National At-Home Dad Network

In March of 2006, Daddyshome, Inc. - The National At-Home Dad Network, was founded as a 501c3 non-profit corporation by 3 at-home dads in the DC area. Its mission was to support at-home dads nationwide and encourage all fathers to take an active role in childcare. It has taken three years, but at the recent 14th Annual At-Home Dad's Convention in Omaha, that mission has begun to take shape.

At the convention, a larger, more geographically representative 8-member board of veteran at-home dads were appointed and took several bold steps toward creating a true National At-Home Dad Network:

Merged with the At-Home Dad's Convention
For the first 10 years, the convention had been hosted by Oakdale Community College in Chicago. When the college decided to discontinue hosting the convention, a group of veteran at-home dads agreed to keep it going and moved the convention to Kansas City for 2006 and 2007, Sacramento for 2008 and then Omaha for 2009 and 2010. Daddyshome began partnering with this convention committee in 2007 to help the convention raise money. With the success of this fund raising and the non-profit corporate structure that Daddyshome offered, the At-Home Dad Convention Committee and the Board of Daddyshome agreed to make the Convention a part of Daddyshome. This now assures long-term sustainability for the convention so that at-home dads can continue to connect in person with other at-home dads from all over the nation one weekend a year.

Appointed Regional Coordinators
These Regional Coordinators will help at-home dad groups become chapters of Daddyshome and will assist new local groups get started. Soon, Daddyshome will have the most complete listing of at-home dad groups from around the country on one, easy-to-search, website. By easily finding local at-home dads to go to playgroups and Dad's Night Outs, more at-home dads will be able to increase their support network which will, in turn, improve their families.

Defined voting members of Daddyshome
The board determined that voting members would be those who attended the convention or paid an annual dues of $10. These voting members would be responsible for electing members to the board of directors and serving on various committees such as the convention, regional coordinators, website, etc.

Amended terms to the Brian Dickson Memorial At-Home Dad Convention Scholarship
Among several changes it was decided that $5 from every convention registration fee would go into the scholarship fund that would help one or more at-home dads attend the convention. Also, the board awarded the first scholarship to first-time attendee Chad from St. Peters, MO to help him make it to the convention next year in Omaha! For more details on the scholarship, see www.athomedadconvention.com.

For the first time, at-home dads can now unite behind one national organization. Many websites and dad's groups have attempted to bring about this movement and now it is being realized. The work is far from complete, but with a dedicated, 8-member board of directors and a vibrant voting membership of 53 and growing, Daddyshome is on it's way to being the National At-Home Dad Network that at-home dads across the country have needed.

I invite you to check our website regularly at www.daddyshome.org as we work to construct a dynamic site for at-home dads as well as www.athomedadconvention.com for details on the next convention in Omaha on October 2, 2010 and www.athomedad.org for great forum discussions.

With your help, at-home dads will change the world, one diaper at a time!

Al Watts
Vice-President, Daddyshome, Inc. - The National At-Home Dad Network
(former KCDAD)