One of the great benefits of being a PTA is that National PTA offers a large number of grants on a variety of topics. This year, National PTA is offering over $1 million in total funding, with awards ranging from $1,250 to $10,000, including: PTA Connected: Build Up and Belong – $2,000 to 20 PTAs (high school focus, … Continue reading Don’t Miss Out on the Fall Grant Opportunities!
Starting a Special Education PTA (SEPTA)
In our schools, special education programs are designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities and ensure their inclusion in the school community. Similarly, a Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is a PTA organized to support the needs of families with special needs students, whether those needs are academic support and accommodation or gifted … Continue reading Starting a Special Education PTA (SEPTA)
Sign Up Now for School of Excellence
How is your PTA doing? Awash in volunteers? Families eagerly joining your PTA and appreciating all you do? Moving PTA meetings to bigger rooms to accommodate the crowd? If not, the National PTA School of Excellence program could help improve your PTA’s performance with volunteers and family engagement. And if your PTA is already checking … Continue reading Sign Up Now for School of Excellence
Your Guide to Transforming Literacy in Illinois
Last year, Illinois passed a law requiring the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to develop a comprehensive state literacy plan. The plan was developed through the summer and fall of last year before being adopted in January. ISBE now has resources available to help you and your PTA or PTA Council both understand and … Continue reading Your Guide to Transforming Literacy in Illinois
Accommodating Special Needs at Your PTA Events
We’ve often said that one of the best things about being a PTA versus other parent organizations is that you are never alone in this. Not only do you have resources from Illinois PTA and National PTA, but other state PTAs as well. Late last year, we published an article on ways your PTA could … Continue reading Accommodating Special Needs at Your PTA Events
New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
We’ve highlighted the programs in PTA Connected from National PTA before. Now, in partnership with AT&T, National PTA has a new PTA Connected program called Ready, Tech, Go! The program is aimed at families trying to decide when their child is ready for technology of their own, known as screen readiness. As with all the … Continue reading New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
March is National Reading Month
March is National Reading Month in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd. Reading is the foundation of student success, and developing a love of reading can unlock a world of adventures to last a lifetime. Your PTA can help families support children’s literacy and love of reading by hosting a Family Reading Experience … Continue reading March is National Reading Month
National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships Video Series
National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships are the basis for effective family engagement. And effective family engagement is critical to student success, as a recent study demonstrated that schools with better family engagement practices had students that did better after returning to school from remote learning during the pandemic. National PTA has recently released a … Continue reading National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships Video Series
Family Engagement and the Pandemic
As PTAs, family engagement is fundamental. Recent research from our friends at Learning Heroes uncovered yet another way that family engagement has made a difference in student success. Data has shown that the disruptions to schools from the pandemic had an effect on student performance. The study, the first of three on the topic, looks … Continue reading Family Engagement and the Pandemic
Time for Take Your Family to School Week
National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week is February 11-17, 2024. The week celebrates the founding of PTA on February 17, 1987 and is designed to engage families in their children’s schools and build partnerships with teachers and administrators. The time to start planning how your PTA will celebrate Take Your Family to School … Continue reading Time for Take Your Family to School Week
Learning New Ways to PTA
National PTA has been using PTA as a verb for a couple of years now, emphasizing the idea that PTA is taking action for your child’s and every child’s success. National PTA has also been sharing reports on how grant recipients and other PTAs have been implementing the PTA mission through programs and other activities. … Continue reading Learning New Ways to PTA
Embracing Inclusivity and Diversification: 7 Ways to Foster a Welcoming Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time for joy, unity, and celebration. As PTA members, we have the opportunity to make this festive season contain monumental joy by promoting inclusivity and diversification within our events, and creating opportunities for representation. Let's explore ways to embrace the richness of our differences and create a holiday season that … Continue reading Embracing Inclusivity and Diversification: 7 Ways to Foster a Welcoming Holiday Season
Integrating Membership into your PTA Programming: Reflections
It’s Reflections season with art projects & entries being turned in. Students and families are excited at the ability to create projects in the 6 art categories and share their talents and creativity! Did your PTA sponsor the Reflections Art Program at your school? Have you ever thought of integrating your Membership campaign with those … Continue reading Integrating Membership into your PTA Programming: Reflections
School of Excellence Recognizes 9 PTAs for 2022-2024
National PTA’s School of Excellence program is designed to build strong partnerships between families and schools and create meaningful family engagement. This year, National PTA has recognized nine Illinois PTAs as Schools of Excellence for the 2022-2024 period, with Twin Echo Elementary PTA in Collinsville earning the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit … Continue reading School of Excellence Recognizes 9 PTAs for 2022-2024
Engaging Immigrant Families
Family engagement is critical to student success, and PTA has emphasized this for decades. With one in ten public school students being English language learners, engaging with immigrant families is becoming a growing challenge for PTAs and schools. The Carnegie Corporation of New York recently released a report, Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families … Continue reading Engaging Immigrant Families
Get Ready for Mental Health Month 2023
May is Mental Health Month, and once again the folks at Mental Health America have created a free Mental Health Month Toolkit that your PTA can use to raise awareness of mental health issues. This year’s toolkit, called Look Around, Look Within, is focused on how our surroundings affect our mental health. Topics addressed include … Continue reading Get Ready for Mental Health Month 2023
Plan Now for Screen-Free Week 2023
Screen-Free Week this year is May 1-7, 2023. The week is planned to give children and families time to do things together, play, go outside, and engage in other activities rather than staring at a screen. Your PTA can offer programs during Screen-Free Week to give families an activity-filled night during the week. The Screen-Free … Continue reading Plan Now for Screen-Free Week 2023
Take Your Family to School Week 2023
National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week is designed to help families become more engaged in their child’s education and foster connections between families, teachers, and administrators. Take Your Family to School Week is held the week of PTA’s founding on February 17, 1897. This year, Take Your Family to School Week will be … Continue reading Take Your Family to School Week 2023
Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
Last week, our country celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amid all the social media posts mentioning the I Have a Dream speech and sharing other memorable quotes, we can lose sight of the challenge Dr. King put before everyone to do the hard work for peace and justice every day, … Continue reading Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
Improve Your PTA’s Family Engagement in the New Year
Family engagement is critical to student success, and it plays a big role in your PTA’s success as well. National PTA has rolled out several new resources to help your PTA step up its family engagement efforts. National PTA recently released the latest update of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Accompanying the release was … Continue reading Improve Your PTA’s Family Engagement in the New Year
One Voice Illinois 