Jason Centeno saw a problem impacting local fathers. Under the relentless grind of work and parenting, he saw many fathers who let their mental and physical health slip, while others simply lost the time to build meaningful friendships. As a retired firefighter originally from Philadelphia and a father of six himself, Jason knew these challenges all too well.
“Fathers work, fathers provide,” he said at the Dad Skool’s Sept. 4 get-together at the Grand Oak Clubhouse in Jason’s Live Oak Preserve neighborhood off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. “They put themselves last. They have a lot of energy, but they don’t have a lot of renewal of that energy. Dads will pull up to their houses after work and sit in their cars and wait before they go in to collect themselves because they know they’re about to go into their second jobs.”
Jason started wondering, “What is there for dads? How do they get their batteries recharged?”
This inspired him a few years ago to begin reaching out to his neighboring dads in Live Oak Preserve, pitching the idea of doing a big street party in his cul-de-sac the day before Father’s Day. He put up water slides and had some party games so dads could blow off steam. This started a tradition in the neighborhood that eventually materialized into a larger Father’s Day event this year — with more than 300 people attending.
After the success of those events, Jason realized that dads needed more than just an annual party — they needed a dedicated community that would allow them to connect and share stories, swap advice and access real resources.
Jason says that this idea had already been smoldering in his mind, but the real spark came when his friend Michael Paskas called him up one day to attend a preview screening of the movie “Nobody 2.” Michael had already been running similar gatherings with dads in other parts of the Tampa Bay area and wanted to bounce ideas off of Jason about how they could formalize a “Dad Community” that they both believed the area desperately needed.
This first “bro date,” as Jason describes it, served as the catalyst to launch “Dad Skool” in April 2026. The organization that started from just a handful of guys in the Live Oak neighborhood now boasts a membership of nearly 120 dads from New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, and has hosted a number of events, including their “Dad Next Door Club” monthly meetups, a movie night for dads and their families and a Labor Day BBQ.
“I’m gonna treat this like the (2003) movie ‘Old School’ (starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn),” Jason says. “That movie was kinda the inspiration for all this. I’m just going to try to do all that for dads. I look at it like, what would it look like if we had a ‘fraternity’ of fatherhood?”
And, like any college fraternity, Jason says that while from the outside, it may look like it’s just a bunch of guys having fun and partying, he says Dad Skool is really much more than that.
“I say it’s a party in the front, business in the back,” Jason says, adding that he views it as a critical way for dads to meet up with other dads who are dealing with the same stressors — work, finances, marriage and kids — to give them all an outlet to vent and get advice from other dads.
This reporter had the opportunity to attend the Sept. 4 “Dad Next Door Club” event at Live Oak Preserve.
Guys started to trickle in with their beverage of choice while Jason was stacking up pizzas on a counter. Comedian Dave Chappelle was on the TV and a poker table was set up. In a corner, sitting in a chair, was a crash test dummy named Hugh with the words “You Here” on his chest.
“[Hugh] is the stand-in for every person who doesn’t show up to one of our events,” Jason explained. “If you missed it, it could have been you. So, Hugh is sitting there, taking these drinks in your honor.”
As the room filled up, Jason got everyone around to ask the roughly 15 dads in attendance about their “wins” this week. One dad announced a new business he had just started. Another joked that he won $300 in Las Vegas. Another announced he was being deployed the next day, prompting a round of applause and support for his safe return home.
Jason then gave the floor to Miguel DeLeon, the founder of the Dads Figure It Out Foundation (which we reported about last issue), to talk about his Game Day Experience program that seeks to help families facing financial or other life challenges experience a sporting event.
Jason even congratulated me about being a new dad myself to a five-month-old. The “party in the front, business in the back” moniker was on full display as these dads joked around, highlighted their successes and gave each other actual advice regarding issues many of them are facing.
“This is very simple,” said Jay Colley, Jason’s neighbor and one of the earliest supporters of Dad Skool. “It’s a community for dads, in a world where there aren’t enough (supportive) communities for us.”
Jason believes that his mission to connect dads can be expanded and replicated throughout Tampa Bay. He says he’s not interested in getting any credit — he just wants to put the focus on his fellow dads and help them connect and build relationships in their respective parenting journeys.
“I’m just putting together people with other people,” he says. “Similar to P.T. Barnum, I’m just the ringmaster and these guys are the show.” He adds that he hopes as this program grows, it can expand to reach more dads and provide additional resources, such as financial support to help uplift men who are homeless.
If you’re a dad interested in learning more about Dad Skool, visit DadSkool.org or find the group on Instagram or Facebook @dadsoftampaskool.
