You have probably heard that you should be helping your child learn math at home through everyday activities. But perhaps you have been reluctant to do so, either because you didn’t know where to begin, you find the new math curriculum is confusing, or you have always thought that you were “bad at math.” For … Continue reading Help for Parents Supporting Their Child’s Math Skills
Getting to Know Your Child’s PE Program
Physical Education (PE) at school can help children build lifelong healthy habits to exercise. Illinois was the first state to mandate daily Physical Education (PE) with at least 100 minutes per week, and in 2015, Illinois adopted Enhanced PE standards. But in 2018 that requirement was cut to three days with no minimum time requirement. … Continue reading Getting to Know Your Child’s PE Program
KIDS Can Help You Support Your Kindergartener
Every year, about 150,000 Illinois five-year-olds have their first day of kindergarten. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has recently begun measuring kindergarten readiness as a way to improve this critical first year of school. The measure, known as Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS), uses teacher observation of daily classroom activities like playing, working, … Continue reading KIDS Can Help You Support Your Kindergartener
Celebrating Our 2019-2021 Schools of Excellence
National PTA recently announced the 2019-2021 Schools of Excellence, and Illinois PTA is proud to congratulate our record number of schools being recognized. The 11 schools are: Frederick Douglass PTSA, Chicago George W. Lieb PTA, Inc, Bridgeview Glacier Ridge PTA, Crystal Lake Granger Middle School PTA, Aurora Greenbrier Elementary PTA, Arlington Heights Homewood PTA, Homewood … Continue reading Celebrating Our 2019-2021 Schools of Excellence
News from National Convention—Engaging Hispanic/Latino Families
National PTA ran the Hispanic/Latino Outreach Initiative from June 2018 to May 2019 in ten states to develop ways for PTAs to connect and engage with Hispanic/Latino families. The results of the initiative will be packaged in a toolkit for PTAs to use that will be released in early 2020. At the 2019 National PTA … Continue reading News from National Convention—Engaging Hispanic/Latino Families
Host a Summer Learning Listening Session
Summertime, and school’s out, so you may not be thinking about having your PTA host an event. And while school may be out, the summer also provides a unique opportunity to reach out to families that haven’t been involved with PTA or new families coming to your school and show them what PTA is all … Continue reading Host a Summer Learning Listening Session
Summer Food Programs Help Fight Child Hunger
As school lets out for the summer, families’ thoughts turn to vacations, outdoor activities, and picnics, but for some, there is also thoughts of how to feed their family. For those families taking part in the free and reduced lunch program, the end of the school year means the end of the ten meals per … Continue reading Summer Food Programs Help Fight Child Hunger
UNCF Report Highlights Program Opportunities for PTAs
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) released a report detailing the results of conversations with low-income African-American students from across the country about their perceptions of their schools. That report, A Seat at the Table: African American Youth’s Perceptions of K-12 Education, presents compelling information on how PTAs can help support student success not just … Continue reading UNCF Report Highlights Program Opportunities for PTAs
School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
Do you know if your school district has a school wellness policy, and if so, what’s in it and what the district is doing to implement it? If your district participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, they are required to develop such a plan and to permit parents to participate in … Continue reading School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
Make Your School a Healthy One with Game On
Action for Healthy Kids, who will be presenting at the 2019 Illinois PTA Convention, has created a flexible online program to helps schools become healthier environments for students, staff, and the communities they serve. The free Game On program focuses on both eating better and moving more. An online guide walks you through how to … Continue reading Make Your School a Healthy One with Game On
Creating a Social Justice Reading Group for Children and Their Families
Seeing an increase in intolerance shortly after the 2016 election, National Education Policy Center(NEPC) director Kevin Welner and associate director Michelle Renée Valladares were discussing how to address the issue with their young children. They decided to collaborate other parents and their children to create an intergenerational social justice reading group. The aim was to … Continue reading Creating a Social Justice Reading Group for Children and Their Families
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
Children’s success in school isn’t limited to just academics. PTA has known this since our founding, focusing our advocacy efforts not just on children’s needs at school, but at home and in their community as well. Now, the education and public health sectors are aiming to better align their efforts to improve each child’s cognitive, … Continue reading Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
Time to Plan for Take Your Family to School Week
PTA celebrates Founder’s Day on February 17theach year, and the week that includes that date is Take Your Family to School Week. National PTA has created a toolkit to help you plan your celebration for February 10-17, 2019. The toolkit walks you through the planning process and provides you with ready-to-use promotional materials. There are … Continue reading Time to Plan for Take Your Family to School Week
New Report Digs Into the Causes of the Disconnect Between How Families Think Their Child is Achieving and How the Child is Actually Achieving
Last year, Learning Heroes released the results of their parent survey that showed that nearly 90% of parents regardless of race, income, geography, and income levels believe that their child is working at or above their grade level. Yet national data shows that only about one-third of students are actually performing that well. This year, … Continue reading New Report Digs Into the Causes of the Disconnect Between How Families Think Their Child is Achieving and How the Child is Actually Achieving
7 Tips for Effective PTA Social Media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools a PTA can use to spread its message, but only if it is used effectively. Creating an effective social media presence for your PTA can help you gain members, recruit volunteers, and promote your PTA to potential partners and sponsors. Here are 7 tips to help … Continue reading 7 Tips for Effective PTA Social Media
Building Real Family Engagement with Your PTA Events
PTAs tend to do a lot of events. From carnivals and fun fairs to class parties to PTA programs like Reflections, PTAs know how to provide fun and engaging activities for families. And while this type of family engagement does a good job of getting families through the school doors, PTAs could do better at … Continue reading Building Real Family Engagement with Your PTA Events
Every Student Counts, Every Day Matters
Eighty percent of success is showing up. Nowhere is that more true than for our kids in school. Chronic absenteeism—missing at least 10% of the school days in a year for any reason, excused or unexcused—is a primary cause of low academic achievement and a powerful predictor of those students who may eventually drop out. … Continue reading Every Student Counts, Every Day Matters
Supporting Your Teen at School
Your child spends almost one-third of their day at school, which makes it an important influence on their life. In the teen years, that influence likely grows as their friends opinions begin to play a more central role in their lives. One of the most powerful indicators of teenagers’ success in school is their connection … Continue reading Supporting Your Teen at School
Local Unit Spotlight: STEPS PTSA Takes On The World!
Today's post kicks off a new series highlighting the good things that our local PTAs and Councils are doing. If your PTA or Council would like to brag a bit about what they are doing, send a short write-up to your District or Region Director, noting that it's for One Voice Illinois. Don't forget to … Continue reading Local Unit Spotlight: STEPS PTSA Takes On The World!
PTA Celebrates Back-to-School Week September 17-21
Next week, PTAs across the country will celebrate National PTA Back-to-School Week. Each day of Back-to-School Week will highlight and provide tips and resources for the people who support our children’s learning and success. Monday, September 17: PTA Leaders Tuesday, September 18: Parents Wednesday, September 19: Students Thursday, September 20: Teachers Friday, September 21: Office … Continue reading PTA Celebrates Back-to-School Week September 17-21
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