School helps busy parents pitch in

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Julie just kicked off her second grade year. When she started kindergarten, her dad decided to go back to school, too.

"It started as something as simple as just showing up on a Friday afternoon for half an hour during my lunch period," said Will Blackmon, Julie’s father.

He started volunteering at Caraway Elementary as a "WatchDOGS" dad. It’s a national program that promotes the presence of dad’s on school campuses in a world where more mothers typically sign up for the PTA.

Fathers start out by helping on campus, and spending a full school day with their child.

"You wear your WatchDOGS shirt,” said Blackmon. “And you spend the rest of the day like a rockstar - kids are high-fiving you, and are excited that you're here."

Blackmon is a computer programmer who found his calling in the computer lab at Caraway last year teaching students how to put their own PowerPoint presentations together. This year, he is back for more. He spends about an hour a week at the school volunteering.

Other parents are having a tough time squeezing volunteer time into their schedule.

"They (parents) are working more jobs or both parents are now having to work,” said Liz McDonald, Caraway’s new Parent Support Specialist for the school.

The Round Rock Independent School District superintendent fought for the full-time paid position. McDonald’s main job is to promote and facilitate volunteers on campus. Her main goal is to find ways for busy parents to still find ways to be involved.

One solution is sending work home with students in their backpacks that parents can work on and send back to school.
A workstation has is also set up for parents to cut out shapes or staple papers for a few minutes which has made a difference.

“I've seen more parents come in just for the five, ten minutes because it's not this huge commitment,” said McDonald.

A toddler swap just started where parents with young children take turns watching each other's kids, and still help in their child's classroom. Friday, McDonald launched a Yahoo group page so parents can connect with each other and coordinate swaps. McDonald says parents' presence improves grades and attitudes among students. Volunteers are rewarded, too.

“I get a real feel for the education [my daughter] she's getting,” said Blackmon.