August
19, 2015 - Peoria, Arizona - Terramar Elementary school is engaging
positive male role models by creating volunteer opportunities on campus
through the introduction of a Watch D.O.G.S. chapter on their campus.
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is an innovative father
involvement, educational initiative of the National Center for
Fathering. The mission of Watch D.O.G.S is
twofold: 1) To provide positive male role models for the students,
demonstrating by their presence that education is important. 2) To
provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and
reduce bullying. Studies have proven the significant importance positive male role models play in a child's development. The Family Foundation Fund
reports that there are almost 17 million children (25%) living with
their single mothers. They also report about 40% of the children who
live in fatherless households haven't seen their fathers in at least a
year while 50% of children who don't live with their fathers have never
stepped foot in their father's home. Fatherlessness in America has
become an accepted normalcy. However, this normalcy is negatively impacting the lives of these children in startling ways:
Children
living in female headed families with no spouse present had a poverty
rate of 47.6 percent, over 4 times the rate in married-couple families.
The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, "Fatherless
children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse."
Children of single-parent homes are more than twice as likely to commit suicide.
71%
of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more
trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics,
and thinking skills; children from father-absent homes are more likely
to be truant from school, more likely to be excluded from school, more
likely to leave school at age 16, and less likely to attain academic and
professional qualifications in adulthood.
Adolescents
living in intact families are less likely to engage in delinquency than
their peers living in non-intact families. Compared to peers in intact
families, adolescents in single-parent families and stepfamilies were
more likely to engage in delinquency.
A study using a
sample of 1409 rural southern adolescents (851 females and 558 males)
aged 11 - 18 years, revealed that adolescents in father-absence homes
were more likely to report being sexually active compared to adolescents
living with their fathers.
"These facts blew me away," stated Tim Tiller, a concerned parent leading the implementation of Terramar
Elementary Watch D.O.G.S. chapter. He went on to state, "I knew that
we needed to do something to provide students on campus with constant
access to positive male role models." "It
is our hope that the introduction of this program on the Terramar campus
will create an avenue for dads and other positive male role models to
invest time with our students. This time is expected to have lasting
effects on the lives of the students," shared Sharon Wieser, Terramar
Principal. "We expect to see many benefits from this launch," Wieser
went on to say. "I wholeheartedly support programs
like WATCH D.O.G.S. in our schools. Providing opportunities for
proactive role models in our schools is essential, and WATCH D.O.G.S.
enhances that by focusing on positive male role models. It's good for
communities, great for schools, and awesome for students," confirmed
Deer Valley Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. James R.
Veitenheimer. Terramar will be joining the 4,704
active WATCH D.O.G.S. schools in 46 states along with schools in the
following countries: Canada, China, Mexico, Barbados and Puerto Rico.
Those schools have reported many benefits following the launch. These
benefits include:
Students gain positive male role models.
Schools
gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of a father or father
figure will provide an additional deterrent to bullying, enhance a sense
of security in the building, and will help to create an environment
conducive to learning.
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, social
behavior.
Due to budget shortfalls and
cutbacks, often teachers are presented with larger classrooms each year.
Fathers and father figures (aka Watch D.O.G.S.) provide real and
important help for the teachers and the students.
Any
positive male role model of the community who wants to make a
difference in the lives of students at Terramar is encouraged to attend
the Watch D.O.G.S informational meeting on Thursday, August 27th and
6:30pm in the multi-purpose building located at 7000 West Happy Valley,
Peoria AZ 85383. Stay up-to-date on future Terramar Elementary Watch
D.O.G.S. events and success stories by visiting our website . |