Dad's Breakfast-Community Day Charter Public School

Dad's Club Breakfast

73 Prospect Street

190 Hampshire Street

Lawrence, Massachusetts

01841

(978) 682-6796 Upper School

(978) 681-9910 Lower School

(978) 722-2583 ELC

Dad’s Club Breakfast a Success at the Community Day Charter Public School’s Early Learning Center

CDCPS- Like many other schools, the Community Day Charter School has tried many different ways to encourage parental involvement in the school through its Parents Advisory Board (“PAB”.) At a recent PAB meeting, parent Susan LaPlante suggested creating a “Dad’s Club Breakfast”, modeled after a similar club created in the Boston public school system. The original Boston club was designed to encourage participation by fathers in schools after studies suggested a direct correlation between participation in schools by fathers and their children’s academic success. Although entitled the “Dad’s Club Breakfast”, the invitation was extended to any male in a given family – father, grandfather, uncle, friend – who holds a special role within that family. Future events may be planned around lunchtime or late afternoon, to ensure continued participation by as many “Dads” as possible. “This is the first time I have met many of these dad’s , ” stated Pat Teichman, head of the Early Learning Center. “Many asked if the next event would allow them more time in the classroom and some suggested we do this more often!”

The “Dads” were invited to the CDCPS’ Early Learning Center, on Friday, February 13, 2009, for breakfast, conversation or games with their child. Since this was the first event of its type for the PAB, the organizers were unsure of what type of turnout to expect.

Exceeding all expectations, approximately 43 men showed up to celebrate and spend time in the classrooms. For Nick Petrakis, father of first-grader Sara Petrakis, this was an opportunity too good to pass

up. “I work nights so it is not often that I have the opportunity to spend time in my daughter’s classroom and meet her teachers, as well as fathers of her classmates.” Many “Dads” adopted a whole table of children in each classroom, reading a book or constructing a puzzle with the table’s occupants. Parents provided fruit, baked goods, coffee and juice. “Seeing the smile on my son’s face when I walked into his class was priceless” said Rep. William Lantigua, father of first-grader William Lantigua, Jr., “ Events like this make it possible for more fathers to be involved.”