Fatherhood program participants’ perceptions of incentives and program supports

Research indicates that many fatherhood programs face challenges recruiting and retaining participants. In response, an often-recommended strategy is providing incentives to promote attendance and program supports to remove barriers to participation. However, there is little research to inform fatherhood program developers’ decisions on what types of incentives and program supports resonate with participants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to survey participants in a multi-site fatherhood program to solicit their perceptions of the importance of an array of incentives and program supports provided to them. A total of 97 participants completed surveys to rate the importance of each incentive and program support. Data analysis revealed that incentives with financial implications such as child support case audits, arrears forgiveness, and prepaid gift cards were rated the highest in importance. These incentives were followed by program supports such as providing branded messenger bags and food. Cross-site comparisons revealed that participants residing in the rural site had different ratings from participants living in suburban or more metropolitan areas. The results of this study have implications for future fatherhood programs, including their program development and continuous quality improvement/data collection protocols.