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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.