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Table of Contents

What is Dads Take Your Child to School (DTYCTS)?.......................................3Why is DTYCTS Important?............................................................................4Event Preparation Ideas.................................................................................5Ideas for Day of Event ...................................................................................6

Sample Letter to Parents/Guardians............................................................10Sample Letter to the Community.................................................................11Sample Invitations........................................................................................12Social Media Samples...................................................................................13

Dads Take Your Child to School Day Pledge...................................................9Involving Fathers Throughout the Year..........................................................7

What is “Dads Take Your Child to School?”

Dads Take Your Child to School is an annual event held throughout Florida celebrating the special relationship that fathers have with their children.

Fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, godfathers, and other significant male caregivers are invited to accompany their child(ren) to school on a specific day, and encouraged to make a commitment to participate in their child(ren)’s education throughout the year.

Fathers and other significant male caregivers are encouraged to arrive with their children 15 to 30 minutes before the start of school.

They will be welcomed as guests at their children’s school. Each school isresponsible for planning their own program and fun activities to welcome dads.

A father who actively participates in the educational and

social development life of a child is invaluable and irreplaceable.

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Save the Date!

DTYCTSD is an initiative of the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) that started in 2015, intended to help dads get involved with their children. Last year, 69 elementary schools in Miami-Dade participated.

How Does it Work?

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Why is Dads Take Your Child to School Important?

" Involved fathers are powerful and play an important role in their child's personal growth and educational success. Their presence alone builds self-esteem and self-confidence, and their active involvement models

the values of responsibility and the pursuit of excellence."

-Lisa Thurber, District DirectorMiami-Dade County Public Schools

Office of Community Engagement

Dads Matter

Fathers have an undeniable effect on their children. Studies overwhelmingly show that positive paternal involvement is associated with improvements in children’s:

• academic performance,• cognitive development,• behavior,• psychosocial development,• health and wellbeing,• household economics, and• general/overall parenting quality.

One Day Can Impact a Whole Year

Dads Take Your Child to School welcomes dads and male role models into schools for a day, celebrating the special role they have, and encouraging them to remain involved throughout the school year.

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Prepare early Meet with school staff and clearly define the responsibilities and expectations of staff for the event.

How much time do you have for the event (i.e., only some time in the morning or up to a whole day)?

What resources do you have access to?

What will work best for your particular school and students?Be prepared with follow-up activities and next steps before the event happens.

Outreach to dads Create packets for fathers and other significant male caregivers with information about your school and any specialinitiatives for the coming year.

Send informational flyers home advertising and encouraging dads to participate in the event.

Educate fathers about the importance of their involvement in school. Use some of the facts listed previously in this guide.

Involve students Think about how your school can involve students to make the day more meaningful. For example, have the students make muffins as a classroom activity theday before the event to be served for breakfast with their dads.

Strengthen community partnerships Partner with a fatherhood program in your area, and ask them to provide a short program for fathers during the event.

Invite elected officials, dignitaries, or local VIPs to greet Dads and caregivers as they bring their child to class.

Event Preparation Ideas

Planning Tip:

If dads are unavailable to attend the event, invite

grandfathers, foster fathers, step-fathers, uncles, cousins,

big brothers, significant male caregivers or male

friends of the family.

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Ideas for Day of Event

Be organized

Have a sign-in sheet so that you can capture who came and how many dads participated.

Have additional sign-ups for future volunteer opportunities or other events.

Survey dads to find out their expertise/hidden talent for future activities (i.e. workshops, career day, etc.).

Review the surveys each month to see how dads can help with upcoming events, or plan events inspired by their talents.

Be social

Plan a short program in a meeting room or auditorium for dads after they have droppedoff their children. If possible include refreshments.

Allow time for the dads that are coming to the school to meet each other.

Encourage dads to bring their child to school, even if they have to leave right away, but also offer breakfast and other activities for those who choose to stay.

Have fun! If possible, set up a picture booth for dads to take pictures with their children. Print the pictures during the program so that dads can take them home. Think outside the box! For example, created a "Victory Lap" where fathers and their children walk around the school (inside because it was raining) chanting "I'm glad you’re my kid," and “I'm glad you’re my Dad.” OR have fathers make the morningannouncements over the PA system.Commemorate

Provide commitment cards for fathers that would like to be more involved to list specific examples of how they could help at the school.

Create a letter, note, button, sticker, or t-shirt that says “I took my child to school today” to pass

out to dads as they take their children to school.

Provide Certificates of Participation to

recognize dads. “The children were proud of their dads and

dads were proud of themselves.”

Roles at School

Encourage and ask fathers to participate in PTA or other school events.

Stress the importance of meeting their child’s teachers and learn about school curriculum.

Encourage fathers to volunteer as hall monitors in the school.

Involve men in school beautification projects such as landscaping, painting, refurbishing, or building project at the school.

Remember that not all dads want to do hands-on projects. Consider how you could use other skills such as accounting, medical professions, or others.

Helping with School Events

Ask fathers for help in putting on a student talent showcase: helping with programs, staging, set building, lighting, ushering, and other preparations.

Encourage fathers to read to classes and encourage them to continue reading with their child at home.

Organize a father-daughter dance to help fathers bond with their daughters.

Partner Dads with local the police departments, and local bike shops to encourage bike safety, teachrules of the road, give bike tune-ups, and hold riding proficiency competitions.

Develop a lunch buddies or breakfast buddies program where fathers or mentors eat breakfast or lunch with their child/mentee weekly or monthly.

Ask fathers to volunteer at a Family Festival, helping with tickets, rides, games, concessions, etc.

Take families out to a semi-professional or college ballgame. Consider making it a daddy-daughter or father-son outing.

Organize a dads vs. teachers sports competition that students can attend.

Involvement in School-Community Partnerships

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Involving Fathers Throughout the Year

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Involving Fathers Throughout the Year

Play or coach a game or sport they like with their children on a regular basis.

Become involved in community activities by joining a community group, place of worship, union or professional group to participate with their children in an ongoing service activity.

Take time for family outings to places such as libraries, zoos, museums, concerts and sports events or other recreational events.

Use their community learning center to participate in after-school and evening educational and recreational activities such as English as a Second Language, parenting, literacy, arts and music programs and crafts or computer classes. These courses are often designed for parents and their children to learn together.

What Fathers Can Do at Home and in the Community

Fathers can initiate or participate in activities that help their children succeed academically. Helping children learn can increase success in school. The nature and frequency with which parents interact in positive ways with their children reflect the parents’ investment in their children’s education (NCES, 2000). Here are some steps that fathers can take at home, at school and in the community that make a positive difference for their children’s education.

At home, fathers can:

Read with their children. The ability to read well is known to be one of the most critical skills a child needs to be successful. Parents and caregivers often ask how they can get their children interested in reading, interested enough to turn off the TV and to read on their own?

Years of research show that the best way is for the parent to serve as a model reader by reading to the child and by reading themselves. If the father can’t read the text, he can stimulate his child’s imagination by telling stories using a picture book. In addition, he can ask other significant adults to read to younger children and ask older children to read to him. He can take frequent trips to the library with the child to check out books and get to know the children’s librarian and children’s library programs.

Establish a daily routine. Fathers can set a time for homework, chores and other activities; use TV wisely by limiting viewing to no more than two hours a school day; and work with their child on homework and special projects, guiding them through the steps involved and encouraging them along the way. Parents don’t need to have in-depth knowledge of a subject, but can be supportive of their child in working through tough spots in her or his school work.

Make the most of bedtime. Bedtime is a terrific opportunity for fathers to connect with their children. For one thing, the audience is definitely captive! There are also fewer distractions. But perhaps most importantly, there is no judge standing by with a scorecard rating the dad on his performance.At bedtime, a father can enrich a child’s life merely by recounting what he did during the day. Discussing the day’s events shows interest in the child and builds his or her knowledge. A father may also tell or read a story. Every moment he spends and every word he says builds a relationship with his child.

In the community, fathers can:

PLEDGE As a father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle, brother,

foster father or significant male role model, I pledge to:

Support my child’s teacher and school in providing a high-quality education and ensuring that education

remains a priority in my household.

Set high expectations for my child’s educational success.

Stay informed about my child’s academic and behavioral progress.

Volunteer at my child’s school this school year, when possible.

Encourage my child to do his/her best every day.

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[INSERT DATE]

Dear Parent/Guardian:

We would like to invite all of our families to our DADS TAKE YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DAY event! On September 28, 2016, from ____ am to ____am, we encourage all fathers to take their children to school and stay for a few activities. Activities will include: [INSERT DETAILS ABOUT ACTIVITIES PLANNED]. All father figures are welcomed, including stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, foster fathers and other significant role models. Although the event is centered on fathers, mothers and other family members are also welcome.

The intent of this initiative is to highlight the significant difference fathers and father figures can make by taking a more active role in their children’s educational experience. When fathers play a more active role in a child’s education, children perform better academically; have fewer discipline problems; and become more responsible adults. We hope all fathers will take this opportunity to become more familiar with our school and staff and that you will return often.

What about moms? Moms are vital in the lives of their children and are often the parent who is more involved in their children’s education. Dads Take Your Child to School Day is just one chance for us to shine the spotlight on dads and encourage men to get involved.

For more information about DADS TAKE YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DAY, please contact [INSERT CONTACT NAME] at [INSERT CONTACT EMAIL, PHONE, ETC].We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME/TITLE]

Sample Letter to the Parents/Guardians

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INSERT DATE]

TITLE/NAME ORGANIZATION NAME ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP CODE

Dear [INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE]:

[INSERT SCHOOL NAME] is strongly committed to our students’ future and academic success. On September 28, 2016, we are participating in DADS TAKE YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DAY and we are reaching out to local organizations for support and participation in this event.

On this day, fathers are encouraged to take their children to school and stay for a few activities. Activities will include: [INSERT DETAILS ABOUT ACTIVITIES PLANNED]. All father figures are welcome, including stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, foster fathers and other significant role models. Although the event is centered on fathers, mothers and other family members are also welcome.

The intent of this initiative is to highlight the significant difference fathers and father figures can make by taking a more active role in their children’s educational experience. When fathers, alongside mothers, play a more active role in a child’s education, these children perform better academically; have fewer discipline problems; and become more responsible adults.

We hope your organization will encourage its staff to participate in this important day at [INSERT SCHOOL NAME]. [IF DESIRED, INSERT SPECIFIC REQUEST SUCH AS DONATIONS, MENTORS, VOLUNTEERS, ETC.].

For more information about DADS TAKE YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DAY, please contact [INSERT CONTACT NAME] at [INSERT CONTACT EMAIL, PHONE, ETC]. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME/TITLE]

Sample Letter to the Community

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WHO: Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, big brothers, foster fathers and other significant male role models in our schools and classrooms

WHEN: September 28, 2015

WHERE: CONTACT/RSVP:

WHO: Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, big brothers, foster fathers and other significant male role models in our schools and classrooms

WHEN: September 28, 2015

WHERE: CONTACT/RSVP:

September 28, 2016

September 28, 2016

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Sample Social Media Posts

Facebook: (Use cover photo 1 or 2 provided in the toolkit)

Option #1:

#DoYouKnow- Research suggests when fathers are actively involved; students perform better academically, have fewer discipline problems, and become more responsible adults. #FLedu #FLDadsatschoolday

Option #2:

Florida’s educational leaders are providing opportunities for fathers to engage more fully in their children’s education, and to strengthen the connections between fathers and schools through celebration of Dads Take Your Child to School Day. Visit http://bit.ly/16NIAhg for more details. #FLedu #FLDadsatschoolday

Twitter: Option #1:

9.28.16 is #FLDadsatschoolday! Fathers, grandfathers, and other male role models are invited to take part in the celebration.

Option #2:

Help @EducationFl celebrate by sharing your photos of Dads Take Your Child to School Day #FLDadsatschoolday.

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Miami Dade County Public SchoolsOffice of Community Engagement

www.EngageMiamiDade.net

@MDCPSCommunity