Our summer schedules tend to be more relaxed, with vacations, events, and evening activities changing our regular family habits. As back-to-school time approaches, here are things your family can do to get ready for the tighter schedules we tend to have during the school year. Reestablish a regular bedtime routine. Over the summer, it’s easy … Continue reading 8 Things to Do to Get Back in the School Routine
Inexpensive Ways for Dads to Build Lasting Memories with Their Kids
Fathers and father figures play an important role in helping children grow, as Illinois Fatherhood Initiative founder David Hirsch noted in his TEDx talk. Children with engaged fathers develop: Better friendships Fewer behavior problems Better results at school Higher self-esteem and life-satisfaction Lower chances of becoming criminals or abusing drugs More satisfying adult relationships But … Continue reading Inexpensive Ways for Dads to Build Lasting Memories with Their Kids
News from National Convention—Plan Your PTA Year with National PTA Programs
One of the major benefits of having a PTA is being able to take advantage of National PTA’s numerous free turn-key programs. A workshop at the 2016 National PTA Convention spelled out how PTA leaders can plan their entire PTA year using these programs. By taking advantage of these programs, PTAs can easily and effectively: … Continue reading News from National Convention—Plan Your PTA Year with National PTA Programs
News from National Convention—STEM + Families Initiative
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers are in the news a lot these days, and with good reason. STEM jobs will grow 17% by 2018, and over the next ten years, STEM job opportunities will grow 55% faster than non-STEM jobs. Despite this growth, the US is likely to see 2.4 million STEM jobs … Continue reading News from National Convention—STEM + Families Initiative
News from National Convention—Partnering with Educators and School Administrators
One critical component of running a successful PTA is working well with the teachers and administrators in your school building. A workshop at the 2016 National PTA Convention in Orlando focused on what those teachers and administrators want when working with their PTA. The panel discussion was moderated by Deb Strauss, National PTA Vice President … Continue reading News from National Convention—Partnering with Educators and School Administrators
News from National Convention—The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law, a significant change in how federal, state, and local governments will guide your child’s education for the next decade or more. While you can read the full 449 pages of the bill, a workshop at the 2016 National PTA Convention … Continue reading News from National Convention—The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
How High-Poverty Schools Can Engage Families
Academic achievement is often correlated with students’ socio-economic status—students from wealthier families tend to do better. But there is an increasing amount of research that shows that high-poverty schools can have students who achieve at the same level as their wealthier counterparts. The key is family engagement. High-poverty schools have additional hurdles to overcome when … Continue reading How High-Poverty Schools Can Engage Families
10 Great Ways to Get More PTA Volunteers
PTA is the largest volunteer organization in the world focused on the welfare of children. From the person sitting at a registration table at open house on up to the National PTA president, almost all of the work done by PTA is done by volunteers. Here are XX ways your PTA can get more volunteers. … Continue reading 10 Great Ways to Get More PTA Volunteers
Create a Welcome Packet to Bring New Families into Your PTA
As the school year comes to a close, many PTA leaders look forward to an opportunity to put their feet up and relax until school starts in the fall. However, there is one thing that PTA leaders should be planning now to make their PTA more successful in the coming year—planning on how to welcome … Continue reading Create a Welcome Packet to Bring New Families into Your PTA
Recognize Your PTA Volunteers to Keep Them Coming Back
One of the most important ways a PTA can get the most from its volunteers is to acknowledge their efforts. Perhaps your school had a volunteer recognition event back in April during National Volunteer Week. As your PTA year wraps up, be sure to thank your volunteers both publicly and privately for their work, and … Continue reading Recognize Your PTA Volunteers to Keep Them Coming Back
PTA SPOTLIGHT 2016: An Amazing Day of Art and Celebration
What an amazing day was had by all at this year’s SPOTLIGHT: A Children’s Celebration of Art and Community held at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. This year, 298 participants viewed the galleries, participated in workshops, and celebrated our children, a 39% increase over last year’s attendance. While the weather outside was gloomy, smiles brightened … Continue reading PTA SPOTLIGHT 2016: An Amazing Day of Art and Celebration
New Readiness Roadmap Helps You Pave Your Child’s Path Forward
A new Readiness Roadmap from Be a Learning Hero in partnership with National PTA, Univision, Great Schools, Scholastic, Common Sense Media, and other organizations helps parents navigate the sometimes confusing path from childhood to adulthood. The roadmap is based on the Parents 2016 survey that identified the key things that families want and need to … Continue reading New Readiness Roadmap Helps You Pave Your Child’s Path Forward
News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Membership Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement
Illinois PTA understands there are challenges to PTAs in recruiting and retaining members. We believe we can best address these challenges by communicating with you, the local unit members, in finding out what works for your PTA and what doesn’t. Through online conference events and convention networking workshops, we have discovered some of the challenges … Continue reading News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Membership Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement
News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Leadership
At the 114th Annual Illinois PTA Convention, National PTA Executive Director Nathan R. Monell gave a presentation on Tomorrow’s Leaders: Attract, Develop, and Orient Leaders through Transition that focused on an issue that every PTA faces—recruiting and developing new leaders. He began his presentation with the PTA mission: To make every child’s potential a reality … Continue reading News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Leadership
Effective PTA Communications
We live in a media-rich environment with smartphones and the internet providing information in an almost constant stream. PTAs used to be able to send home a newsletter with a brightly-colored front page and know that families would see it, but the “Backpack Express” is much less effective these days. So how can your PTA’s … Continue reading Effective PTA Communications
On My Way to Parent-Teacher Conferences: Recalculating
Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up for many schools. Judy Hutchinson is a Family Consumer Specialist with the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Mental Health (DMH) Child & Adolescent Services who has been a guest blogger for One Voice Illinois before. Today she shares a personal tale about the importance of parents and … Continue reading On My Way to Parent-Teacher Conferences: Recalculating
Take Your Family to School Week—February 15-19, 2016
PTAs across the country celebrate Founders’ Day, February 17th, in recognition of the legacy and work of Alice McLellan Birney, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and Selena Sloan Butler to improve the lives of children. As part of this celebration, National PTA has designated the week that includes Founders’ Day Take Your Family to School Week. Family … Continue reading Take Your Family to School Week—February 15-19, 2016
Destination: Family-Driven Care
Today we feature a guest blog post from the Family Consumer Specialists of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Mental Health (DMH) Child & Adolescent Services, on family-driven care. At the end of the article is a list of Parent Empowerment Calls offered free to all parents in Illinois who have a … Continue reading Destination: Family-Driven Care
Kick off the New Year with The Smart Talk and Win a Summer Vacation to Disney World!
There’s nothing more thrilling than receiving your first smartphone! With so many kids receiving smartphones and tablets for holiday presents, it’s especially timely for parents to sit down with their kids and set some smart ground rules for technology use. What are they allowed to post on social media? What should their privacy settings be … Continue reading Kick off the New Year with The Smart Talk and Win a Summer Vacation to Disney World!
PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
Yesterday, a U.S. Senate and House of Representatives conference committee released the final text of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB), the primary law governing the federal role in K-12 education. The bill will now be considered by all members of … Continue reading PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
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