Illinois PTA has a long history of advocacy success, and one of the biggest successes in recent years—testing school drinking water for lead—just had a follow-up article in the Chicago Tribune (Note: The Tribune has lowered its paywall for this article) along with a tool to see the results of your school district’s lead testing. … Continue reading Advocacy, Legislation, and Results: Lead in School Drinking Water
Go Beyond Grades this Summer
Our friends at Learning Heroes have just launched Go Beyond Grades, a program aimed at helping families support summer learning. Go Beyond Grades is a national campaign with a focus on six cities across the country, including Chicago. As with almost all Learning Heroes resources, the materials are available in Spanish as well. Go Beyond … Continue reading Go Beyond Grades this Summer
6 Keys to Running a Successful PTA Election
In January, we discussed the five keys to running a successful nominating committee. Now, as your school year nears the end, here are six keys to running a successful PTA election. Your election must be held at a general membership meeting. Much of the day-to-day running of a PTA can be handled by your PTA … Continue reading 6 Keys to Running a Successful PTA Election
Tweaking Your PTA’s Course in the New Year
New Year’s is a time of fresh starts for a lot of people, but for PTAs, it’s the middle of the year. Your PTA doesn’t need a fresh start, but perhaps you could use a few minor “course corrections.” Here are three such changes your PTA should be considering now. Membership Your PTA got off … Continue reading Tweaking Your PTA’s Course in the New Year
Elections—A Guide for PTAs
Local elections are coming up on April 6, 2021, and it is these elections, often featuring school board races and school funding referenda, that PTAs and their members are most often involved with. Because PTAs are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, the IRS sets specific limits on what PTAs can and can’t do regarding elections. Failure to … Continue reading Elections—A Guide for PTAs
Online Learning and Mental Health
One of the things that stood out from the Illinois PTA-Advance Illinois Town Hall was the struggles families are facing around remote learning. Many parents reported that their children have not wanted to get on Zoom calls, turn on their video during class, or otherwise engage with their teacher and classmates. The sudden shift to … Continue reading Online Learning and Mental Health
NO SMALL MATTER – High quality education for all isn’t just powerful — it’s possible!
The League of Women Voters of the Palatine area, in partnership with the Illinois PTA and the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) hosted a showing of the powerful documentary No Small Matter. An in-depth look at the value of high-quality early childhood programs, No Small Matter presented compelling evidence on the difference high-quality programs … Continue reading NO SMALL MATTER – High quality education for all isn’t just powerful — it’s possible!
Human Trafficking: A Primer for PTAs
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. While you may not think that human trafficking is an issue in your community—a 2017 poll in Illinois indicated more than half disagreed that it was happening in their area—in fact, Illinois ranks 11th in the nation in the number of cases of human trafficking. What … Continue reading Human Trafficking: A Primer for PTAs
5 Tips to Get Your Volunteers to Follow Through
Running a PTA is not an easy job, and managing your volunteers effectively is one of the hardest parts. As a PTA leader, you can do everything you can to make your volunteering for your PTA a pleasant experienceand thank your volunteerswhen they’re done, and still sometimes struggle with that volunteer who doesn’t get the … Continue reading 5 Tips to Get Your Volunteers to Follow Through
10 Things to Know When Talking About Sex with Your Child
It’s one of those parental responsibilities that many parents dread. It even has a singular name: The Talk. Mark Merrill, founder of iMom and All-Pro Dad, has ten things parents should keep in mind when talking to their child about sex. These touchpoints may help make the process go a little more smoothly. Fight the … Continue reading 10 Things to Know When Talking About Sex with Your Child
Aligning National PTA and Illinois PTA Legislative Priorities: School Meals
As the number of students qualifying for free and reduced school meal programs increases, and the obesity epidemic spirals ever onward, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHKFA) takes on increased interest for PTAs as the act seeks to improve nutritional standards and access to nutritious meals for students. The National PTA calls for the reauthorized … Continue reading Aligning National PTA and Illinois PTA Legislative Priorities: School Meals
Tell Your Legislators to Override the SB1 Veto Today to Keep Our Schools Open
Today, Governor Rauner vetoed part of Senate Bill 1 (SB1), which would have fixed Illinois’s inequitable school funding formula. Key elements of Illinois PTA’s support of SB1 are that no school district receives less funding and that all school districts are treated in the same manner regarding current (but not legacy) pension costs. The governor’s … Continue reading Tell Your Legislators to Override the SB1 Veto Today to Keep Our Schools Open
Protecting Your Kids from the Sun
Summer means spending more time outside, and with that comes an increased risk of sunburns. For children, sunburns significantly increase the risk of melanoma (skin cancer) according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Even one blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence can nearly double a person’s chance of developing melanoma. Skin cancer is the most … Continue reading Protecting Your Kids from the Sun
President’s Corner
As the year continues, I know everyone is really busy with this year’s school activities. The Illinois PTA has worked with the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative for many years and I would like to encourage you to have your children write about their favorite Male role model. All children from grades K-12 can now enter this awesome … Continue reading President’s Corner
President’s Corner
Greetings, With Thanksgiving behind us I hope you all had a chance to share some family time and are able to plan for the upcoming Holidays, which are right around the corner. Even though we all would like to take a time out, there are many things happening across the state that I would like … Continue reading President’s Corner
President’s Corner
Greetings, First and foremost, I wanted to make sure I wish all of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving. This is a time where I feel reflection is really important. Reflection on our country's history, on our elders, past generation's challenges, and what their triumphs were. Together we make a better future for our families … Continue reading President’s Corner
President’s Corner
Greetings, I hope all of you were able to join us in Decatur, IL at Millikin University last Saturday for our 3rd Spotlight event. For those who couldn’t we had over 350 families registered for the amazing celebration of the arts. Not only is it a chance to celebrate all of the creativity expressed by … Continue reading President’s Corner
Busting 7 Common “I Can’t Volunteer” Myths
We’ve talked about valuing your volunteers as a PTA leader, but how do you get people to volunteer in the first place? There are all sorts of tips out there on volunteering like breaking jobs down into bite-sized pieces or attaching how much time commitment is required for each volunteer opportunity, but those ideas still … Continue reading Busting 7 Common “I Can’t Volunteer” Myths
News from National Convention-Future Ready Schools
If you search for a picture of a classroom from 1915 or even 1890, chances are it looks a lot like your child’s classroom today. There are children at desks facing forward with the teacher at the front of the classroom providing information to the students. Perhaps there is a Smart Board at the front … Continue reading News from National Convention-Future Ready Schools
Helping Your Child with Test-Taking
The US Department of Education has a wealth of information on helping your child succeed in school. As students head towards the end of the school year, tests and final exams will begin to loom large. Here is a list of things you can do to help your child with taking tests. You can be … Continue reading Helping Your Child with Test-Taking
One Voice Illinois 