Fathering a child at a young age can alter the trajectory of a young man’s life, putting his future and that of his child at risk.
Upstate Fatherhood Coalition offers the “Ready4Life” program, featuring curriculum called “Reality Check,” for young men aged 14 to 19 to help prevent early fatherhood and prepare them to make responsible decisions for a successful life.
Ricco Booker, regional Ready4Life coordinator, said Upstate Fatherhood Coalition offers the course at its office and other sites in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties. Classes highlight the responsibilities young parents face, financial needs and legal issues like custody and visitation. College visits allow students to experience being on campus while exploring career opportunities and imagining their future.
“They’re not aware of how much it costs to have a child — $13,000 a year just to meet their basic needs,” Booker said. “You can only work so many hours. Having a child in high school can deter you from achieving your dream.”
An initiative of the South Carolina Center For Fathers and Families, the program encourages young men to focus on their education, career and maintaining healthy relationships before deciding to have children.
“So much can happen between the hours of 2 to 5 p.m. while mom and dad are working and young people have idle time on their hands,” Booker said. “It doesn’t take a whole lot to make a child, but lots of years of responsibility to raise them.”
Booker, who played basketball at Southern Wesleyan University and professionally overseas before coaching locally for more than 20 years, said sometimes teens need to hear the message about the importance of fathers from someone other than a parent.
“I can relate to them through personal experience of my home and my father not being in my life for 24 years, and as the father of two children,” he said. “I tell them, ‘I was you. Be better than me.’”
Booker said he asks all the young men to write a letter to their fathers, no matter their circumstances.
“I tell them to express on paper how they really feel, get it off their chest, even if all they can say is ‘My dad is the worst man,’” he said. “Then they write to their future self, imagining being an involved father.”
The 11.5-hour curriculum can be used as part of an elective course, an after-school program, a summer-enrichment series or a supplemental program for athletic teams and student organizations. Participation can be voluntary, initiated by family or by referral from the departments of social services and juvenile justice.
Booker said the nonprofit expects to serve 150 young men across the Upstate in its fiscal year, which runs January to September.
“I reach out to them after the course is over to show I care about them,” he said. “When they reach out to say, ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I know I’ve done my job.”
The Community Foundation of Greenville provided a $10,000 unrestricted grant to Upstate Fatherhood Coalition in 2024.
For more information, visit realityforyoungmen.com and upstatefathers.org.
