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PROGRAM DETAILS
WATCH D.O.G.S.® ( Dads
Of
Great
Students)
is an
innovative program of the National Center for Fathering
focusing on prevention of violence in our nation’s schools
by using the positive influence of fathers and
father-figures for a two-fold purpose:
1) to provide an unobtrusive
presence in the schools, and
2) to be a positive and active role-model for students at
their school.
WATCH D.O.G.S. ®
was founded by Jim Moore, a concerned father who chose to
take action in response to a 1998 middle-school shooting in
Jonesboro, AR. Joined with National Center for Fathering in
2006, WATCH D.O.G.S.® serves to
inspire and equip men to be the involved fathers,
grandfathers, and father-figures their students need.
Program Benefits
The benefits of
the program are many, according to WATCH D.O.G.S.®
National Director, Eric Snow,
including:
* Schools gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of
a father or father-figure enhances a sense of security at
the building for students and staff and helps create an
environment conducive to learning.
* Students gain a positive male
role model. Many students do not have a father-figure
present in their home and these students benefit when a
positive male role model is present.
* Fathers get a glimpse of their students’ everyday world and
learn about the increasingly complex challenges and
decisions today’s youth are facing. As a result, they can
learn to relate better to their student and hopefully
connect with them.
* Fathers gain a greater awareness of the positive impact
they can have on their student’s life in three critical
areas including: academic performance, self esteem, and
social behavior.
Who are
WatchD.O.G.S.
(Dads
Of Great Students)?
WatchDOGS
are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures
who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official
WATCH D.O.G.S.®
school. During the
day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flashcards with
students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, watch the
school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow,
mentor students, and any other assigned activities where
they actively engage with not only their own student(s), but
other students as well. Their mere presence offers
additional security at the school during the day! On the day
of their participation, the participants are given a brief
review of their involvement and they wear an official WATCH
D.O.G.S.®
t-shirt or vest with a disposable ‘Dog Tag’ identifying them
as Watch DOGS.
Program Recognition
The WATCH D.O.G.S. ®
program has been recognized by the
United States Department of Education and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and has been
involved in the U.S. Department of Education’s P.F.I.E.
(Partnership For Family Involvement In Education). The
program has been recognized by on the floor of Congress as a
program that “can be a great tool in our efforts to prevent
school violence and the improve student performance because
it can increase parental initiative and involvement in their
children’s education.”
(Congressional Record, February 7, 2000 page
S392)
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
student 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 student's life.
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