Programs for Couples
Good Dads Plus Us • COMING SOON!
Good Dads Plus Us is an all-encompassing program for dads and their co-parents. Participants learn a variety of skills to live happy, healthy lives with our three-pronged approach: (1) co-parenting skills; (2) healthy couple relationships; (3) economic stability and financial literacy.
Classes are set to begin throughout Missouri in spring 2026.
Why Focus
on Fathers?
At Good Dads, we believe that fathers and father-figures are a community’s most valuable resource. A community with a high percentage of loving, engaged, responsible fathers has better outcomes in nearly every measure: like education, safety, and economic stability, to name a few.
Our mission is to inspire, resource, and encourage all fathers to be more involved in their children’s lives, aiming to build better communities through engaged fatherhood. Since 2018, Good Dads has already targeted at-risk fathers with the New Pathways for Good Dads program, but with our new Good Dads Plus Us program, we can keep fulfilling our mission of serving all fathers, regardless of income or background.
Who is
Good Dads Plus Us for?
Good Dads Plus Us is for any dad or father-figure, regardless of his income. To qualify for the program, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Live in one of the 87 Missouri counties indicated on the map to the left.
- Be actively engaged in raising a minor child or actively involved in the life of a young adult up to age 24 who is the child of a partner or relative.
- This program is designed to fit the needs of any biological father, expectant father, adoptive father, foster father, grandfather or father-figure.
- Suitable for single men and and men in committed romantic relationships (married or unmarried).
About the Program
After winning a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Good Dads is building capacity to serve couples for the very first time. Our vision for the Good Dads Plus Us program is to create lasting generational change by improving father-child relationships, reducing family violence, supporting healthy partner relationships, and increasing family economic mobility.
The new initiative will allow any father to access the tools and resources necessary to be a good dad. Classes for the new program will begin April 2026.
- Understanding the importance of father engagement to children’s wellbeing
- Child behavior and development
- Communication and conflict resolution
- Co-parenting skills
- Positive bonding among partners
- Setting limits and discipline
- Healthy expression and regulation
- Realistic expectations for committed relationships
- Healthy relationships and commitment
- Employment, resume building and interview skills
- Family budgeting, credit and savings
What You'll Learn
Outcomes and Benefits
When you participate in Good Dads Plus Us, Good Dads will work with you to achieve a variety of positive outcomes:
- Better interactions and relationships for dads and kids
- Better interactions and relationships for men and their partners
- More positive family relationships and bonds
- More family stability and less conflict
- Improved child health and wellbeing
- More emotional connection and positive bonds for partners
- More financial responsibility and economic stability
- Fewer depressive symptoms and stress
- When you enroll in the Plus Us program, you’ll work together with a Good Dads specialist to create an Individual Service Plan built on your specific needs and goals.
- Then, you’ll be placed in one of our classes with a small group of other dads. You’ll be expected to meet a minimum 25 hours of instruction in responsible fatherhood, healthy relationships and economic stability electives.
- Along the way, you’ll receive individualized case management services from the Good Dads team, with regular check-ins to review progress towards your goals and to answer your questions.
- Once you’ve met all class requirements (earning attendance incentives along the way) you’ll be eligible to graduate from the program and invited to attend a formal graduation ceremony to celebrate your achievements!
What to Expect
Fundamentals for Good Dads
Fundamentals for Good Dads was originally focused on helping any dad, including stepdads, grandfathers, and father figures, to be the best dad they can be. Now, a new and improved version of the course also recognizes the role that mothers, wives and partners play in successful co-parenting.
This eight-part course encourages fathers and father-figures to explore a variety of important fatherhood skills: values, discipline and correction, masculinity, role models, child development milestones, conflict resolution, support networks, etc.
Using meaningful and thought-provoking questions, multimedia lesson introductions and educational activities, this highly engaging curriculum paves the way to forging connections among fathers.
Module 1 Pre-Game Warm-Up
- Understand the goals, format and content of the course.
- Establish rapport with facilitators and other participants.
- Work together to determine and explain acceptable group behavior.
- Explore, identify and discuss the similarities between coaching a team and leading a family.
Module 2 Goals for the Season—Values
- Recognize that a family, like any winning team, needs a game plan with goals to ensure success.
- Explain why rules and standards matter to a team and to families.
- Define “value” and describe the relationship between values and standards.
- Identify personal values and explain why they are important to a safe, stable and happy home.
- Describe the importance of shared couple values and standards to good parenting.
- Understand the influence of family of origin values to one’s adult values.
- Explain how and why values change as one matures.
- Relate how the values of a parent might influence a child’s wellbeing.
Module 3 Becoming a Valued Team Player
- Describe and summarize the impact of childhood role models.
- Evaluate the influence of various parenting role models from childhood on one’s current beliefs about what it means to be a good father or mother.
- Assess the impact of one’s beliefs on current parenting behavior.
- Reflect on the impact of a father’s absence on a child and articulate its effect on the ability to be a good parent.
Module 4 High-Potential Coaches
- Identify strengths of each family member.
- Describe the potential and contributions of each family member.
- Consider and reflect on one’s own strengths and weaknesses regarding parenting.
- Reflect on the ability to control your own attitude and temperament.
- Recognize and explain how each family has its own struggles and strengths.
Module 5 How You Impact Your Players
- Identify and describe the four primary parenting styles.
- Explain how parenting styles are related to a child’s self-management and self-confidence.
- Analyze various parenting scenarios and likely outcomes using various styles of parenting.
- Consider the ways parents may work together to develop the abilities of other family members using their own unique personalities and abilities.
Module 6 Developing Self-Confidence and Resilience
- Define and describe the importance of self-confidence.
- Identify parenting strategies that help encourage the development of confidence in one’s child along with when and why to use them.
- Examine and explain the relationship between accountability and responsibility.
- Identify age-appropriate tasks/chores for children.
- Identify reasonable and age-appropriate consequences for children.
Module 7 Managing Resistance and Conflict
- Explain why conflict is a natural part of life.
- Summarize the value of childish resistance.
- Detail how conflict with one’s children can be managed in positive ways.
- Identify and explain personal anger styles.
- Recognize cues when one is becoming angry.
- Explain and demonstrate ways of resolving conflict.
Module 8 Managing Stress in Your Coaching Network
- Identify and illustrate potential sources of stress in adults and children.
- Brainstorm coping strategies for stress (adults and children).
- Explain the importance of a support network.
- Identify people for one’s support network.
- Identify and demonstrate appropriate ways to ask for help.
- Recognize and construct an appropriate apology.
Bundles & Purchasing Options
Head Coach Bundle
$349.95
- 2 Fundamentals for Good Dads Facilitator Manual Binders
- 1 flash drive containing all 8 Coaching Clips
- 20 sets of all eight Fundamentals for Good Dads Participant Guides
Personal Trainer Bundle
$225.95
- 1 Fundamentals for Good Dads Facilitator Manual Binder
- 1 flash drive containing all 8 Coaching Clips
- 10 sets of all eight Fundamentals for Good Dads Participant Guides
Training
For the highest possible delivery quality of this new program, Good Dads offers the opportunity to be trained in Fundamentals for Good Dads. If you are interested in being trained to deliver this course to community leaders in your area, please contact us.
Learn More about Good Dads Plus Us
"*" indicates required fields
The production of this webpage was supported by Grant HHS-2025-ACF-OFA-ZJ-0014 from ACF. Its content are solely the responsibility of Good Dads and do not necessarily represent the official views of ACF.