WALKER, Mich. — When Nestor Vazquez received a simple flyer in the mail inviting him to a "pizza night" at his daughter's elementary school, he had no idea it would transform his relationship with his children's education. Nine years later, he's still volunteering as a Watch D.O.G.S. dad, and his commitment has helped relaunch the program at Alpine Elementary in the Kenowa Hills school district.
"I grew up with a single mom, so ... she was not involved in school. She would just make it to conferences, but that's about it," Vazquez reflects. "And so I want to be different, and I want to be there for my kids."
His story echoes a national movement that began in tragedy but has grown into something much more positive. In 1998, after a school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a group of fathers in Springdale, Arkansas, decided to take turns showing up at their local school as "an extra set of eyes and ears." What they discovered went far beyond security concerns.
"They learned very quickly that their presence was beneficial in ways far beyond their initial inspiration," explains Jim Walters, National Program Director for Watch D.O.G.S. "Their presence helped reduce bullying, helped out in the classroom, showed the students that by their presence, education was important."
Today, the program has been in more than 8,800 schools. But like many volunteer initiatives, it faced significant challenges during the pandemic. At Alpine Elementary, the program went dormant when COVID-19 restrictions prevented volunteers from entering schools.
After Covid, "we were waiting for one of our dads to step up and lead ... because part of the Watch D.O.G.S. program is really it's really important to have a top dog to kind of lead the charge," explains Alpine Elementary Principal Jason Snyder. That leader turned out to be Vazquez, who helped organize the relaunch event in December.
Snyder says a big assist comes from Kim Poplaski, the Kent School Services coordinator for Kenowa Hills schools.
For the uninitiated, the commitment might seem daunting – Watch D.O.G.S. volunteers spend an entire school day, from 8:30 a.m. until dismissal, supporting various activities throughout the building. They greet children getting off buses, help with breakfast routines, support classroom instruction, supervise lunch and recess, and generally serve as positive male role models.
"Historically, we've seen more presence with moms in schools — and that's great — but having our father figures in school, it's just different," Snyder notes. "This gives dads a very specific opportunity for them to be seen in their child's education."
The impact on families can be profound. Vazquez describes how his involvement has strengthened his relationship with his three daughters: "We're super close to our daughters. I mean, they see us. We're part of them. We know their friends. Their friends know us. So I believe it has impacted them tremendously."
For Walters, who served as a volunteer for 17 years before joining the national organization, the personal transformation was unexpected. "I love this program. It changed my life as a dad. It made me a better father. Made me a better neighbor, better husband, a better friend," he says.
The program particularly resonates with fathers who want to break cycles from their own childhoods. "Nine out of 10 dads are so nervous stepping into these roles because we didn't see our fathers do this," Walters explains.
But perhaps nowhere is the program's impact more visible than during lunch and recess, Vazquez's favorite part of the day. "After lunch, we go out to play, and the watchdog is the center of attention. Every single kid wants to play with a watchdog," he laughs. "That's pretty unique when we can play around with them and joke around with them and just be part of their everyday."
The program's growth depends entirely on volunteer recruitment, which remains challenging given the full-day commitment during work hours. However, administrators report that once fathers experience a Watch D.O.G.S. day, they often sign up for additional shifts.
"Once they get here, and they get to see what they're doing, and they get to experience that, a lot of times, what we find is the dads want to sign up for another day afterwards, because it's been such a positive experience," Snyder observes.
For Vazquez, the message to other fathers is simple: "If they have a day off, take it and be with your kids. Be involved in their everyday life and see what they go through. We just sometimes drop them off or just put them on the bus, and we don't know how their day goes."
The national organization provides free training and support through dadsofgreatstudents.com, making it easier for schools to launch or relaunch programs. As communities continue to recover from pandemic disruptions, initiatives like Watch D.O.G.S. offer a pathway for meaningful parental engagement that benefits not just individual families, but entire school communities.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
