The Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) Program is the largest school based father engagement program in the nation with nearly 4000 schools participating.
Kristi, a mother of three young children, found that coordinating her children’s after-school activities was no small task and left a great deal of room for error. (Have you ever had your child on the bus while you are sitting in car line…? Then you race home trying to beat the bus! Or, how many times have you had to call the school office to relay a message to your child, or your child has called you during the school day? Think about how disruptive that is to the teachers and your child?) With her homemade version of what was to become mybackpacktags, Kristi found the answer: Provide a child with the tools to be successful, and they will succeed! Every morning on the drive to school, Kristi and her children discuss their after-school plans. (Some days each child has a different plan!) Each child is responsible for changing his or her own tag and does so with confidence and pride. Kristi’s idea was so effective that teachers began recommending her idea and other families soon followed suit. Children were organized, prepared, and confident; Teachers were free of distractions about children’s after-school plans; and Parents went about their day knowing that their child would know where to go!
Such a simple solution to a complex problem.
Each week, WatchDOGS Radio host Keith Schumacher and co-host Chris Danenhauer discuss how this program is impacting families and schools across our nation and in three foreign countries.
Please join our audience and call in with your questions and comments.