| Full Name | Dad Skool DBA Dads of Tampa Skool |
| Type | IRS 501(c)(3) Confirmed ✓ Florida Nonprofit Corp. |
| EIN | 41-5288858 |
| FL Doc No. | N26000004863 |
| Incorporated | April 2, 2026 |
| 501(c)(3) | Confirmed Aug 3, 2026 |
| Founder | Jason Centeno |
| Founding Chapter | Tampa - DOTS - Ch. 1 |
| Scope | National (forming) |
| Mascot | Dire Wolf |
| Skool Members | 110+ |
| @dadsoftampaskool | |
| Website | dadskool.org |
| Flagship Event | The Dad Next Door Club |
| Meets | First Friday - Monthly - 7PM |
| Address | 9304 Mandrake Ct, Tampa FL 33647 |
| RSVP | (813) 812-0218 |
Dad Skool is a national men's community organization and fatherhood movement founded in Tampa, Florida by Jason Centeno, a retired Philadelphia firefighter, adoption advocate, and father of six. Operating at the intersection of brotherhood, accountability, and intentional fatherhood, Dad Skool builds structured communities where fathers grow together through shared experience, honest conversation, and unapologetic commitment to presence. The organization is a confirmed IRS 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 41-5288858), effective April 2, 2026.
The organization operates under a dual-mode brand framework - School Mode (learning, growth, structure) and Pack Mode (brotherhood, loyalty, strength) - anchored by its Dire Wolf mascot, chosen to represent fierce family protection, pack loyalty, and the rare breed of man who shows up fully. The founding philosophy is captured in Centeno's own words: "In the fire service, you mask up before you go in. You check your air first - because if you can't breathe, you can't save anybody. Nobody teaches dads that. That's why I built this."
The founding chapter, Dads of Tampa Skool (DOTS), was incorporated as a Florida Nonprofit Corporation on April 2, 2026 (FL Doc No. N26000004863) and serves as the organizational template, cultural origin, and proof of concept for the broader Dad Skool network. The founding chapter hosts monthly in-person gatherings under the flagship program The Dad Next Door Club, held on the first Friday of every month at 9401 Oak Preserve Blvd, Tampa. The organization's primary web presence is at dadskool.org and its community hub operates on the Skool platform with over 110 members.
Dad Skool emerged from Jason Centeno's firsthand experience navigating the isolation that often accompanies modern fatherhood. As a Tampa-area father of six and former firefighter with deep roots in community service, Centeno identified a persistent gap in the landscape for men - most existing spaces defaulted to bar culture or formal therapy, leaving no middle ground for fathers who wanted genuine brotherhood without pretense.
The seeds of the organization trace back to Centeno's early Tampa community building, including organizing a charity dodgeball fundraiser for the Matthew Bunch Foundation - a firefighter-focused nonprofit - where he recruited participants from an informal dad network under the "5 Deadly Venoms" team concept. That experience demonstrated both the hunger for this kind of community and Centeno's instinct for activating it.
Dad Skool is structured as a chapter-based national organization. Each chapter adopts the core Dad Skool brand framework, operating standards, and cultural identity while serving its local community. The founding chapter serves as the organizational template for all future chapters.
| Chapter | City | Status | Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 - DOTS Dads of Tampa Skool |
Tampa, FL | Founding Chapter - Active | Founding |
| Future chapters - To be documented as the network grows | |||
Each Dad Skool chapter is designed to be self-sustaining within the national framework. The founding chapter's operational systems - including the Wolfling Path onboarding, dual-mode programming, First Friday gathering format, and digital content infrastructure - serve as the replicable blueprint for expansion.
| Program | Type | Cadence | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dad Next Door Club | Flagship Gathering | First Friday - Monthly - 7PM | In-person brotherhood night. 9401 Oak Preserve Blvd, Tampa. BYOB, games, real talk. Private gated community - text name to RSVP. (813) 812-0218. |
| First Mask Education | Wellness Programming | Monthly | Men's health and wellness education. Named after the oxygen mask principle - put your mask on first. Covers mental, physical, and emotional health for dads. |
| Father's Day Party | Annual Flagship Event | Annual - June | Major annual celebration. 300+ attendees in inaugural year. Families welcome. Hosted at fathersdayparty.dadskool.org. |
| Accountability Circles | Small Group Programming | Monday Calls - Weekly | Peer support small groups. Monday accountability calls. Hosted on Skool platform. Structured peer-to-peer growth framework. |
| The Dire Wolf Pack | Membership Tier | 6-Month Earned | Elite membership earned over six months of demonstrated commitment to the pack. Not purchased - earned through participation and accountability. |
| Wolfling Path | Onboarding System | Ongoing | Probationary membership track. Structured path from prospect to full pack member with defined milestones and accountability touchpoints. |
| Dadapedia | Knowledge System | First Friday - Monthly | Living organizational encyclopedia at dadapedia.netlify.app. AI-powered monthly update engine. Historian, press kit, onboarding resource, and national expansion blueprint. |
| Dad Joke Daily | Community Content | Daily | Automated daily dad joke delivery via WhatsApp broadcast. Google Apps Script + Bird API. Daily touchpoint keeping the pack connected between events. |
| Weekly Roll Call | Newsletter | Thursday - Weekly | One email a week from Jason. Events, wins, community updates, and direct communication from the founder to the pack. |
School Mode - Learning, accountability, personal development, structured growth tracks, and resource sharing. The classroom of the pack. Where men get better on purpose.
Pack Mode - Brotherhood, loyalty, protection, presence, and the raw energy of men who show up for each other unconditionally. The heartbeat of the movement.
The Dire Wolf - The mascot of Dad Skool represents an extinct apex predator known for pack loyalty and fierce protection of family. The symbolism is intentional: this breed of father is rare, powerful, and operates as a unit.
Jason Centeno is the founder and Executive Director of Dad Skool and the Dads of Tampa Skool founding chapter. A retired Philadelphia firefighter with 23 years of service, adoption advocate, father of six, and Tampa-based entrepreneur. Centeno operates multiple ventures including Cash Flow Co-Pilot LLC (consulting) and Water Bros Powerwash LLC, and is involved in International Liquors Distribution LLC. Known for direct, high-energy leadership and a mission-driven orientation rooted in service, Centeno has been the sole architect of the Dad Skool organizational framework, brand identity, nonprofit formation structure, and digital infrastructure. He built the brotherhood he needed - and then opened the door for every other dad who needed it too.
| Name | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Centeno | Founder & Executive Director | Retired Philadelphia firefighter (23 years). Adoption advocate. Father of six. Founder of DOTS. |
| Dr. Carlos Garcia | Board Member - Health & Wellness | Licensed psychologist and former firefighter. Clinical expertise in men's mental health. Lived experience as a first responder. Founding board seat. |
| Steven Miles | Board Member - Development | Sr. Director of Development at Liberty University. 9 years board service at SafeHouse Outreach Atlanta. Deep expertise in nonprofit fundraising, major gifts, and organizational development. |
| Organization | Type | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Beef Bootlegger | Local Business | Active Community Partner |
| Dads Figure It Out (DFIO) | Dad Community Organization | Active Community Partner |
| Nico Brown Productions | Event Production | Event Partner - Noche Latina group tickets |
| Matthew Bunch Foundation | Firefighter-Focused Nonprofit | Founding Relationship - charity dodgeball origin |
| Bay Area Legal Services | Legal Aid | Community Resource |
| Firehouse Subs (Sarju Patel) | Franchise / Food | Partnership in development - Spirit Night + Firefighter for a Day event |
Verified monthly - First Friday sync - Last update: -
Drop in whatever you have. The rougher the better. The AI cleans it up into a permanent record.
Every First Friday entry lives here permanently. This is the organizational memory of Dad Skool.
The Big One: August 3, 2026 - IRS 501(c)(3) status officially confirmed. EIN 41-5288858. Dad Skool is now a fully recognized public charity. Donations are tax-deductible. The paperwork matches the mission. It took until August to get the letter but the org has been running like it was official since day one - because it was.
Website: dadskool.org launched publicly. Full transparency section with Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, IRS 1023-EZ filing, and financial controls all publicly available. Zeffy integrated for donations at 0% platform fee. The site is built to earn trust before it asks for anything.
Father's Day Party: Inaugural annual event drew 300+ attendees. Over 80 dads were gifted a free concert experience. Families came out. The event proved DOTS can produce large-scale community moments, not just intimate gatherings. This becomes an annual anchor event.
Board Confirmed: Three-seat board active. Jason Centeno (Founder/ED), Dr. Carlos Garcia (Health and Wellness - licensed psychologist, former firefighter), Steven Miles (Development - Sr. Director at Liberty University, 9 years board service at SafeHouse Outreach Atlanta).
Community: Skool membership surpassed 110 members. The Dad Next Door Club running monthly. Spider-Man: Brand New Day private group screening organized for August 16 at AMC Regency 20. Noche Latina date night event planned for August 29 at The Krates at the Grove, Wesley Chapel.
Partners: Beef Bootlegger and Dads Figure It Out (DFIO) confirmed as active community partners. Firehouse Subs partnership in development with franchisee Sarju Patel - Spirit Night targeting Fire Prevention Week, Father and Son Firefighter for a Day event targeting November/December with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
Dadapedia: Updated to reflect all confirmed milestones. All "pending IRS confirmation" language officially retired. The record is clean.
Milestone: Dadapedia v2.0 launched on First Friday of April 2026, aligned with The Dad Next Door Club. Dad Skool adopts national organizational framing from founding. Tampa designated officially as Chapter 1 - the origin of the movement. FL Nonprofit incorporation confirmed April 2, 2026.
Org Status: 501(c)(3) formation package submitted. Wolfling Path active. Monthly gathering running at 9401 Oak Preserve Blvd. Skool community open and growing.
Digital: @dadsoftampaskool Instagram active. Dad Joke daily delivery live via WhatsApp + Bird API. Dadapedia live at dadapedia.netlify.app.
Framework: Chapter model established. Founding chapter serves as organizational blueprint for future national expansion. Dadapedia becomes the living record, press kit, and expansion manual simultaneously.