It was November 2008 and Somerfeld, a New York City Teaching Fellow working at a high-need school in the Bronx, was taking time off to be with his newborn son. “It was so important to me and my wife that Jake have one-on-one care,” Somerfield says. “The differential between paying for that kind of childcare and my salary was not that significant, so we decided I would stay home.”

Shortly after, Somerfeld founded the NYC Dads Group, an online destination for dads to share ideas, news and city activities, as well as a forum to organize events and outings with other New York City fathers.

“I was looking for structure,” Somerfeld says. “I wanted to be able to say, ‘On Wednesday, I have plans.’”

Every week, NYC Dads Group meets at a child-friendly destination, like a park or an indoor play space. There are also regular dad-only events such as evening forums with authors and Dads Night Out, like a recent trip the group took to The Palm restaurant for steaks and drinks.

And judging from the site’s success thus far, Somerfeld has struck a chord with other New York City dads, as the group reached 200 members in May and continues to grow.

“Men come from Brooklyn, Staten Island, Jersey City, Long Island—it just shows the lack of resources available to dads,” Somerfeld says. “While the economy is a factor, most of these are men making a choice. Some of them work from home, some just have flexible jobs. The bottom line is that more and more dads are confident and comfortable in their role and want to spend time with their child during the day.”

Expectant and brand-new dads are also joining the group, which Somerfeld welcomes. “It helps keep the group evolving. I want us to be an oasis for dads. My reason for starting NYC Dads Group was twofold: play time for the kids, but also for dads to have a forum where they can compare notes and bounce ideas off each other,” he says.

In addition, Somerfeld added a blog to the site to provide articles and resources beyond the support offered in the group’s meetings. “I didn’t want to be just a group with a message board. I want to bring them together, start a conversation, introduce other voices on the blog,” he says.

There is an unmistakable shift going on in the parenting paradigm, and Somerfeld just might have something to do with it. “We have a long way to go as a society,” he says. “It will take the media a while to capture modern men more accurately and not stereotypically.”

What does Somerfeld’s dad think about all of this? “Reactions from family was a mixed bag,” he says, laughing. “There was a lot of shock and apprehension, but they’ve all come around. For my grandparents, though, I think the gender role reversal is quite shocking.”

Despite the sometimes quizzical reception he receives—not to mention the challenges of his chosen role—Somerfeld remains hopeful for the future of modern fatherhood.

“The job of at-home dad is not for everyone,” he says. “It’s a challenging job, and there is a lot of balancing. There’s isolation at times, and you wonder how to break out of it. I’m hoping NYC Dads Group is part of that answer for parents.”

For more info, visit nycdadsgroup.com.