Elementary schools in the Downingtown Area School District are adding an extra level of protection and security through WATCH D.O.G.S., a new educational initiative, writes Ginger Rae Dunbar for the Daily Local News.

D.O.G.S. – short for Dads of Great Students – aims to provide positive male role models for the students. They also want to emphasize the importance of education with their presence.

Fathers who volunteer and obtain the required clearances receive a schedule. They then spend the school day with various grades, helping students and adding an extra set of eyes to the classroom.

One father per day acts as a Watch Dog, with his day beginning and ending with bus duty.

Matt Morraye, who has been a Watch Dog at Bradford Heights Elementary School since the program’s inception, has found that the program gives him additional insight into his children’s lives.

“I love spending the day with my kids,” said Morraye. “You see things at school that you never see at home.”

Read more about the program at Daily Local News here.