TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to receive and file a report from the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department on the Father-Friendly Initiative;
Formally endorse the nine Father-Friendly Principles outlined in the Father-Friendly Initiative; and
Create a plan to retrofit all existing public-facing city government buildings to be equipped with at least one safe, sanitary, and convenient, baby changing station, available to both men and women.
DISCUSSION
In the city of Long Beach, we recognize that Fathers play a critical role in their child's life. When fathers are present and involved in their child's life, children have improved health outcomes, higher measures of cognitive functioning, are twice as likely to enter college or find stable employment after high school, and are 75% less likely to have a teen birth. Children with active fathers are also less likely to engage in risky adolescent behavior, and are 43 percent more likely to excel academically.
Recognizing the significant positive impacts of an involved father, on February 12, 2018, the City of Long Beach's Health and Human Services Department launched the Father-Friendly Long Beach Campaign as a part of an ongoing effort to support fathers and their families who live, work, and play in Long Beach. Developed and supported by the Father-Friendly Advisory Committee, the campaign seeks to transform Long Beach into a father-friendly environment by encouraging local businesses, agencies, and organizations to implement Father-Friendly Principles (see attachment), and adopt the following father-friendly guidelines:
1. Professional staff development on father-friendly practices;
2. Displaying positive and diverse images of fathers playing active role in their child's
life; and
3. Ensuring men's restrooms and family/gender-neutral restrooms contain changing
stations for fathers.
Recent Federal and State legislation has worked to create more equitable child-rearing practices. For ex...
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