“The dads are this web of connection to so many homes, so many families,” said the principal. “They’re the eyes and ears, parents making an impact that we can’t.”
The group, roughly a dozen men — fathers, but also stepfathers, brothers and grandfathers — is a constant, and Jenks principal Corinne Scioli said the impact of Jenks Dads on Duty on the Philadelphia“The dads are this web of connection to so many homes, so many families,” said Scioli. “They’re the eyes and ears, parents making an impact that we can’t.”after a year spent learning remotely and schools coped with widespread personnel shortages.
“He just started handing out hoodies, and it grew organically from that,” said Tolbert. “It just provides this extra comfort for us, knowing the dads are on duty.” The Dads on Duty are aiming for just that. The group recently presented at a citywide Home and School Council meeting and is working with a handful of school communities to spread the model elsewhere.It was just after 7:15 on a chilly Thursday morning, and the little boy looked dejected, slow to get out of his mom’s car, and drawing out every last step up East Southampton Avenue to the steep stone steps leading into Jenks’ main entrance.
“For some of the kids, it’s about ‘I’m talking to someone who looks like me,’” said McKinney. “There’s a dynamic of men that’s needed, of fathers, and we’re filling that void.”