All Pro Dad presenter urges Montgomery County schools to host monthly father‑child chapters

Steven Oldham, a representative of All Pro Dad, described the national fatherhood nonprofit’s school-based chapter program to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners during the board’s informal meeting on Jan. 6, 2025.

All Pro Dad, an initiative of Family First, asks men to commit “one minute a day, one hour a month and one day a year” to engage with their children, Oldham told the commission. The group’s chapters program is the monthly, school‑based meeting: fathers and male role models attend a breakfast with children, work through a character curriculum provided by the organization and practice a regular “pride moment” in which a parent stands and tells a child what they are proud of.

Oldham said the chapter meetings are intended to increase father involvement in education and to improve student outcomes. “I can give you a community of dads who are more involved in your school,” he said. He told commissioners the program costs each participating school $100 per year.

Oldham traced the program’s origin to NFL coach Tony Dungy and said All Pro Dad runs additional efforts such as a daily brief email (“play of the day”) for fathers and stadium events held annually in professional and college venues. He cited a broad national statistic — that about one in four children live in a home without a father figure — as part of his rationale for the program.

Oldham said his organization has worked with school leaders and juvenile justice officials and asserted the chapter model is associated with higher grades, better attendance and fewer behavior problems, though he did not cite specific local studies or data to back that claim to the commission.

Oldham remained at the meeting after his presentation to answer questions; no follow-up action or funding request for county money was recorded in the meeting transcript.