Woodland Heights Elementary School will begin their new WATCH D.O.G.S. program Thursday night with a “Dads and Kids’ Pizza Night” to kick off their new innovative father involvement program.
WATCH D.O.G.S. is the father involvement initiative of the National Center For Fathering. Inspired by one father’s desire to increase male involvement in his children’s school and with the help of the schools teachers and administration, WATCH D.O.G.S was created in 1998 at George Elementary in Springdale, AR. Since then, the program has spread to more than 2127 schools in over 40 states and other countries abroad.
“The program brings in positive male authority figures,” Brownwood Police School Resource Officer Bastardo said. “They help with whatever needs to be done: speaking with students, unloading and loading buses or cars, monitoring school entrances and lunchrooms.”
Each school year, men volunteer to work at least one day in their child’s school through the WATCH D.O.G.S. program. These men work alongside the educators to help as crossing guards, car/bus rider facilitators, hallway monitors, library assistants, lunchroom helpers, classroom and homework tutors and playground/gymnasium coaches. Every school year these men have a positive impact on the lives of countless kids.
According to a Woodland Heights Elementary press release, the benefits of the program are as follows:
- Students gain a positive male role model. Some students do not have a father-figure present in their home and the number of male teachers has been steadily declining in recent years. More positive male role models are needed in the school setting.
- Schools gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of WatchDOGS (Dads Of Great Students) can increase a sense of security at the building for students and staff, and it helps create an environment conducive to learning.
- Fathers and father-figures can spend meaningful time with their students in the school setting and gain a greater awareness of the positive impact they can have on their student’s life, just by being a ‘dad’.
- When WatchDOGS invest a day at school, they can learn how better to partner with the school to meet educational goals of students.
The pizza night kick-off event will take place at Woodland Heights Elementary located at 3900 4th Street at 6pm on September 8th.
