Watch D.O.G.S. rule at Selah elementary school

SELAH, Wash. -- He’s the biggest kid on the grassy field, a whole head and shoulders — and, in many cases, torso — above the rest.

He’s also a magnet of sorts. 

The shorter players clamor around him, wanting to get in on the action, which — on this recent school day — is a growing game of color tag.

Bryan Brownlee’s size isn’t the only thing that sets him apart from the pack of students at Robert Lince Elementary School, home of the Huskies.

His T-shirt identifies him as one of the Watch D.O.G.S. 

So far, about 60 dads — and a couple of uncles and grandpas — are stepping up and into Selah’s two elementary schools through their new Watch D.O.G.S., or "Dads of Great Students," programs.

The purpose of program is twofold: boost school security and provide positive male role models for students.

"I see a lot of kids that don’t have father figures," says 35-year-old Brownlee, a "Top Dog" at Lince, where his daughter, Kassidy, is a first-grader and he spends many a recess playing games like color tag and Red Light/Green Light.

In classrooms, he reads with students and tutors them in math — whatever teachers request. At the same time, he — and other Watch D.O.G.S  — serve as a father figure to all students, not just their own.

"I hope kids realize if they need to talk to a positive role model, they can talk to us," Brownlee says, adding, "I enjoy the aspect of helping kids learn and seeing the smiles on their faces."

The program, which has a presence in 38 states across the country, launched last month with a "Pizza Night with Dad" event. Brownlee and Leana Anderson also helped spread the word through presentations to teachers, staff and students.

"It’s just a phenomenal program," says 40-year-old Anderson, president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Lince. She helped organize — and now oversees — Selah’s two Watch D.O.G.S. programs.

"PTO is basically labeled the moms’ group," she says. "This gives dads a separate identity."

About 30 dads at each school — including two "Top D.O.G.S." who help coordinate schedules and accommodate teacher requests — have volunteered. But Anderson could use more. Her goal is to have at least one father figure in each elementary every school day through the end of the academic year.

Eventually, she wants to see the program spread throughout the district — to Selah Intermediate, Selah Junior High and Selah High schools — as well as schools in other districts.

Watch D.O.G.S must pass background checks. And the commitment is minimal. The program requires volunteers to help out at least one day per academic year. 

But most want to come back, often using vacation time from work to help, according to Anderson, whose son, Braden, is a second-grader at Lince.

And some of them, she says, are "dads you never would’ve seen in the school" without the Watch D.O.G.S. program, a father-involvement initiative from the National Center for Fathering.

The nonprofit research and education organization champions responsible fatherhood by encouraging and equipping men to be more engaged in children’s lives.

Watch D.O.G.S. was founded by Jim Moore, a dad who wanted to do something in the aftermath of the 1998 middle-school shooting in Jonesboro, Ark. 

Five people — four students and a teacher — were killed. And 10 others — nine students and a teacher — were injured. The shooters were two students, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and his cousin, 11-year-old Andrew Golden.

Johnson’s parents were divorced, and he reportedly hated visiting his dad in Minnesota.

Statistics — from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Children in Poverty and National Commission on Children — show children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school, and experience health and emotional problems.

Girls with absent fathers are more likely to become pregnant as teens. Boys with absent fathers are more likely to be involved with crime.

Watch D.O.G.S. hope to help.

Today, there are more than 1,600 Watch D.O.G.S programs in the United States and New Zealand, according to www.fathers.com, the website of the National Center for Fathering.

And at Lince, kids gather around Brownlee to give him hugs, high-fives and fist-bumps.

"When Bryan walks onto the playground, you’ve got this horde that follows him," Anderson says. "He goes out there with them and plays with them. It’s more interactive, more organized."

It’s also more inclusive. Brownlee’s involvement brings kids together from different groups, Anderson says.

And, according to 10-year-old Garrett Kester, a Lince fourth-grader, it’s "pretty cool. You get to play with a dad. He helps us with our work. What he does makes us learn."

Kannin Sugden, a 9-year-old Lince fourth-grader, calls the Watch D.O.G.S "a big help. They’re there for you when you need to talk. You read with them. You play games with them. They’re just handy to have around.

"I’m hoping to get my dad on the playground someday."

• Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.