May I Have This Dance?

One of our Creative Options Centers recently held a very special Father-Child Dance, designed to involve Fathers, Step-Fathers, Uncles, older brothers and any other males involved in the education of the children, who attend CP’s learning centers. The dance was held in the Crawford Elementary School Cafeteria, where fathers were presented with silk flower boutonnieres as they entered. “We wanted to give the families a chance to feel as if they were on a date with their children, so we created a “mini-prom environment,” said Lori Medina-Anderson, Director of Family Community Partnership Services.

Invitations to the dance were handmade, included each child’s handprint and were given to parents as a keepsake. Children were asked to bring a gently used book as their “ticket” to enter the dance.  With all the books collected, along with additional book donations from parents and staff, a book exchange was held, whereby each child picked a different book to take home.

The “dance hall” was decorated in royal blue colors and balloons to coordinate with “Child Abuse Prevention Month” colors.  Parents/family were also given royal blue ribbons to wear, which were made by moms and their children. Additionally, office staff decorated the cafeteria with white sparkling lights, a homemade “Welcome” banner and also created and designed a photo booth. 

A parent volunteer donated his services as a disc jockey. A variety of music was played, including Oldies, Children’s music, Spanish music and a little Hip Hop.  With a little encouragement, the “dads” hit the dance floor with their sons and daughters. To see the look on the children’s faces as they danced with their Daddies, Mommies, Uncles, older Brothers, Grandparents and Stepfathers made the evening a memorable and heartwarming event for all.

At the end of the evening, the “dads” were so thankful for the special time that they spent with their families. Staff had the opportunity to really talk to some of the busy dads, rarely seen at the center.  And MANY dads stayed after the event to help with clean up.  In all, nearly 100 signatures appeared in our guest book, not including the children, their siblings and extended family members, who also attended. A great time was had by all!

Special Thanks to all the wonderful staff at our Florence Site for their hard work and efforts that made this dance possible!