What to Stock in Your PTO Room

If your PTO is lucky enough to have a room of its own, congratulations: you've just acquired one of the most sought-after spaces in the PTO world! 😅

So, what exactly should you keep in your PTO room, and how should you organize supplies? We asked PTOs and PTA leaders in our community and found plenty of practical (and a few unexpected!) ideas—from meeting supplies and fundraiser prizes to school event essentials. 

And, a quick note for anyone lucky enough to score a room dedicated to all things PTO: it doesn't have to be fancy. It can be a tiny office or even a former storage closet (some even have a mobile PTO cart!). What matters is having a spot to store and organize the supplies your school parent group uses year after year—and a place where volunteers know to go to find them.

The everyday PTO stuff

Think about the things your PTO is constantly borrowing, buying at the last minute, or hauling back and forth from home. If you're buying or borrowing something over and over, it probably deserves a permanent home in the PTO room!  Also, if the PTO room is where your PTO meets regularly, make it a place where your board can actually get stuff done. A whiteboard for meeting notes and to-dos, along with dry-erase markers, clipboards, sticky notes, file folders, and a calendar or planning board, can make the room much more functional. 

• Sharpies and other permanent markers
• Scissors
• Tape
• Batteries
• Command hooks and strips
• Zip ties
• Extension cords and power strips
• Sticky notes
• Labels
• Hand sanitizer
• Sanitizing wipes
• Colored chalk to chalk the walk
• Whiteboard + dry erase markers for meeting notes, to-do lists, and event planning
• Clipboards
• File folders for current projects
• Calendar/planning board
• Laminator
• Paper cutter
• Label maker

📋 Get a free PTO/PTA school year planner for your board members 

Fundraiser & school store stash

• Prize bin: squishies, fidgets, pencils, stickers, small toys, etc.
• Leftover fundraiser incentives/prizes
• Gift bags or small bags for prize distribution
• Extra raffle supplies
• Small display bins/baskets
• Leftover inventory from holiday shop to re-use next year
• School store stash: If your PTO runs a school store, give its inventory and supplies a dedicated spot in the room.

Event and party supplies 

Your PTO room can also be the place for all the stuff that makes hosting your PTO's regular events easier or any shared equipment your PTO regularly uses. You can even create a simple checkout sheet for anything that leaves the room. Think about items like:

• Tablecloths
• Cash boxes
• Serving trays and tongs
• Disposable gloves
• Coffee/hot cocoa urn
• Easels and sign holders
• Reusable event signs
• Bingo supplies
• Popcorn machine
• Snow-cone machine
• Beverage dispensers
• Coolers
• Carnival and field day equipment and games
• Holiday/event decorations (labeled by season or event type) 
• Movie-night AV equipment
• Projector
• Portable PA system + microphone
• Items your PTO may use regularly for teacher appreciation, like a treat trolley cart, flavored syrups for a hydration station, teacher lounge snacks, etc. 
• Holiday shop supplies, like wrapping paper
• Step stool 
• Disinfecting wipes

One PTO shared that its 8-by-10-foot room is packed with labeled bins organized by holiday and annual event, plus a separate area for concession supplies.   

Create a "just in case" stash for school staff

Consider putting together a small basket, bin, or cabinet of things teachers and staff might need in a pinch. PTOs have been stocking teacher restrooms and emergency stashes with surprisingly useful little things, like:

• Bandages
• Lint rollers
• Safety pins
• Glasses cleaning wipes
• Hair ties and claw clips
• Bobby pins
• Floss picks
• Stain remover pens
• Mints or gum
• Individually wrapped snacks
• Feminine products
• Hand lotion

Keep it simple, stocked, and let staff know it's there. It doesn't have to be fancy to be appreciated!

School spirit stuff

If your school has a mascot costume, banners, or other school-specific gear, give those items a dedicated home in the PTO room, too! 

• Mascot costume and a labeled tote with cleaning instructions (if your school has a mascot, store the costume, along with any accessories, and make sure everyone knows who is responsible for checking it out, cleaning it, and getting it back in time for the next event).
• School banners 
• Pennants
• Spirit signs
• Yard signs
• Marquee letters/numbers
• Inflatable mascot/spirit props
• Photo backdrops
• School-specific costumes/props

Make the room work for your PTO

The best PTO room isn't the one with the most stuff. It's the one where people can actually find the stuff!

Use clear bins and big, easy-to-read labels. Group things by event, category, or how often they're used. Keep frequently accessed items at eye level and put seasonal decorations and once-a-year supplies higher up or farther back. One PTO described organizing its room with floor-to-ceiling shelving and clear tubs, with dedicated areas for concessions, holidays and individual annual events.

And before you go on a shopping spree, ask your teachers, staff and event chairs one question: "What's something you find yourself needing at school that you wish we always had?" Their answers will probably give you a much better shopping list than we could!