No front page content has been created yet.

 

Register Now!

Celebrate Dads the Continuing Journey – Creating Our Path Forward

Seventh Annual Fatherhood Summit

Sept. 19, 2025

Second Annual Dad Allies Awards

Bethaday Community Center, 605 SW 108th St., Seattle, WA 98146

Join us for an afternoon celebrating fathers and coming together to sustain the work.

Join us in person for the 2025 Fatherhood Summit. This year’s theme celebrates fathers and invites us to create our path forward for the Washington Fatherhood Council. The afternoon promises to be full of powerful insights and thoughtful discussion.

We value the voices of fathers! Some support for travel costs is available for dads to attend the event, including mileage, child care expenses and compensation for lived experience for a limited number of fathers.  Contact us for questions.

Registration is limited to 120 attendees so Register ASAP!

Overview:
  • This event is free. 
  • Doors open at noon with a light lunch and refreshments.
  • The event begins at 1 p.m.
  • Closing remarks begin at 4 p.m.
Highlights:
  • Keynote Presentation:  The Unspoken Truth of Fatherhood - Needed but Not Nurtured
  • Keynote Speaker:  Brendan Kwiatkowski-Hartman, Ph.D. Click here for more information
  • 2025 Dad Allies Awards - See below for details!
  • Award Winner Dads Panel discussing their experiences with our keynote speaker.
  • Group discussions to develop the next steps for the Washington Fatherhood Council.

Let’s Keep Momentum Going for Fathers in Washington!  Click Here for More Information!

Nominations for the Dad Allies Awards are now open!

The Washington Fatherhood Council is hosting its Seventh Annual Fatherhood Summit on Sept. 19, 2025. In these times of state and federal budget cuts and program changes, it is more important than ever for us to make sure fathers’ voices are at the table. To keep our amazing momentum going, we will continue  to honor the fathers and allies who have been making a difference in our state by sustaining this celebration.

We will gather to celebrate our second annual Dad Allies award recipients at our mini summit. The event will recognize fathers and allies who promote the positive impact fathers have on their children, family and communities.  

Click here to nominate a dad and click here to nominate an organization or individual dad ally.   

Nominations will close on July 30, 2025.

Brought to you by: The Department of Children Youth and Families - Child Welfare Division, The Stafford Creek Shine from the Inside Out Fathers' Group, The Department of Corrections, Family Education and Support Services, and the Department of Social and Health Services

The State of Fathers in Washington Study

The Washington Fatherhood Council commissioned Camber Collective to conduct the State of Fathers in Washington study, a nine-month project (June 2023 – February 2024). The study includes a landscape of current policies, funding, programs, and experiences of fathers and fatherhood figures in Washington state, with a focus on identifying gaps and needs to inform strategic planning and policy recommendations.  Click here for additional information. 

About the Fatherhood Council

The Washington Fatherhood Council is a collaborative, transformational group of more than 35 state and local providers, academics and — most importantly — fathers with lived expertise, which helps further the goals of reducing poverty and inequality through increased fatherhood access and belonging.  The Council fosters service provider capacity, creates community for fathers, works for policy change and resource investment in fathers, and promotes their voices and experiences to transform family systems. 

We know that:​

  • Child and family well-being improve when fathers are positively engaged in their children’s lives.​
  • Fathers play a unique and important role in children’s development.​
  • Fathers should have support and resources to become the fathers they aspire to be.​

Dad Allies Provider Learning Series

A series of workshops delivered by local and national thought leaders and academics on timely issues facing fathers and father figures with the goal of providing education and guidance about how to build a strong father-friendly provider network. Learn More Here

Fatherhood Community Cafes

A series of Community Cafes across the state organized with local providers to bring together fathers, providers and dad allies, to lift up the voices of fathers, engage community providers, and bring these groups together around our common goal of providing father friendly services.  Learn More here

Fatherhood Photo Bank

The Fatherhood Photo Bank is now live! Learn more here. 

Father-Friendly Resource Map

We have surveyed organizations across Washington and built a father-friendly resource map of services. If you are a services provider not listed on our resource map, please take 3 minutes to complete our survey and we will add your organization. 

Annual Fatherhood Summit

Each year we bring together academics, practicioners and parents to share cuttting edge research, practical lessons, and personal insights on how to best serve fathers.  Learn more here.

My dad is an important play partner and helps me grow a healthy brain!

-- Lamb, M. E. (2004). The role of the father in child development. 4th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020).

Dads can embrace a “caring masculinity” mindset, which tends to lead to healthier, happier kids.

-- Petts, R. J., Shafer, K. M., & Essig, L. (2018).
Does adherence to masculine norms shape fathering behavior? Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(3), 704-720. doi:10.1111/jomf.124

Toxic stress, such as a life in poverty, can have serious mental, physical, social-emotional, and behavioral consequences for children and can impact a child’s academic success, social connection, and economic stability. But there’s hope: an involved father can lessen the impact of these negative outcomes for a child in poverty!

-- Lee, J., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S.J. (2017). Resident fathers’ positive engagement, family poverty, and change in child behavior problems.
Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 66, 484-496. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering

Did you Know...

1 in 5 children live without a father in the home in Washington

-- The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2020)
Kids Count Data Center

Science tells us that we need to protect young brains from adversity to help them thrive in school and life. Working together toward our goal of reducing poverty in Washington State by 50% by 2025 allows us to create an upward spiral of possibilities to help ensure every child is able to achieve their full human potential.

-- David Stillman, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Social & Health Services Economic Services Administration

Have questions about an article, content to contribute, or a comment/suggestion for this page? Please contact us.