PTA remains stalwart when getting involved in children's schooling
The Arizona Republic
At most schools, parents can find volunteer opportunities listed
in the PTA newsletter or at the PTA booth on back-to-school nights.
Some schools have a volunteer coordinator on staff — check with
your school administrators.
The National PTA has a helpful
site on parent volunteering.
PTA
Parents who want to be involved in their children's education
have an old friend: the PTA.
PTAs hold membership drives at back-to-school nights each year,
usually collecting $5 to $10 in membership dues and offering parents
a variety of opportunities to support their children's schools.
Parents can find out how to volunteer for teachers through a PTA,
which is especially useful in school districts that have no volunteer
coordinator on staff.
A PTA also helps parents raise concerns with a school, especially
when it is useful to make suggestions as a group, such as about
after-school programs or child safety.
Joining a local PTA also makes parents and teachers members of
the PTA organization on state and national levels. These nonprofit
groups lobby the government about issues related to schools and
children.
Active for more than a century, the national PTA has had a hand
in reforms from the establishment of kindergarten to the TV rating
system, according to Jackie McCarthy, a spokeswoman at the organizationÍs
headquarters in Chicago.
PTA facts
— PTAs help parents become involved at their childrenÍs schools
as volunteers and advocates.
— Memberships are for one year, from November to October.
— Most PTAs start the year with a membership drive, but accept
new members throughout the year.
— Memberships usually cost $4 or $5.
— PTAs are part of a national organization with 26,000 chapters
and 6.5 million members.
