What is the Watch D.O.G.S. program?
Watch D.O.G.S. (or Dads of Great Students) was founded in 1998 to foster father involvement in schools and has grown from an initiative at a single school to a nationally recognized program that has brought millions of father figures into school classrooms across the country. The goals of the program are to provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important, and to provide father figures with an opportunity to have better insight into what their students are experiencing every day.
Who can participate? Fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures who are willing to volunteer for a full school day can participate. While the program is focused primarily on engaging dads, moms are also welcome to volunteer. Interested moms can follow the same process outlined below, but please email watchdogs@stinsonpta.org for information on how to order a special Watch D.O.G.S. M.O.M.S. t-shirt.
For more more about the national program, visit dadsofgreatstudents.com.
What should I expect when I volunteer?
Our amazing school counselor, Ms. Gobin, will establish a schedule for you that will include spending time with your student (or students, if you have more than one at Stinson) as well as engaging with various other activities at school. You will typically start by checking in at the office before drop-off starts and then help greet students out front with the safety team. After that, you’ll join your student(s) in the library to be introduced for morning announcements and have a photo taken with your student(s).
Once announcements are complete, you’ll find an array of things on your schedule—attending specials with your students, spending time in classrooms playing games, reading, or supporting other activities. You’ll eat lunch with your student(s) and have an opportunity to visit other classrooms in various grades throughout the day. You’ll end your day by assisting at pick-up in the line out front. Just be warned, most Watch D.O.G.S. are treated like celebrities by our students while volunteering!
Ready to be a Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer? Follow these steps:
- Complete the required steps to be certified as a PISD volunteer, which includes a background check. It may be several days before you are approved and this step must be repeated once a school year. Click here to visit Voly and complete these steps.
- Purchase a Watch D.O.G.S. shirt to wear while volunteering (please email watchdogs@stinsonpta.org to arrange pickup of your shirt): Watch D.O.G.S. Store
- Once your background check is cleared in Voly, choose a day to volunteer (please note that it can be difficult to find Watch D.O.G.S. opportunities when just searching for volunteer slots in Voly; this link will take you directly to the right opportunities): Sign Up for an Opportunity in Voly
- Once you've chosen a day, email watchdogs@stinsonpta.org to let us know you're coming so we can be sure to have your schedule prepared! We typically will receive a notification automatically, but this is helpful just in case it is missed.
For questions, contact:
