The VISD Connections hosted the first Fatherhood Initiative graduation, which took place on Wednesday, May 18, 2023.
All of our graduates were in attendance with their families. To start the evening, the dads reviewed what they had learned from the ten sessions they attended, which focused on topics like family history, communication, children’s growth, getting involved, and more.
Some responses included:
Be present - not on my phone or watching TV
Be more patient
I have an important role to play in my children's life - it's not just their mom's responsibility.
The dads also shared how much they had enjoyed being a part of a men's group and hearing other dads' perspectives. One of the graduates expressed interest in becoming a facilitator for the fall semester class.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the program and all of its different lessons,” said Frank Moreno, one of the Fatherhood Initiative graduates. “Mainly being around other fathers who can speak from different experiences and different upbringings to try to get the best outcome possible, which are responsible young men and ladies, aka our kids.”
VISD and the VISD Connections Center would like to thank Formosa Plastics and Paula Gonzalez Catering for their generous donation of dinner for our graduation celebration.
About VISD Connections
VISD Connections is a family resource center for district students, families, and community members to connect that will provide many different amenities and resources to meet the needs of our district families, students, and community members.
This facility includes a food pantry and clothing closet on-site.
VISD Connections is founded on convenient access to services offered in the district. Providing easy and direct access to community organizations is a goal for this one-stop-shop hub of resources. We recognize that generally, our students and families would have to travel across the city to access services, so community organizations will be available at VISD Connections on a rotating basis.
VISD Connections will also offer the availability of a variety of family education sessions and programs intended to assist in the continued enhancement of a parent’s involvement in their child’s education, including lunch and learns, toddler time, seminars for supporting successful families, a fatherhood initiative, and make, take, and teach activities to name a few.