ISSUE DATES

  • Make Your Family Night a Winner

    Fun family nights are a great way to build involvement. Get started with these ideas and tips for success.

  • Talking Points That Build Involvement

    Use this list to address the questions and objections that people raise about getting involved in your parent group.

  • When Schools Merge

    Consolidation can be a stressful time for students and parents alike. Here are some ways parent groups ease the transition.

  • 501(c)(3) for PTOs

    How to make your PTO tax-exempt. We sort through the mumbo jumbo and tell you what to expect—from the process and the IRS.

  • A School's Unlikely Hero

    How a Long Island man with no children became president of a PTA in inner city Miami, with rewarding results for all involved.

  • Build That Playground Yourself

    Community-built playgrounds take time and effort, but with help you can do the construction yourself and save a lot of money.

  • Create a Mission Statement

    Talking clearly and intentionally about group goals can inspire your PTO and help make decisions to achieve them.

  • Partnership Approach Pays Off

    One school reached out to local businesses and governments to raise funds and create excitement within the community. The result: a new $80,000 playground.

  • Whose Rules, School or PTO?

    Collaboration between PTO and school is crucial to success, but it's also important to know who has final say when disputes arise.

  • A Literacy Event for Halloween

    Pumpkins and poems make an eerily successful combination for a Halloween celebration.

  • Come Vote, and Bring the Family

    A school's election-day carnival has become a community event.

  • Figuring Finances for Events

    How to build a simple cost model and estimate the start-to-finish finances for your group's new events.

  • Organizing an Author Visit

    Don't be overwhelmed by the thought of choosing an author and planning an event. A few simple guidelines will help you do it successfully.

  • Permission Slips That Work

    Permission slips are often sent home with kids for school activities, but most of them don't provide any legal protection for the school or the parent group.

  • Polish Your Delegation Skills

    Doing it all yourself leads to burnout—and isn't good for your parent group, either.

  • "Just a PTO"? Say It Isn't So!

    Don't downplay the work you do. Parent groups play an important role in helping students and teachers succeed.

  • 38 Ideas To Start the Year Right

    From getting organized to getting to know the school's families, a great year for the parent group starts with some advance planning.

  • 5 Smart Financial Controls

    Avoid unnecessary headaches with these practices to keep your assets safe and your records clean and up to date.

  • Classes in Parent Involvement

    Two moms who wanted to move beyond traditional involvement roles learned how through parent involvement education programs, which range from monthly workshops to in-depth, yearlong curricula.

  • Game Show Night Is a Winner

    School-theme knockoffs of popular game shows create fun for parents, students, and teachers alike.
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