Researchers interviewed fathers who took their children to nursery and early years practitioners to find out how they related to each other.
The joint project between Derby University's Early Childhood Studies department and the Pre-School Learning Alliance sought the views of around 40 fathers and early years staff at a range of settings, from small pre-schools to children's centres and private nurseries, in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.
Co-author and lecturer in early childhood studies, Andrew Sanders, said, 'What we were asking was for views on the encounter between fathers and practitioners at the nursery door. It's not about men in childcare or father-friendly activities, but about how practitioners feel about the everyday contact they have.
'Not surprisingly, fathers and practitioners felt settings were intimidating places for men. That definitely came through. And practitioners were conscious of the fact that it might be.
'Generally speaking, things could be better from a dad's point of view, but are changing. Practitioners are very conscious of potential barriers and very conscious of how to address them. There are some examples of very good practice.'
Mr Sanders said some of the fathers interviewed did comment positively on 'father-friendly' activities, such as football sessions.
However, some fathers felt that there was a need to get away from stereotypical ideas about 'male' activities and to think more creatively about engaging fathers - for example, one setting was running a cookery club for dads.
'Younger practitioners felt more comfortable talking to older dads and granddads than men their age. There was a feeling that confidence in being in the nursery environment came with dads who were more experienced in life. Practitioners said that if dads felt confident about being there, they felt more comfortable being with them,' said Mr Sanders.
He said that early years settings should try to 'understand the community' to help them tailor activities to get fathers involved.
The study recommends training to engage fathers, not just parents, so that early years staff can share their ideas 'to try to make settings "friendly" for fathers every day and not just for special activities' and break down the idea of the nursery as a 'female space'.
