[ SOURCE: Actual Newspaper Site ]
Program encourages dads to walk their kids to first day of new school year
By Bea Smith, Staff Writer
In order to recognize “the power of male involvement in the education of black students,” the town of Hillside will participate at the Million Father March on the first day of school, Sept. 6. Hillside fathers will escort their children to school between 8 and 9 a.m.
George Cook, president of the Hillside Board of Education, who volunteered last year with the walk, continues to be the local organizer. He will request that fathers “walk their kids to school on the first day in the hopes that they will get more involved in their children’s education.”
Cook explained during a recent interview, that “I hope that this one event can lead some fathers to join their children’s schools’ PTAs and maybe even attend board of education meetings.”
He said, “I have a lot of help organizing this event. And that comes from such people as our new interim superintendent, Dr. Frank Deo; Hurden Looker School Principal Alphonso Platt and Walter O. Krumbiegel School Principal April Lowe.”
The national organization, which was initiated in 2004, has coordinated hundreds of cities nationwide and two international cities, Gamale, Ghana, and London, England, with the participation of about 650,000 men, women and children, including between 30,000 and 40,000 in Chicago. In 2005, with the support of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the second annual Million Father March recruited the support of 83 cities nationwide.
In a summary study by The Parent Institute, teachers reported high levels of outreach to parents who participate in their children’s education. Statistics from the National Fatherhood Initiative show that when fathers and men are involved in the education and social development of children, children have higher standardized test scores, grade point average, attendance rates and high school graduation rates.
The Million Father March’s Black Star Project, which recruits schools, districts, boards, colleges and universities, pre-schools, nursery schools and Headstarts in communities to participate, aims at creating “an honor guard of strong, positive men” to accompany their children to the schools.
“We need more fathers involved in their children’s lives,” said Cook, “especially when it comes to education. Parents make it a lot easier to get principals of schools to participate.
“I have a daughter, Brittany, who is in the seventh grade,” Cook continued. “And you can be sure I’ll be there to escort her on the first day of school. I’m going to walk with my daughter alongside of all the other fathers here in Hillside, who will walk with their children to school. You know, it will set a good example for her. And it will put black men in a good light. And to be truthful, fathers like the idea. And fathers involved is always a good idea.”
Black fathers, relatives and significant male caregivers are expected to join grandfathers, foster fathers, stepfathers, uncles, cousins, big brothers and friends of the family to take children to school on the first day. And the organization has reminded the public that although the event was created for black men, it suggested that men and women of all races, nationalities and faith backgrounds are encouraged to take their children to school in the first day.
“It’s very important for me to be involved in my child’s life, especially in this way,” Cook reiterated, “because mommies always have been supportive and kids also want fathers to say they’re doing a good job. And kids can copy their fathers. For example, if a father likes a football team, the kid would like it, too. So, if the father has a good attitude about education, the children will copy that too.”
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