For some children the summer ended far too soon. Suffolk News-Herald reporter Matthew A. Ward might attest to that after spending a little time with First Baptist Christian School students, who started school Wednesday morning.

Others are still squeezing the last few drops of freedom from their summer. And their parents are desperately counting down the hours until their young rascals are finally out from underfoot.

Either way, it’s back-to-school season for children in Suffolk.

But just because parents again have a place to send their children for a few hours doesn’t mean that their role has diminished.

Parents play an even more important role when their children are back in school. From meeting teachers to making sure kids are getting the appropriate amount of homework time in, parents don’t get a break when their kids head off to school.

A recent rally, hosted last Saturday by the Y2K Academy, aimed to encourage fathers to take part in the back-to-school ritual.

“Our goal is to mobilize fathers to take their children to school on the first day of school,” said Princella Johnson, founder of the Y2K Academy.

It turns out that fathers are just as important as mothers in the development of their children. According to a 2001 U.S. Department of Education study, highly involved biological fathers had children who were 43 percent more likely to earn mostly A’s and 33 percent less likely to repeat a grade than their peers who did not have involved fathers.

“Fatherlessness in the community and in our country in general is a serious scourge on any community,” Johnson told the Suffolk News-Herald. “By mobilizing these fathers, we will impact our youth tremendously.”

Both parents should play a big role in their child’s education. And the back-to-school season is great reminder to do just that.

If you missed the “Fathers as First Teachers on the First Day of School” rally, Dads can still sign up to be a part of the movement by texting “DadB2S” to 59769. For more information about the project, visit www.y2kacademy.webs.com.

It’s never too late for fathers and mothers to help their children be the best they can be.