MLEC Celebrated Fathers in Action and Advocacy Week
By Sabrina Alonso
For 13 years, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has celebrated Fathers in Education this week. The idea was first founded in 2014, to encourage them to take more of a role in their child’s school life. It celebrates fathers, grandfathers, and other male mentors’ roles in their child’s academic involvement.
Throughout the week of September 15-20, M-DCPS hosted a series of virtual workshops to encourage fathers to take active roles in their children’s academic lives. The district expresses that a father’s engagement not only provides many benefits, but is also essential.
“I feel like my dad has positively impacted my education because he has motivated me to do better by just being there even though I don’t get to see him every day. He’s still been there by calling or showing up to celebrations,” says sophomore Mariana Bedoya.
The county’s efforts to celebrate these dads are a part of a broader movement to recognize and elevate the role of fathers in shaping not only a student’s academic life, but ensuring they lead their child towards a successful academic career. The impact is just as great whether they have a physical presence or not.
“Although he never usually says it, he really does care about my education and wants me to get more out of it than he ever could,” says sophomore Robert Hurtado-De Mendoza.
M-DCPS also continues to champion fathers through day-long initiatives, such as Fathers in Education Day, Take Your Child to School Day, Donuts with Dad, and Dominos with Papi, as friendly invitations into the lives of their children at school.
Take Your Child to School Day is when fathers all over the county walk their children to school as a symbol of their commitment in their child’s education. The district has seen great participation in this event. Multiple schools have reported amazing turnouts and a revived sense of community.
Throughout this week, our MLEC Jaguars instagram page highlighted many of the fathers of our students, such as those of Melissa Cuervo, SGA President, and of Jonathan Romero, Class of 2026 Officer. Pictures gave a visual representation of a dad’s presence in every step of their walks in life, even beyond a student’s academic life.
“He cared a lot about academics, but he also cared about me as a person. He concerned himself with making sure I wasn’t overextended to the point where I didn’t have a chance to just be a kid. He walked the walk, and talked the talk, always validating his advice,” says Katrina Cordova, Activities Director.
As the week for our jaguars came to a close, may we all remember this campaign is not only a celebration of male mentors and role models, but also a strong call to action. To all our fathers, continue to encourage and inspire our students to achieve academic success, pushing students to go beyond their comfort zones to enact greater change for the future.
