PHQ-9 and GAD-7 change at intake, completion, three months, and six months.

Treatment access

Time from referral to first attended clinical appointment and resolution of access barriers.

Father-child connection

Contact, confidence, routines, emotional presence, and reported relationship quality.

Social support and parenting stress

Changes in isolation, perceived support, coping, and parenting pressure.

Safety and crisis response

Identification, escalation, warm handoffs, follow-up, and continuity after urgent care.

System performance

Referral source, engagement, retention, partner participation, successful navigation, and follow-up completion.

Proposed 12-month demonstration

A pilot designed to produce service and evidence.

These are proposed pilot targets, not guaranteed outcomes. Final targets should reflect funding, staffing, clinical capacity, referral agreements, and county approval.

1,000Fathers reached through outreach and partner channels
300Confidential Dad Checks completed
150–250Fathers enrolled in program services
10–15Restaurant and community venue partners
High-risk participants receiving immediate protocol response100%Safety cannot depend on ordinary scheduling timelines.
Moderate or high-need fathers contacted within 48 hours90%Rapid follow-up reduces failed referrals and disengagement.
Core curriculum completion65%Tests whether the delivery model is practical and acceptable.
First clinical appointment attendance among referred fathers70%Measures successful navigation rather than referral volume.
Six-month follow-up completion60%Allows partners to assess whether change is sustained.

Community partnership model

The project should live where fathers already live.

The Dad Project is designed to connect ordinary community settings with credible clinical and resource pathways.

Restaurant Partners

Host welcoming Dad Nights and family meals without turning a restaurant into a clinical setting.

  • Sponsor meals or private rooms
  • Host quarterly Dad Nights
  • Provide family meal incentives
  • Share discreet referral information

Family-Friendly Places

Create a network of places where fathers feel welcomed when arriving alone with their children.

  • Recreation centers
  • Libraries and museums
  • Bowling and activity venues
  • Parks and community rooms

Clinical + Resource Partners

Provide a credible response when screening identifies depression, danger, or practical instability.

  • Behavioral health providers
  • Healthcare and benefits support
  • Employment and housing services
  • Veteran and reentry programs

Take the work home

The conversation should not end when Dad Night does.

The Dad Project is the proposed program. These books extend the conversation in two directions: one speaks to the father carrying the weight, and the other creates age-appropriate ways for fathers and children to keep building connection together.

RESTRAINT: Fathering Through the Fire book cover
For fathers · memoir + practical reflection

RESTRAINT: Fathering Through the Fire

A Father’s Story of Survival, Divorce, and Dignity explores what it means to keep fathering while navigating separation, family-court pressure, mental-health strain, financial disruption, identity loss, and the discipline required to remain present for your children.

Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, PhD · Konquered Press · ISBN 9798176228137
RESTRAINT is not presented as treatment or clinical guidance. On The Dad Project page, it functions as an adult-facing narrative and reflection resource for fathers dealing with pressure, change, and the work of staying connected.
Fatherhood under pressure Separation + change Mental health Dignity + presence
Kai and King's Big Little Adventures Volume One Kai and King's Big Little Adventures Volume Two Kai and King's Big Little Adventures Volume Three
For fathers + children · stories that create conversation

Kai & King’s Big Little Adventures

The children’s series gives fathers a softer doorway into the same work: connection, confidence, courage, emotion, family, friendship, curiosity, and growing together. The books can become an optional take-home resource after Dad + Kids activities, family nights, or father-child connection work.

Konquered Press · Three-volume family series
ReadUse a story to create an easy shared moment without making the child responsible for adult problems.
TalkAsk simple questions about feelings, courage, family, imagination, and what the child noticed.
DoTurn the story into a small ritual, activity, adventure, or repeatable father-child connection point.
Home, Heart & Wonder Courage, Confidence & Growing Together Family, Friends & Growing Up Confident

Project library

See the complete intervention system.

The public webpage stays readable. The detailed implementation, curriculum, and evidence live in the supporting documents.

2-page primer

The introduction

A concise overview of the need, model, evidence, founder, and proposed Prince George’s County partnership.

View primer
Program prospectus

The implementation plan

The evidence base, county model, intervention design, staffing, evaluation, timeline, budget framework, and partnership request.

View prospectus
Curriculum booklet

The eight Dad Nights

The complete curriculum, worksheets, family experiences, facilitator guidance, certificate pathway, and safety boundaries.

View curriculum

Selected evidence sources

Paternal depression prevalenceRao W, Zhu X, Zong Q, et al. Prevalence of prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers.
PubMed
Depression among United States fathersDavis RN, Davis MM, Freed GL, Clark SJ. Fathers’ depression related to positive and negative parenting behaviors.
PubMed
Child depression riskSystematic review and meta-analysis examining paternal depression and depression among offspring.
PubMed
Father mental health and child developmentRecent meta-analysis examining paternal depression, anxiety, stress, and child developmental outcomes.
PubMed
Separated and divorced fathersRandomized trial of a father-specific intervention for divorced and separated fathers.
PubMed
Adult depression screeningUnited States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on screening for depression in adults.
USPSTF
Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, PhD, founder of The Dad Project

Founder + program architect

Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, PhD

“No father should have to reach the edge before a community asks whether he is okay.”

Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins, PhD, is a lecturer and researcher whose work examines how institutions, social conditions, and public systems shape health, identity, opportunity, and human performance.

The Dad Project combines lived understanding with research, public-health design, clinical partnership, community delivery, and measurable evaluation. It is not one man’s story presented as every father’s experience.

Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins gold signature

Prince George’s County partnership opportunity

Build the place fathers can go before everything falls apart.

The Dad Project is seeking county, healthcare, behavioral-health, restaurant, recreation, faith, employer, and community partners interested in developing a measurable 12-month demonstration.

Start a partnership conversation Express father interest