Advocacy, Legislation, and Results: Lead in School Drinking Water

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

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

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

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

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