All Pro Dad Speaks to School Leaders, Partners with Mayor’s 100X25 Reading Initiative

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (APRIL 18, 2019) — Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy will join forces on Tuesday, April 23, to announce a first-of-its-kind program that encourages local fathers and their children to read together this summer as part of the City of Fort Worth’s 100×25 initiative. The program is a partnership with the City of Fort Worth and All Pro Dad, the fatherhood program of national nonprofit Family First.

Family First plans to establish All Pro Dad chapters at 21 Fort Worth community centers, adding to the already existing 73 All Pro Dad chapters in Fort Worth area schools. These chapters will work to offset the “summer slide” in reading that has detrimental impacts on children’s educational progress. The Draft Day event is open to the public and will conclude with a “draft” of fathers who will volunteer to lead the All Pro Dad programs at these community centers.

“Community involvement, year-around, is critical to moving the needle on childhood literacy in Fort Worth,” said Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth. “That is why we are thrilled to partner with All Pro Dad, a program that encourages reading as part of its curriculum, that will be available in all of Fort Worth’s community centers starting this summer.”

Prior to the mayor’s Draft Day event, Dungy will address superintendents, principals and school leaders with the Tarrant County school districts about launching more of the monthly All Pro Dad chapters program across the area. All Pro Dad chapters provide an opportunity for dads to spend quality time with their children that will strengthen their relationship, as well as benefiting the child’s school and the entire community. This portion of the program is exclusive to these leaders of the school district, but all community members are welcome for the “Draft Day” with Mayor Price.

“Establishing All Pro Dad chapters in Fort Worth at the community centers will allow us to engage and encourage reading outside the classroom and school setting so that when the new school year starts, students are ready for the next year,” said Tony Dungy, national spokesperson for All Pro Dad. “At All Pro Dad, we believe fathers should be present in their children’s lives, and reading with them is a way to be active and present in their lives throughout the year.”

The purpose of the 100×25 initiatives is to get the community engaged with reading with the goal of 100 percent of third-graders reading on grade level by 2025. Currently in Fort Worth, only one in every three third-graders are reading on grade level and studies show that 75 percent of students who struggle with reading in third grade never catch up. All Pro Dad hopes to be a part of this movement to get more students reading on grade level by encouraging fathers to participate in the educational process.

About Family First

Family First is a national nonprofit organization that provides practical parenting and marriage advice and resources to help families love well. Through emails, web resources, school programs, father-kid events, books and more, Family First serves more than 5 million people daily. The nonprofit has two main programs to engage families: All Pro Dad, its fatherhood program; and iMOM, a resource for moms. Additionally, Family First’s founder hosts the Family Minute with Mark Merrill, providing short stories and advice for families to love and live well together.

All Pro Dad is the fatherhood program of Family First, founded by Mark Merrill and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. Serving families and fathers for more than 20 years, All Pro Dad provides resources, training and events to help fathers as they raise their children for a healthy and hopeful future. There are more than 1,300 All Pro Dad chapters in 44 states, and since 2002, there have been more than 100 All Pro Dad Experience events.

About 100X25FWTX

The City of Fort Worth’s 100X25FWTX initiative is a citywide effort that mobilizes educators, funders, government, businesses, parents and community organizations to support Read Fort Worth’s goal of 100 percent of Fort Worth ISD third-graders reading on grade level by 2025.