ISSUE DATES

  • 20 Ways To Go Green

    How to be more green, both at school and in your PTO.

  • PTO Today Spending Survey 2019: Small but Mighty

    PTOs have fewer volunteers, but many leaders feel they're expected to do more. How does your group compare?

  • End-of-School-Year Guide for PTOs and PTAs

    How did it get to be end of school year time? One day you’re hosting a boohoo/yahoo breakfast, and the next thing you know you’re juggling elections, a fun run, next year’s budget, and the volunteer thank-you breakfast. All those balls in the air can make any leader feel a bit overwhelmed. Our free end-of-school-year guide will help you make sense of all your tasks and year-end activities so you never drop that ball. Get organized, wrap up your finances, transition new officers, show appreciation to volunteers and staff, and plan for next year before your school’s summer break so you can spend your free time over the summer with your family. Get Free Guide Inside the End of School Year Guide: Nuts and Bolts Practical, step-by-step tips and checklists to organize paperwork, close out the fiscal year and conduct financial reviews, and plan ahead. After the Election: Info for New Officers Whether recently elected parents are new to the board or simply hold a new office, our expert advice will help you smoothly transition PTO work when there’s a change in leadership. Appreciation: Volunteers and Teachers We’ve compiled many of our best appreciation ideas and tips to help recognize and thank your volunteers and staff at year’s end. Think Ahead to Next Year What you can do in the next few months to plan for the next term before your board and volunteers disappear for the summer. Take the Guesswork Out of Year-End Planning and Organization The end of the school year can be as busy—if not busier—than back-to-school. Just thinking about what needs to be done during the last few months of school can make parent group leaders feel anxious with no idea where to start. Our guide gives you a starting point and much more. It takes the stress and guesswork out of what tasks should be done, when to do what, and how to do them. There’s something in it for everyone on your board, so encourage your officers to get their own guide. The checklists, expert advice, step-by-step instructions, samples, ideas, and other resources in the guide will help you focus on wrapping up end-of-school-year activities before break, so you and your officers can make time over the summer to relax. You’ll come back reenergized and ready to do more great work for your school! Get Free Guide Still have questions? Call us at 800-644-3561; we’re here to help. Share this page:

  • Adapting Your PTO Work During COVID-19

    Doing your best work as a leader can be a challenge in the best of times—never mind when things are confusing and up in the air, like they are right now while schools and families are figuring out how to deal with COVID-19 safely. But it’s during those times that your school community needs your help the most. Our free guide to adapting your PTO work will help you move forward with your parent group even if it’s not quite the same or it’s done from a distance. Plan safe events, get a budget in place, communicate effectively with parents and each other, rock those virtual meetings, and learn (and pass on) ways that volunteers can help even if they can’t get into schools. Get Free Guide Inside the Guide for Adapting Your PTO Work: Events Online dance party, at-home campout, and virtual spirit weeks are just a few of the ways you can keep up the family fun even if you’re not together. Fundraising Helpful questions to ask of potential vendors, plus great ideas for safe fundraisers. Volunteers and Volunteering Lots of leaders and volunteers are wondering how they can even help if they can’t get into schools. We share reasons to encourage them, and tips to keep everyone going. Communication We break down how to communicate effectively with parents, the school, and each other. You Can Move Forward—Even If You Don’t Have All the Answers Keep going if you can—no one has a time frame for exactly when “back to normal” will be, but it will happen. When it does, having an active and engaged core of volunteers will be a huge step toward getting back to business as usual. In many ways, the things you’d do to help your school community from a distance, and to keep your group running, are similar to what you’d do in normal times, with some adjustments: Offer social and emotional support—work with the school on ways your group might be able to help families. Show your teachers you care with drive-by parades, supply collections, virtual messages from students, and more. Plan fun spirit-building events like a drive-in movie or online bingo. Carry on with the nuts and bolts of parent group business—create a workable budget, hold virtual meetings, and plan creative virtual fundraisers. Get Free Guide Still have questions? Call us at 800-557-2670; we’re here to help. Share this page:

  • Your End-of-School-Year Questions Answered

    Solutions for the common questions leaders have about year end.

  • How To Book a Guest Speaker for Your Next School Program

    Thinking of bringing in a speaker or enrichment program for your next school assembly? Start by asking a potential guest speaker these questions.

  • Icebreaker Bingo Sheets

    For a cute and fun way to get to know your fellow volunteers better, print these "human bingo" sheets (10 versions available) and ask them to sign their names in the boxes that describe them.

  • How-To Articles and Resources

    Step-by-step instructions and tips on tons of PTO topics and activities, including fundraisers, budgets and bylaws, playgrounds, and more.

  • Valentine's Day Love Notes

    Ask students to write notes about their teacher on the back; adults can collect the notes and put them in in a pretty jar or box. Each sheet has eight tags, plus space to type in a teacher's name.

  • Why Do You PTO?

    It's not always easy, but it's worth it!

  • How To Make a Balloon Arch

    Are you thinking of making a DIY balloon arch for your school parent group’s special event? We have tips from leaders who have done it—and have the photos to prove it—to help you learn how to make a balloon arch, too.

  • PTO Events Home

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  • PTO Leaders Cheat Sheet

    Real leaders’ questions about parent involvement, bylaws, and more, with the advice, information, and tools you need.

  • Wash Your Hands Poster

  • Free Guides and Planning Kits

    Our free guides and planning kits help you plan and promote many types of events, including carnivals and fairs, fun runs and -athons, school holiday shops, and more!

  • Make Your Own Back-to-School PTO Video

  • When Parent Group Leaders #ptoprep for Events, They Don’t Mess Around

    Whether it’s pulling an all-nighter or packing the car more full than it’s ever been, leaders have plenty of stories to tell about getting ready for PTO events.

  • How To Get Sponsorships for Your School Events

    Company event sponsors can reduce your costs and help businesses raise their profile in the school community.

  • What To Tell Parents About Involvement

    Messages about involvement to share with parents in emails, newsletters, social posts, and bulletin boards. Use them individually, or combine a few for a longer message.

  • 16 Volunteer Recruitment Strategies for PTOs and PTAs

    Get and keep more volunteers for your parent group with these approaches.
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