County Launches Fatherhood Training

County Executive David Crowley and Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell hold resolution authorizing FORGE program. Photo taken April 14, 2026, by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley used his pen Tuesday to promote a new county program intended to strengthen the local community by starting with fathers.

The county executive, along with Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell, held a ceremony Tuesday at Wisconsin Community Services, a Milwaukee-based social services nonprofit, to sign off on creating a new fatherhood program available through the county’s child support services division.

It’s called the FORGE Fatherhood Project. FORGE is an acronym for family, opportunity, resilience, grit and engagement. The program will be open to fathers between the ages of 18 and 24 who will be able to attend parenting and marriage workshops and have access to employment services.

The program is funded for the next five years through an approximately $5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The goal is to enroll as many as 1,800 fathers in the program during that time.

“This investment really reflects a simple but powerful belief that strong families build strong children, and fathers play a critical role in that foundation,” Crowley said before the signing Tuesday.

To carry out the program, the county’s child support services is partnering with local organizations, including Wisconsin Community Services, Fathers Making Progress, Unite Wisconsin, Sojourner Family Peace Center and AMTC & Associates. The latter is an organizational consultant with experience supporting and evaluating federal programs funded by HHS.

Each participant will have a case manager tracking their progress and helping them stay involved in the program, said Sandra Stevens, project director for the county’s child support services division. Programming will focus on strengthening parenting skills, healthy relationships and economic stability, she said.

During parenting workshops, fathers will work on communication, managing conflict and building relationships with their children. They will work on strategies for co-parenting or building trust with a partner. The county will also help them with creating résumés, finding employment and even job placement.

“We recognize that many fathers are navigating the child support system — not unwillingly — but they are just not supported as they should be,” said Bria Grant, executive director of Unite Wisconsin. “They are facing barriers, like unemployment, housing instability, unresolved health needs and limited access to opportunity.”

The overarching goal of the program is to provide support for local children and young families by making sure fathers are prepared to be supportive, caring parents and partners.

“[FORGE] will go a long way to support fathers and their efforts to build strong and lasting relationships with their young children, paving the way for their children to be successful now and in the future,” said Clarence Johnson, CEO of Wisconsin Community Services.

Nicholson-Bovell called the program an example of “smart government” taking advantage of the domino effect healthy parenting relationships can have on families and the wider community.

“When fathers are supported, children are stronger, families are more stable, and communities are safer and more resilient,” she said. “My wonderful father played a huge role in my life, and we were low-income growing up, but that foundation mattered, and it shaped who I became.”

Crowley signed off on the program during the national Week of the Young Child, meant to be an opportunity for civic organizations and communities to focus on children’s needs.

“And so during the Week of the Young Child, we celebrate the importance of early childhood and an environment that helps children thrive,” Crowley said. “And so today’s actions really reinforce our commitment to ensuring that every child in Milwaukee County has the support systems that they deserve, starting with strong, engaged parents.”