A new Brookings article summarizes prominent research on the impact fathers have in early childhood development. While families without a father are just as able to foster healthy development, research suggests that an involved dad has unique benefits. For example, infants whose dads read to them later scored higher on language assessments as toddlers. A similar study found that toddlers whose dads read to them were more likely to have improved vocabulary and cognitive skills a year later. Active, positive involvement from fathers has also been found to support cognitive and executive function skills in young children. #education
