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Watchdog Dads Needed!
Dads, have you ever wondered how you could get involved in your child’s school? Did you know that children with a positive male influence in their lives are more prone to succeed in school and in life? Would you like to make a difference in the lives of many kids? Have you ever wanted to be “that Dad?” You know, the one all the kids look up to and makes your child say, “Hey, that’s MY Dad!!!”
Well, we have got the program for you. WatchDOGS (Dads of Great Students) Dads is a program to bring positive male influences into the school environment. WatchDOGS Dads spend time at the school helping the teachers and administrators throughout the school during the school day and at special events. Give the school a few hours and make a big difference in the lives of not just your children but also hundreds of others!
Expect to see an announcement and more information soon. Thanks Dads!
 

 Dads Schedule

 
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 Description

 

WatchDogDads
School: Central Park Elementary
Description:

History
WATCH D.O.G.S. Across Americ®  started after a 1998 middle-school shooting in Jonesboro, Ark., prompted one father, WATCH D.O.G.S. founder Jim Moore, to get involved. He wanted to help prevent such violence from occurring at his child’s school – or at any school. Moore could easily see that fathers were the missing element at his child’s school. He suggested to the principal a way to involve fathers, help create a safer, stronger school setting and provide positive male role models for students. The program was officially launched at George Elementary in Springdale, Ark., the school of Moore’s oldest child. Today WATCH D.O.G.S. is a 501(c)3 educational organization helping thousands of fathers reconnect with their children at hundreds of schools across the country.


Vision
To be the world’s first and foremost fathering catalyst which reconnects dads with kids and kids with dads at school.


Program Goals
WATCH D.O.G.S. strives to:
  • Raise the banner of positive fathering through the forum of schools across America and the world.
  • Awaken fathers to the values and benefits of committed fathering.
  • Change culture by where every child has a father or father figure to connect with in a positive way at school.
  • Help every school in America be positively impacted by the committed involvement of fathers and father figures in their children's life.

How WATCH D.O.G.S. Works

WATCH D.O.G.S. is a K –12 program, providing a simple and effective process to achieve the program's goals while helping fathers spend meaningful time with their children in the school setting. The program very simply allows fathers or father figures such as grandfathers, uncles, or other male adults to volunteer at least one day at their child’s school during the school year. Individuals sign up either at a kick-off event such as a “Dads and Kids Pizza Night” event or “Donuts with Dads” event or in the office at anytime during the school year. The program is overseen by a “Top Dog” volunteer dad who partners with the school administrator to coordinate scheduling and identify opportunities for WatchDOGS to provide assistance at the school. WatchDOGS ( Dad’s Of Great Students) perform a variety of tasks during their volunteer day. Examples of assignments include monitoring the school entrance, assisting with unloading and loading of buses and cars, reading to classes or small groups of students, assisting with recess, eating lunch side by side with the students and other activities that engage the WatchDOGS with not only their own children but other children in the study body.



Program Impact
As of Dec. 1, 2004, there are WATCH D.O.G.S. schools signed up in over 30 states.
During 2003, WATCH D.O.G.S. Across Americ®  conducted a survey of 50 participating schools nationwide. Key findings:
  • 89% agree or strongly agree that WATCH D.O.G.S. is a valuable component of the schools’ efforts to promote a safe and positive learning environment for students.
  • 79% agree or strongly agree that since implementing the WATCH D.O.G.S. Program, the school has experienced an increase in father involvement in areas other than WATCH D.O.G.S. (e.g. parent-teacher conferences, volunteerism in the classroom or after school, PTA/PTO involvement).
  • 79% agree or strongly agree that the WATCH D.O.G.S. Program has made a significant contribution to the safety of the school.
  • 52% agree or strongly agree that the WATCH D.O.G.S. Program has contributed to a decrease in students’ behavioral problems.
  • 50% agree or strongly agree that the WATCH D.O.G.S. Program has contributed to an increase in student achievement in the school.

Program Recognition
  • Recognized as a “best practice” by Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., Director of Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University.
  • In 1999, invited by the United States Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to participate in a nationwide teleconference called “Fathers Matter.”
  • Involved in the U.S. Department of Education’s P.F.I.E. (Partnership For Family Involvement In Education).
  • Recognized on the floor of Congress as a program that "can be a great tool in our efforts to prevent school violence and to improve student performance because it can increase parental initiative and involvement in their children’s education." Congressional Record, Feb. 7, 2000 page S392.