How one Horry County school is getting dads more involved from the very first day
It was only 6 a.m. at a home in Longs, but Timothy Vereen was already out of bed and waking up his daughter for school Wednesday.
“I’m used to it,” said Vereen.
He’s an electrical engineer and is normally at work by 6 a.m., but it was his daughter Destinee’s first day of fourth grade and he wanted to walk her into school.
“Timmy’s a very involved dad,” said Christina Prince, a teacher at Riverside Elementary School, attended by Destinee Vereen.
It just gets more dads involved in their kids lives, because a lot of people have the perception that dads aren’t around and dads don’t do a lot.
Timothy Vereen
Inside the school, dozens of dads walked through the halls holding the hands of their children.
On the first day of school, Riverside Elementary asked the dads of children to walk their kids into to school to kick off the school’s “Team Dad” initiative, which aims to get fathers more involved in their kids’ lives.
The event will occur for dads at the school on Oct. 25 and March 30, 2017, and involves activities with dads and their kids that build skills such as communication and creativity. The exact activities for the meetings are still being planned out.
“It just gets more dads involved in their kid’s lives, because a lot of people have the perception that dads aren’t around and dads don’t do a lot,” said Vereen, who sits on the North Myrtle Beach attendance area advisory board. “But dads do a lot behind the scenes, so it’s the perception that the dads are involved with the kids and to get the community to know that the dads are around.”
We know that typically, traditionally, mothers are very involved, but sometimes dads just don’t know where their place is in the schools.
Teacher Christina Prince
This is the second year of Team Dad, and school principal Vicki Underwood said they hope to keep holding the event in future years.
“It’s been a great success,” said Underwood. “Christina Prince is our home-school coordinator and she’s done an excellent job bringing in lots of parents to our school because it takes all of us, all the stakeholders, to educate our children so they can be successful.”
Prince is a reading and math teacher at the school as well as the school’s liaison between the school and parents.
It takes all of us, all the stakeholders, to educate our children so they can be successful.
Principal Vicki Underwood
“We know that typically, traditionally, mothers are very involved, but sometimes dads just don’t know where their place is in the schools,” said Prince. “So we’ve just opened that up by asking dads to join moms in bringing their kids to school. I started doing some research about the impact that dads have on their children’s lives. It is unbelievable the impact that a father has. And that’s really where team dad was born from. It was a way to really utilize that research and bring our dads in.”
According to Psychology Today, 71 percent of high school dropouts had an absent father, and fatherless children are more likely to be imprisoned, homeless or have behavioral problems.
Anytime you can make it to a kid’s event, try to make it there. The kid will appreciate it.
Timothy Vereen
“We want families to be empowered and strengthened,” said Prince. “We want to include everyone and let everyone know you’re an important part of your child’s life.”
Vereen said it meant a lot to him that his own parents were involved in his life growing up.
“It’s important for parents,” said Vereen. “It shows that you care and makes your kid’s confidence level go up. Anytime you can make it to a kid’s event, try to make it there. The kid will appreciate it.”
Christian Boschult, 843-626-0218, @TSN_Christian
This story was originally published August 17, 2016 at 4:35 PM with the headline "How one Horry County school is getting dads more involved from the very first day."