In celebrating fathers and father volunteering, we thought it a perfect time to share the good work by our national partner, WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students), a program that facilitates male volunteering in schools. Eric Snow, National Director of WATCH D.O.G.S. joins us in an interview today.
But first, some sobering statistics about Education in the U.S.+
- 7,000 students drop out of school every day
- In the 50 largest American cities, the high school graduation rate is only 58 percent (compared to 70 percent nationally – still shockingly low)
- Fatherless children have twice the dropout rate of children with a positive adult male role models actively engaged in their lives
- 90 percent of new high-growth, high-wage jobs will require some level of post-secondary education.
- Cutting the dropout rate in half would yield $45 BILLION annually in new tax revenues or cost savings
What do these statistics have to do with male volunteering in schools?
Studies by the Department of Health and Human Services conclude that children with positive adult male role models have roughly twice the high school graduation rate of those kids without positive adult male role models. There is no better way to educate men about the important role that they play in their child’s education than to get those men working in the school. And, the best way to send the message to the kids that their education is important, is for them to see adult men volunteering in their school every day.
What is WATCH D.O.G.S.?
We’re a national program that works to promote father/father figure volunteering by asking males to work at least one full day a year in their child’s school as a WATCHDOG. They help in their child’s classroom, monitor the hallway or recess, and participate in activities with their children and others during their volunteer day. There are currently 2,127 participating schools in 40 states across this great country and this school year more than 178,000 fathers and father figures donated about 1.2 million male “in school” volunteer hours!
Why men volunteers? What about the good work of all the moms volunteering in our schools?
What men have to offer in education is not better than what the moms have to offer and have been giving and will continue to give. It’s different, it is unique, it’s the other half, and in too many cases it is missing, especially in education. If there were a shortage of positive female role models in education I hope that someone would be addressing it…..Thankfully that is not the case.
Do women support WATCH D.O.G.S. too?
YES! In fact, in the last three years the WATCH D.O.G.S. program has been presented at more than 150 educational conferences across the country and 90% of the conference audiences were women, women PTA volunteers and women counselors, teachers and principals. Yet during the last three years the number of schools that participate in the WATCH D.O.G.S. program has almost tripled. So it is usually the women that take the WATCH D.O.G.S. program back to their schools. It is because the women that regularly work in school have seen the positive impact to the educational environment when an adult male is working in the school.
Is it difficult to get fathers/father-figures to sign up for WATCH D.O.G.S.?
Here’s the good news. We know that these guys are out there and we know that they will answer the call. All you have to do is ask them specifically to volunteer in school, and then plug them in and put them to work in meaningful and important ways.
Anything you would like to add?
Please learn more about WATCH D.O.G.S. by visiting www.fathers.com/watchdogs or by calling 888-540-DOGS (3647). WATCH D.O.G.S. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Special Thanks to Eric Snow and the awesome volunteer work of WATCH D.O.G.S. everywhere!
+U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Health and Human Services, Columbia University
Celebrate Fathers with Dad's Participate! - Please also checkout:
