About Us

What Is A Father Friendly School?

Who?

A father friendly school is a school in which the school administration and parent organization are intentional in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for the fathers and father figures of the school community.

How?

Father friendly schools are intentional in specifically inviting role models to be engaged with the school. This is often through the use of nationally recognized father friendly school programs. These role models include fathers, grandfathers, uncles, big brothers, neighbors, coaches, teachers, clergy, etc. Students who may not have a "dad" are encouraged to participate in father engagement programming with an adult role model whom they are free to invite. They may also be partnered through a school or district mentoring program.

When?

Father friendly school programs include opportunities for engagement through the entire school year.

Why?

Father Friendly school programs are intended to allow the school community to get past stereotypes about the role of family members in the school community. It is generally moms or grandmothers who carry the burden of supporting the school through school volunteering and educational support. Dads want to be engaged, but often don't know how. Father friendly schools specifically invite them and give them programming that they can identify with and call their own. They are recognized for who they are and the important role that they play in the community.

About Keith Schumacher

Over the past 15 years, Keith Schumacher has become recognized as one of the leading voices in father engagement in the educational setting. Keith did not enter the educational arena as a teacher or principal, he came in as a dad. As the father of two adopted daughters and the husband of a teacher, he quickly recognized the absence of other dads participating in family engagement activities at the local school. He also noticed that there were few, if any male role models among school staff members.

After initially being turned away from the PTA, he learned about the Watch D.O.G.S. program and proposed it to the principal of his local school. He quickly became a leader in father engagement at the local, and then state and national level. He served for ten years as a National Family and Community Engagement Coordinator with the Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) organization. This was done while simultaneously serving as a senior captain with the Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department. Upon his retirement from Atlanta Fire-Rescue in 2019, he began serving full-time with the All Pro Dad Chapters program and has recently retired from that role after four and a half years.

In these roles, Keith has spoken at hundreds of state and national conferences including the American Association of School Administrators, National PTA, American School Counselors Association and the National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement. He has authored several articles on father friendly family engagement practices. Keith has literally worked with hundreds of local schools and school districts in overcoming the traditional stereotypes of fathers in local schools.

Keith is working to create a culture in which schools provide a welcoming and inclusive environment where fathers regularly engage and participate in the daily activities in local schools. This includes supporting students who do not have an easily recognizable father figure in their life as well.

As a national leader, Keith’s goal is to give every child an opportunity to have strong positive role models leading them to the greatest success possible.

Keith is available for keynote presentations, district training and as a workshop facilitator. Speaking fees are generally waived for school districts and nonprofit organizations. You can get this nationally recognized speaker at your event for just the cost of travel and lodging expenses.