“So you actually agreed to be the PTO President again?”
I get this question a lot. From my family, from my friends, and from random other parents I meet who inevitably know who I am because their child greets me at birthday parties. I’m about to start my second year as president of our elementary school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The first was very challenging, and if I’m being honest, nearly had me at burnout last March. But it was also a lot of fun and SO rewarding. Besides being super popular with the 2nd graders (Woo Hoo, who’s a cool mom?!), I also got a front-row seat to my kids’ school life. I got hallway hugs and lunchtime banter. I got to talk directly with teachers and staff, and was able to shape resources to help them succeed. And I got to plan the fun stuff – The reason those kids recognize me at birthday parties is because they’ve seen me at school passing out ice cream.
Even if being President isn’t something you want to take on, there are so many ways you can support the PTO at your school, and so many reasons that you should!
What Does the PTO Do?
We might not be in the classrooms teaching, but the PTO is there in spirit, and everywhere else in the school, supporting the teachers, staff, and students all year long. From family fun nights to teacher appreciation events, the PTO is committed to enhancing the educational experience for all students and developing a connection between the school staff and the families that attend into a single welcoming community. Activities vary school to school, but I guarantee your PTO is already hard at work like mine is planning fun events and activities for the upcoming school year. What kind of events? What sort of activities? What exactly is your PTO doing with all of that fundraiser money? Here’s a sample of what my PTO did last year that we’re aiming to repeat…
PTO Supports the Community
- Helped purchase lunches for students that needed a helping hand
- Contributed towards recovery efforts for a local school hit by a tornado last December
- Awarded two scholarships to graduating seniors in the district
- Organized 3 clothing drives to support our district Community Closet
PTO Supports the School
- Cultivated two gardens (one for vegetables, one for flowers and butterflies) providing a hands-on learning space for students to see their science lessons in real life
- Purchased new chairs and other equipment for the school
- Showed love to the teachers and staff each month with sweets, meals, school supplies, and lots more
PTO Brings the Fun
- Brought ice cream, popsicles, popcorn, and sno cones to countless events both during and after school
- Threw an awesome Halloween Monster Mash and an epic send-off party for our graduating 4th graders
- Hosted a bounce house party during recess and played DJ during lunchtime
- Helped organize an unforgettable Field Day with waterslides, a dunk tank, a glow dance and more.
How Can You Help?
With so many activities and programs, there’s never a shortage of help needed. Whether you offer your time, your wallet, or your expertise, there is definitely something you have to offer that your PTO can use.
Volunteer
Staffing the book fair, tying roller skates, decorating for the Holiday show, decorating for the Spring show, decorating for Red Ribbon Week, decorating (and more decorating!), monitoring recess, helping in the cafeteria, shelving books, dressing up as the school mascot, stuffing Bingo prize bags, putting out a lunch spread in the teachers’ lounge, creating a 90ft blacked out tunnel with UV lights and fake spiders for the annual Spider Unit obstacle course… All of that takes volunteer power. And this list is definitely missing a lot. When your PTO sends out sign-ups, calendars, or requests for volunteers, they really do need the help. That Fall carnival your kids love – it needs volunteers. The Field Day you enjoy with your child – its volunteers that haul out all of the equipment (and then put it all away!). The clothing drive you donated to – volunteers collected, sorted, and delivered your clothes. Literally every event the PTO does requires some kind of labor to execute, and if it’s left up to the same few people every time because no one else is volunteering – it’s not going to happen. So when those requests come out, help if you can. It just may mean the difference between a fabulous event or a canceled event.
Become a Member
Membership isn’t just for those that have time to volunteer. It’s the best way to stay in the loop with what’s being planned. Even if you can’t volunteer at an event doesn’t mean you won’t want to attend with your kids, and being a PTO member means you’ll be the first to know what’s happening.
It’s also one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. We could have an army of volunteers, but without a budget to back them up, none of the events would happen. We can’t give out snow cones if we can’t afford cups and syrup. I’m well aware that PTO fundraisers are annoying, but that’s what makes membership so important! Membership fees make up around 10% of our total budget – that’s 10% LESS money you’ll be bothered for during the school year! Honestly, if my school had at least one PTO member for each student I might never have to sell another tub of cookie dough again.
Join the Board
You ever find yourself at a school event and think, “Meh????”? Attend a BINGO night that needed more organization or better prizes? See your kids teacher spending their own money on classroom rewards and wonder if there was budget elsewhere for that? If that’s you, then you belong on the PTO board. Volunteering and showing up when help is asked for is AMAZING! But planning the activities is another level. If your kid has a favorite event they like year after year, consider being the PTO board member that makes it happen. If you see a critical need in the school that isn’t being addressed, be the PTO board member that advocates for those funds and puts a plan in motion. If you want the privilege of seeing your kid during the school day and putting huge smiles on little faces, be a PTO board member.
Lend Your Expertise
Are you a balloon artist? A face painter? Web designer or graphics artist? Landscaper? I am none of those things, and yet they are all skills my PTO needed at one point or another during the year. As another Houston Moms contributor put it, “We are the moms who happily and graciously help make your school awesome” – but that doesn’t mean we know what we’re doing all the time. If you have a skillset that you think might help, let your PTO know. I’m sure they need you!
