U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Deputy Attorney General Ian S.A. Clement has announced a call to action for fathers and male caregivers to accompany their children on the first day of school, in support of National DADS Take Your Child to School Day. The Access and Visitation Program (AVP) within the Paternity and Child Support Division (PCSD) at the V.I. Department of Justice (DOJ), aims to foster positive family involvement as the new school year begins. The AVP program will be distributing school supplies to clients across the territory as an incentive to kick off the 2024 school year positively.
Although the national kickoff for the 2024 DADS Take Your Child to School Day is on September 19, 2024, schools in the U.S. Virgin Islands start on August 5th. This annual initiative aims to highlight and strengthen father involvement in education, promoting a supportive bond between schools and fathers or father figures throughout the school year.
Sharon Jackson-McDonald, Administrator of AVP, emphasized the significant impact of male role models in education. ” “Research indicates engaging dads, brothers, uncles, father figures, other significant male role models and mentors, in schools, increases
student success in numerous ways. Father figures enhance student success and support schools to create a nurturing environment for students.”
As part of the initiative, the AVP team has scheduled the distribution of 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for program clients on St. Thomas are Monday, July 29, and Tuesday, July 30, and St. Croix on Monday, July 29, and Tuesday, July 30 from 9 am-5 pm on both islands. Clients are required to schedule a pick-up time by contacting the office via phone or email. In addition, giveaways will be available to the public during the Tutu Park Mall’s Back-to-School event on July 27th from 10am to 3pm.
Deputy AG General Clement expressed his support, stating, “I urge all fathers and male caregivers to participate in bringing their children to school on the first day. Strong, supportive families are crucial in shaping successful futures for our children. Through our Access and Visitation Program, we remain committed to providing evidence-based parenting education and visitation services that strengthen parental roles.”
PCSD Director Kathryn Jensen-DeLugo said the AVP is funded by a separate grant awarded to child support agencies by the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) to establish and administer programs to support and facilitate noncustodial parent’s access to and visitation of their children as mandated by Congress. To achieve this, states are allowed to fund a range of services including mediation, development of parenting plans, education, counseling, visitation enforcement (including supervised visitation and neutral drop-off), and the development of alternative custody and visitation guidelines.
For more information and to schedule a pick-up time for the backpacks, please refer to the attached flyer or contact the Access and Visitation Program at the DOJ Paternity and Child Support Division on St. Thomas at 340-775-3070 or St. Croix at 340-778-5958. Alternatively, you can email viaccess@vi.gov.