Valentine’s Day parties often focus on cookies, cupcakes, and lots and lots of candy. Action for Healthy Kids, an Illinois PTA cooperating agency, has some ideas to help room parents and other party planners bring in some healthy treats to their Valentine’s Day parties. The ideas include two snacks that kids can help make themselves, Love Bugs … Continue reading Make Your Valentine’s Party Healthy with These Treat Ideas from Action for Healthy Kids
PTA Resources Embrace the Illinois State Family Engagement Framework
Decades of research shows that children with involved parents have better school attendance, increased motivation, better self-esteem, lower suspension rates, decreased drug and alcohol use, fewer instances of violent behavior, and overall higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has created the Family Engagement Framework, a set of … Continue reading PTA Resources Embrace the Illinois State Family Engagement Framework
March is National Reading Month
“The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss has inspired a love of reading for many generations. Many childhood memories include the sing-song rhythm unique to his writing. We learned to count, “One fish, two fish”; we learned our … Continue reading March is National Reading Month
Parent Roadmaps to Help Your Child Succeed
Similar to the PTA Parents’ Guides to Student Success, the Council of the Great City Schools has created a series of Parent Roadmaps to support parents with the new standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. There are English and math guides for each grade level from Kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as for … Continue reading Parent Roadmaps to Help Your Child Succeed
5 Tricks to Keep Your Child Healthy This Winter
We’re right in the middle of cold and flu season, and that means your little (and not so little) bundles of joy are often bundles of germs as well. Great Schools recently published an article with five tricks to keep your child healthy during cold and flu season. Wash your hands. An estimated 80 percent … Continue reading 5 Tricks to Keep Your Child Healthy This Winter
Illinois PTA and Illinois State Board of Education Launch PARCC Primer Event
This spring, Illinois students in the third through eighth grade and some high school students will take the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessments that are replacing the ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) tests. Illinois PTA has partnered with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to help educate families … Continue reading Illinois PTA and Illinois State Board of Education Launch PARCC Primer Event
Speaking Up for Children—Juvenile Justice
Illinois PTA has teamed up with Juvenile Justice Initiative and several other associations to share our positions on Juvenile Justice with Governor Bruce Rauner. Through a recently sent letter, we have encouraged the governor to support: The expansion of Redeploy Illinois, an effective community-based alternative to incarceration. Returning to the judiciary the authority to make … Continue reading Speaking Up for Children—Juvenile Justice
The Nominating Committee—Getting Your PTA Ready for Next Year
The school year is about half over, and there a many things your PTA still has planned for the remainder of the year, but now is also the time to start the process of finding new leaders for your PTA for next year. That process begins with the nominating committee. PTAs generally elect their officers … Continue reading The Nominating Committee—Getting Your PTA Ready for Next Year
Great Resources to Plan a Take Your Family to School Week Celebration February 17-21
In an effort to expand and enhance family engagement in education, PTAs and schools across the country will be hosting a variety of events from February 17 through 21 as part of PTA Take Your Family to School Week. The weeklong initiative is designed to spotlight the importance of family-school partnerships, and this year incorporates … Continue reading Great Resources to Plan a Take Your Family to School Week Celebration February 17-21
Plan Now to Celebrate PTA Founders’ Day
Alice McLellan Birney aspired to create a better world for children at a time when many of them left school early in their teenage years to begin working in factories. Alice found someone who shared her vision in Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and on February 17, 1897 they began to implement that vision with the first … Continue reading Plan Now to Celebrate PTA Founders’ Day
New Illinois E-Cigarette Law to Protect Children
Illinois PTA has covered the dangers of e-cigarettes for children, and beginning January 1, 2015, there is a new law in Illinois to help protect children from accessing e-cigarettes. The new law requires e-cigarettes for sale to be behind the counter or in a sealed display case to keep them out of the hands of … Continue reading New Illinois E-Cigarette Law to Protect Children
Illinois PTA Supports Vision 20/20
A coalition of six statewide education organizations have joined forces behind Vision 20/20, including the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), the Illinois Principals Association (IPA), the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO), the Superintendents’ Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity (SCSDD), and the Illinois … Continue reading Illinois PTA Supports Vision 20/20
Carrie Busey PTA Gives Families in Need a Helping Hand
Carrie Busey Elementary in Champaign is like many Illinois schools, with about half of the student population classified as low-income. PTA volunteer Heather Schultz knew there were unmet needs at the school, but like many parents she didn’t know what she could do to help. A conversation with a relative from another state about a program … Continue reading Carrie Busey PTA Gives Families in Need a Helping Hand
E-Cigarettes and Children: Is “Vaping” Safer than Smoking?
Here’s a statistic that will surprise you—in the United States, the use of e-cigarettes has increased in adolescents in grades 6-12 over the past several years, doubling from 3.3% in 2011 to 6.8% in 2012. Those that used both e-cigs and conventional cigarettes doubled as well from 0.8% to 1.6%. Approximately 1.8 million US students … Continue reading E-Cigarettes and Children: Is “Vaping” Safer than Smoking?
Teach Your Children to Live Financially Smart Lives with Money As You Grow
Many children will be receiving cash and gift cards this holiday season. As parents, we know how this windfall often ends up—spent on toys that are played with once before gathering dust or frittered away a little at a time on impulse purchases. The President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability has created a website called … Continue reading Teach Your Children to Live Financially Smart Lives with Money As You Grow
Keep “What’s Going Around” Away with Healthy Habits
With winter comes cold and flu season, and your child and their developing immune system often catches a case of “what’s going around” and brings it home. National PTA teamed up with the National Education Association and Lysol to create the Healthy Habits Program to help teach children the importance of hand washing as well … Continue reading Keep “What’s Going Around” Away with Healthy Habits
Navigate the Financial Aid Wilderness with This Federal Infographic
If you’ve got a high school senior in your house, your family is likely deep in the college application process and wondering how to pay for it all as well. Navigating the various types of student loans and other financial aid can be confusing, especially if you’re going through it for the first time. The … Continue reading Navigate the Financial Aid Wilderness with This Federal Infographic
Great Kids Video Series Details Your Child’s Educational Milestones
When our children are little, we anticipate and celebrate every milestone—sitting up, first words, walking, and more. When they get into school, meeting their education milestones are just as important, but we often don’t know what those milestones are or what they look like. Great Kids has come to the rescue with a series of … Continue reading Great Kids Video Series Details Your Child’s Educational Milestones
Help Your Child Avoid the Ten Rules of Bad Studying
As the school semester begins to wind down, many students will be studying and taking semester exams. The Coursera Blog has posted a list of ten rules of bad studying—common studying methods that just don’t work. Be sure to take the time to share these time-wasting studying techniques with your student so they can get … Continue reading Help Your Child Avoid the Ten Rules of Bad Studying
The Illinois Fire Prevention Association, in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association and the US Fire Administration, is alerting consumers to fire safety issues for the winter months. The Put a Freeze on Winter Fires campaign features several free information sheets, including: Thanksgiving Safety Ten Tips to Get Ahead of the Winter Freeze Cooking … Continue reading
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