We Don’t Have Any Other Dads Coming In: From One Volunteer to a National Movement

Allan Shedlin
Jul 1
4 min read

Updated: Jul 2

Guest Post by Keith Schumacher

Founder and Executive Director, National Alliance for Father Friendly Schools (NAFFS)

When I volunteered in my daughter's kindergarten classroom back in 2008, I wasn't trying to start a movement. I was just being a Dad.

That day, as I helped in the classroom, one of the para-professionals looked at me and said something I'll never forget: "We don't have any other dads coming in."

She wasn't being rude – just honest. But that one sentence revealed a gap I hadn't seen so clearly before. Fathers weren't missing from schools because they didn't care. They were missing because no one was asking them to show up.

That conversation stuck with me.

Not long after, I helped launch a Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program at our school. It took off. Before long, I was the county leader, then the state leader. In 2011, I was hired as a National Coordinator with Watch D.O.G.S. – a position I held for nearly a decade while still serving as a captain and EMS supervisor with Atlanta Fire-Rescue.

When I retired from the fire service in 2019, I shifted full-time into father engagement and joined All Pro Dad Chapters (APDC), helping build their school-based programs until 2023. That's when I founded the National Alliance for Father Friendly Schools (NAFFS), an independent nonprofit dedicated to helping schools move beyond one-off events and create sustainable, year-round strategies for engaging fathers and father figures.

NAFFS was born out of both experience and frustration. I saw the incredible potential of programs like WD and APDC, but I also saw how often schools unintentionally created barriers to father involvement. They'd say, "all are welcome,” but dads would still get left off emails, excluded from volunteer lists, or treated like guests instead of stakeholders.

I also saw that a lot of schools (and families) were missing out on opportunities to build sustainable engagement programs due to a sense of competition between the programs. I believe that finding the programming that is the right fit for your community is much more important than loyalty to a specific brand. Schools shouldn't be choosing sides, they should be choosing what works.

In addition, I didn't want to be just a salesman pushing a program. I wanted to help people understand the importance of creating a school climate and culture that Dads would be excited to be a part of. It's not about selling a thing, it's about building something that lasts.

Here's what we know: studies continue to show that schools overwhelmingly communicate with maternal caregivers – often by default. This happens even in two-parent homes. And yet, research consistently confirms that when fathers and father figures are engaged, students do better – academically, socially, and emotionally. And, yes, Dads want to be involved. They just need to be asked, included, and equipped.

That's where NAFFS steps in.

We offer training so that educators and "parent" groups (which are typically led by Moms) can understand why it's essential to intentionally include dads – by name. We help them recognize the amazing benefits realized in the schools that do.

Then we connect them to low-cost, turn-key programs that guarantee success. These are practical, proven strategies that schools can implement without overloading staff or draining budgets. We aren't reinventing the wheel, we're handing schools the keys and showing them how to drive.

Research consistently confirms that when fathers and father figures are engaged, students do better – academically, socially, and emotionally. And, yes, Dads want to be involved. They just need to be asked, included, and equipped.

Our work is about more than donuts and photo ops. It's about cultural change – rewiring how schools think about male caregivers and building systems that invite, support, and sustain their involvement.

That comment in 2008 – "We don't have any other Dads coming in" – wasn't just a moment. It was a mirror. And it's why I'm still showing up, still inviting dads in, and now helping schools across the country do the same.

Daddying Film Fest 2026

Call for Entries is OPEN All Summer!

The 5th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) welcomes film and video submissions, including TikToks and Instagram reels, from students (3rd-graders through undergraduates), Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide! Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and students can submit videos/films for FREE on D3F's FilmFreeway page through Friday, Oct 3, 2025. Regular entry deadline is Monday, December 8.

And DC-region residents, don't forget this year's NEW Daddying Film Forum Opening Acts Contest! D3F is hosting a music, poetry, and dance video contest to choose a few opening acts that will perform live at the 4th annual Daddying Film Forum in Washington, DC, January 30-31, 2026. The competition is open to local DC, Maryland, and Virginia students, Dads/Dad figures, and Granddads across a range of musical, spoken-word, and dance performance categories. Contest entries are FREE* but must be submitted no later than October 3, 2025.

Not from the DMV? No problem! Even if you're not located in DC, MD, or VA, we'd love for you to create/submit a daddying-related music/dance video for D3F 2026 consideration, and all student and Dad/Granddad/Dad figure entries are still FREE if submitted by October 3, 2025. Students/Dads/Dad figures will still be eligible to earn Atticus Awards and prize money in their respective award categories! Check D3F's website for more details.

*NOTE to choir/dance directors, teachers, and other adults submitting videos for students: please submit your FREE contest video entry on FilmFreeway as a "student" submission to ensure properly categorized.

Keith Schumacher is the father of two grown daughters. Over the past 15 years, he has become recognized as one of the leading voices in father engagement in the educational setting. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the National Alliance for Father Friendly Schools (NAFFS). He is a retired Atlanta Fire-Rescue Captain and former National Coordinator with Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students). He lives in North Carolina with his wife, Carolyn, and continues to advocate for increased and improved family engagement that includes all caregivers, especially fathers.