Washington State Fathers Network

About Washington State Fathers Network

The Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN) is a regional non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and providing resources and support to fathers and families of children with developmental disabilities and special health care needs. Established in 1986 and funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Health and the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation, the Fathers Network currently consists of 15 statewide programs and more than 100 chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada. The WSFN provides a variety of programs and services including developing national and statewide databases with information concerning fathers from diverse ethnic, racial, and geographic backgrounds; father support and mentoring programs; curriculum designed to enhance the involvement of fathers in the home and service provision (i.e., health care settings, schools); technical assistance to organizations and agencies to ensure their services are “father friendly”; and sponsoring regional and national conferences. The Fathers Network offers a variety of educational materials, including monographs; a “how to” manual for developing effective and successful programs for men; videos; and discussion and resource guides. The Network also regularly publishes articles in national magazines and journals and publishes a three-times-a- year newsletter entitled “Connections.” The Fathers Network is a program of the Kindering Center, a birth to three years neurodevelopmental center in Bellevue, Washington.