Program Goals

The goals of Boot Camp for New Dads^® (BCND) are:

• Increase knowledge...
• Men will know more about how they can benefit their wives and babies.
• Men's problem-solving strategies will shift from a narrow to broad perspective.
• Increase self-image.
• Men will develop a view of parenting as a masculine activity, consistent with their identity.
• Men will be inspired to be as good as (or better than) the veterans.
• Men will understand they will have their own individual style.
• Set expectations and increase confidence.
• Men will have a higher expectation of their own responsibility as parents.
• Men will know what to be prepared for and be ready to be proactive.
• Men's attitudes will shift from being "prepared to survive" the transition to being "eager to master" it.
• Men will know that it's okay to make mistakes and that when they do, they will try again.
• Men will say to themselves, "I think I know what to do to accomplish this."

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Boot Camp for New Dads® (BCND).

Essential Components

The essential components of Boot Camp for New Dads^® (BCND) include:

• Veteran Dads (who have previously attended BCND) return to class with their babies to provide opportunities for hands-on experience caring for a baby and show the dads-to-be that they too can rise to the occasion as fathers and be confident and caring for their babies.
• Round table discussions with opportunities to ask questions of men who have recently become fathers to find out what they've learned to be most important.
• BCND is a dads-only environment, which provides a relaxed and safe atmosphere for men to get their questions answered.
• A well-trained, engaging Coach, who is also a father is assigned.
• Some of the Coaches are trained at the semi-annual Master Coach Training in Denver, Colorado conducted by BCND's team of National Trainers.
• Others are trained on-site by a National Trainer.
• Coaches who have attended the Master Coach Training are then able to train other men to be Coaches for their Boot Camp program.
• A great Coach can move the group through all the necessary topics while engaging the guys to share their stories, encouraging great participation, and getting Rookies excited about their baby and looking forward to coming back as Veteran Dads.
• A classroom setting with a coach, 3+ Veteran Dads, and ideally 10-12 dads-to-be, but there can be a lot of variation in class size.

Program Delivery

Parent/Caregiver Services

Boot Camp for New Dads® (BCND) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Men about to become fathers for the first time

Recommended Intensity:

3 hours

Recommended Duration:

One session before baby; men are invited to return as veterans which approximately 25% do

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community Daily Living Setting
• Hospital
• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Other

Homework

Boot Camp for New Dads® (BCND) includes a homework component:

Men are asked to go home and make a list with their wives/girlfriends/partners of all the things they like to do together. When the baby is about 6 weeks old, they can start picking things off the list to do so they can reignite their relationship with mom.

Men are encouraged to talk with their partners and develop "game plans" together around the topics of gatekeeping, postpartum depression, sleeping plans, parenting as a team, and more so that the first time they talk about these issues isn't in the heat of the moment when stress, tiredness, and tensions are high.

All dads-to-be receive the Crash Course for New Dads book to take home, which includes many pages with checklists or worksheets to fill out about what kind of father they want to be, how they will manage visitors, and thinking ahead of activities he can do with his child. There is also a Childbirth Coaching Guide that the guys are told to put with the hospital bag so they can have it on hand when labor starts. This fold-out includes space for the birth plan, and a place for important numbers for him to fill out ahead of time.

Languages

Boot Camp for New Dads® (BCND) has materials available in a language other than English:

Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Room, contact with fathers-to-be, trained facilitator (Coach), program coordinator, and a license from National Headquarters

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

There is no minimum education requirement, only the ability to facilitate a group and training for this is provided.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

A manual that describes how to implement this program for Coaches and Coordinators is part of the licensing package.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Boot Camp for New Dads
  phone: (949) 754-9067

Training Type/Location:

There are three options: Master Coach Training is offered twice a year in Denver, on-site training can be arranged through the national headquarters, or if the program has a trained Master Coach, he can train other Coaches for the licensed site he is working with.

Number of days/hours:

1 ½ days

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Boot Camp for New Dads® (BCND).

Additional References