Dads and special adults make the day special at White Plains schools

Hundreds of dads, father figures and other special adults started the school day with their children Thursday morning as White Plains schools celebrated Dads and Special Adults Take Your Child to School Day with a strong show of family and community support.

At Mamaroneck Avenue School, dads and dad figures lined up with their children near the school entrance to pose for photographs in front of a MAS backdrop before heading to the playground and field for some quality time together.

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For a while, the morning looked more like a family field day than the beginning of a school day. Children kicked soccer balls with their dads, tossed footballs, shot baskets, climbed on playground equipment and raced down slides as hundreds of family members spread out across the grounds.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Ricca joined the crowd, greeting families and high-fiving students as they enjoyed the special start to their morning.

The annual event – held in partnership with the school district, the City of White Plains and the White Plains Youth Bureau – encourages fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mentors and other special adults to become active participants in children’s educational lives.

Frank Williams, executive director of the White Plains Youth Bureau, said this year marks the 20th anniversary of the national initiative, which has been celebrated in White Plains for about 17 years.

“The whole idea around it is to encourage the presence of dads in the schools and community, to help build up community, to show our kids that they’re special and unique, to help our schools collaborate and partner with fathers in school and out of school,” Mr. Williams said.

“This is an opportunity for the community of fathers and father figures to come together, to show support to our kids,” he added.

Among the MAS dads was Chris Ulacco, who accompanied his first-grade son, Gabriel.

“These events are very fun,” Mr. Ulacco said on the playground. “They’re good, well-organized and good for the kids.”

For him, the importance of the morning was straightforward.

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“I think it’s all about the kids, and it’s good for the kids,” he said. “You know, happy kids is a good district.”

Jay Greenbaum was there with his sons Max, a first-grader, and Ethan, a fourth-grader. It has become an annual tradition for the family.

“Every year. Every year,” Mr. Greenbaum said when asked whether he had attended previous events.

He said mornings like this one help strengthen the connection among children, their families and the larger school community.

“I think it’s just, like, supporting them in the community and seeing all the parents hanging out and talking to each other, just like a friendly, friendly group,” Mr. Greenbaum said. “This school is the best, we love it.”

As the school day approached, MAS Principal Rob Janowitz brought the large gathering together and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance before addressing the crowd with words of encouragement.

The turnout was a far cry from the event’s earliest days at MAS, said Principal Rob Janowitz, who recalled that only six dads participated when the school first held the event.

“Six of us, with food for 100,” he said, drawing chuckles. “So now, we went from six to almost 500. It’s unbelievable, and it also shows your commitment to your children, your commitment to White Plains, and your commitment to this school community.”

After the children headed inside to begin their classes, Mr. Janowitz spent some additional time with the adults and invited them to enjoy doughnuts and drinks before starting the rest of their day.

Dr. Ricca thanked the families for making the time to be there and emphasized that involvement does not have to involve a grand gesture to make a difference in a child’s life.

“The time that you put in to bringing your child to school today is just tremendous,” Dr. Ricca said. “It is so important for our kids to know that we’re invested.”

He encouraged parents and caregivers to find everyday ways to remain present in their children’s lives, whether walking them to school, helping them get ready in the morning or simply making time for them.

“Whatever we’re doing to be present, it’s amazing,” he said. “Thank you so much for that. It’s one of the things that makes our community so strong.”
That sense of connection could also be seen across the district.

At Ridgeway School, the morning became a special dropoff and a “play date with the dads,” as Principal Dr. Kimberly Crawford described it.

Dads and special adults joined their children in the school’s outdoor play area before Dr. Crawford called the students together. Children said goodbye to their dads, lined up by classroom and marched into school. The adults then met briefly with representatives of the school’s PTA and the White Plains Youth Bureau.

Dr. Crawford said the Youth Bureau partnership gives families another opportunity to see the network of people and organizations supporting their children.

“We believe that the partnership with the White Plains Youth Bureau is important because it gives our parents and children another opportunity to see who we’re working with,” she said. “We also believe in community partnerships, so it gives them a glimpse of who is supporting us from a community lens.”

The broader name of the celebration is important as well, she said, because the adult accompanying a child may be someone other than a father.

“We call it Dads and Special Person Day because some families, the makeup may not include a dad,” Dr. Crawford said. “It may be a grandpa or an uncle or a brother. It may also be a significant other to the family or even a godfather.”

That reflects Ridgeway’s emphasis on welcoming all families into the life of the school.

“We do believe firmly in inclusivity,” Dr. Crawford said. “We also believe that families make the school. So I always say that without the students, we would have no school. So we are certainly excited to have all of the families join us.”

Ed Lam accompanied his daughter Zoey, a Ridgeway fifth-grader, after already making another special school stop that morning with his eighth-grade son at Highlands Middle School.

“This specific program is a good reminder that dads are active partners,” Mr. Lam said. “But we have to come out and support our children.”
Zoey needed only one sentence to sum up why the morning mattered.

“I’m here because I love my dad,” she said.

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