Fatherhood Program Incentives, Supports, and Retention with Dr. Armon Perry and Dr. Jeff Shears

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, the Moynihan Institute for Fatherhood Research and Policy takes over the mic as Dr. Jeffery Shears sits down with Dr. Armon Perry to discuss his research on fatherhood program participants’ perceptions of incentives and program supports. Dr. Perry, a professor at the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, has spent his career studying fathers, families, and the systems that either include or exclude dads from the parenting table. In this conversation, he explains why fatherhood programs must move beyond good intentions and think more carefully about what fathers actually need in order to attend, participate, and complete services. The discussion centers on Dr. Perry’s article, “Fatherhood Program Participants’ Perceptions of Incentives and Program Supports,” and the practical lessons it offers to community-based organizations, social service providers, fatherhood programs, researchers, and policymakers. This episode explores: • Why father involvement is connected to better outcomes for children and families • The difference between incentives and program supports • Why a father’s time must be honored and valued • How transportation, food, gift cards, and child support arrears forgiveness can affect participation • Why supports should reduce barriers, not simply reward attendance • How child support debt owed to the state can become a powerful policy lever • Why fatherhood programs must tailor supports to local context • How rural and urban fathers may need different supports • Why programs should ask fathers directly what they need • How community partnerships can help provide resources without overburdening program budgets A key takeaway from the conversation is that incentives and supports are not extras. They are part of the infrastructure that allows fathers to stay connected long enough to receive the full benefit of a program. Dr. Perry compares this to dosage: if a curriculum is designed to provide a full intervention, fathers need enough access and support to receive that full dose. Dr. Perry also challenges programs to resist cookie-cutter models. What works in Louisville may not work the same way in Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, or another community entirely. Transportation vouchers matter where public transit exists. Other communities may need different solutions. The point is not to copy incentives blindly, but to understand the fathers being served and build supports around their lived realities. This conversation is essential for anyone designing, funding, evaluating, or delivering fatherhood services. It reminds us that if we want fathers to show up, we must build programs that show fathers their time, dignity, and realities matter.

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