A Single Father

Gary Parker, a single father of four, was having a tough time adjusting to being a single dad. He was referred to FIRST 5 by a local agency. After meeting with his FIRST 5 Family Partner, they decided to focus on two major goals: helping his youngest son, Steven to be academically, behaviorally, and socially ready for kindergarten and accessing services to improve his family’s communication and well-being.

FIRST 5 recommended a home visitor to help Gary. The home visitor worked on Gary’s parenting skills and helped decrease Steven’s behavior and communication problems. The home visitor also helped the family get much needed food, furniture, clothes, books, and other household items from the Community Solutions’ donation center.

Gary stated that he has seen improvement in Steven and in himself as a parent because of FIRST 5 services. “My home visitor has taught me how to better communicate with Steven and has given me activities that I can do with him to help him learn. I want to be an active parent, aware of resources for the family, and will do whatever it takes to do what is best for the kids.”