For dads, quality time with their children no longer means grabbing a few minutes between the end of the workday and the beginning of the bedtime ritual. It is more than just looking forward to the weekends with the family. Many fathers are finding the time to go back to school. Preschool, that is.

Once a child starts attending daycare or preschool, even the busiest father can find whole new ways of getting involved. After all, he is now responsible for dropping off more than just financial reports and picking up more than just the tab for a lunch meeting. And between all that dropping off and picking up, he may even find himself going on field trips rather than business trips. As children take those first few steps out into the world, it is important that dads be there to step right along with them.

Robert Field, a licensed child psychologist and the father of four from San Ramon, Calif., believes strongly that fathers should get very involved in their children's lives, especially at this age. "Dads are essential parents in every aspect of the child's life," he says. "There is no doubt that the dad's influence on his children is very critical to early development. From the moment a child is born, he can tell whether the person holding him is comfortable or not. The more stability from those important parents, the more secure and confident the child will be. Without the initial security, all other stages of development fail complete achievement."

As children grow from these initial feelings of security and begin to learn about themselves and the world in which they are living, they need as much confidence as they can muster. When the time comes for daycare and preschool, children need special guidance from their fathers.

"Not only do early relationships affect the way kids relate to males, but [they also affect] how safe and secure they feel in the world," says Field. "Those critical years of preschool relate to a child's capacity to trust and establish independence. The added involvement of the dad only provides a stronger foundation."

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