The White House celebrated Father’s Day a bit early this year when President Obama hosted military dads and their children Wednesday afternoon to kick off his Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative. The program aims to help all fathers around the nation become more engaged with their families.

This year there is a new component—Strong Fathers, Strong Families—which includes partnerships with outside organizations, such as bowling centers, sports leagues, zoos and aquariums and Groupon.

“The idea is simple: We’re working with organizations to help dads connect with their kids in simple, meaningful ways,” Obama said in remarks at the event. ”Even LivingSocial and Groupon are discounting activities and outings for fathers and kids. So you can find out more about all this stuff at fatherhood.gov.”

Disney is partnering with the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative to host movie screenings at military bases across the country. The military families that visited the White House Wednesday were treated to a screening of Cars 2. In addition, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will soon announce a new effort to help fathers in public housing.

(Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)