Education Programs

Preschool

Provide information to parents about Even Start (Granite School District), UPSTART, Head Start, or other quality preschool programs.
Make information available on what constitutes a quality preschool and list preschools in your locale.

Assisting Student Success in All Grades

Give ideas in the PTA newsletter on things a family can do to promote curiosity, a desire to read, participation in the arts, math exploration, and other learning experiences.
Raise awareness about the new State Standards for Math and English Language Arts. Teach parents about how they can prepare their children to meet the new standards and succeed in school.
Have a learning fair and challenge the students and parents to solve a problem, create art, write and perform a short play, demonstrate science principles, etc.

Special Needs Students

Form support groups or provide information on support groups that focus on exceptional children or other sub-groups.
Encourage peer programs in the Resource/Special Education classes.
Sponsor disability awareness programs in the school and invite parents of children with disabilities to assist with such programs.
Sponsor a fair or program to promote cultural awareness.
Provide information to parents about Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act so they can be effective advocates for their child.
Provide information about the Utah Parent Center which helps parents with IEPs (Individual Education Plan for students with special needs), and 504 plans for special accommodations.
Sponsor a CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders) educator membership, enabling the school to receive National CHADD publications (magazine and newsletter) for the school library and local CHADD lending library privileges.
Invite a CHADD of Utah representative to present a teacher in-service or parent presentation.
Cooperate with the school in purchasing books and DVDs for a school resource library about disabilities and special needs for educators, parents, and students.
Provide information to parents about dyslexia and the needs of children with dyslexia.

Civics Education

Combine patriotic celebrations with an educational program at the school.
Invite legislators, city official, school board members, or state school board representatives to school events and introduce them to the students.
Sponsor a fair or program to promote cultural awareness.
Encourage the school and district to donate old textbooks to groups in the community or a foreign country.

Character Education (in partnership with the Individual Development Commissioner)

Sponsor opportunities in which student talents can be developed and/or displayed.
Help parents understand how important it is for students to be in school—good school attendance affects students academically as well as emotionally and socially.
Publish newsletter articles for parents with ideas to help encourage better attendance at school.
Sponsor school-wide programs designed to reduce absenteeism and truancy.
Plan a meeting for parents about the attendance and citizenship policies.
Communicate the concepts of the selected Character Education curriculum to parents.
Promote the characteristics of good citizenship through assemblies and motivational speakers.
Sponsor a program that encourages the character traits of good citizenship.

STEM Education (acronym used to refer to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Invite science presentations from higher education institutions such as your local community college or university. Contact the institution’s department office and ask about community outreach.
Encourage student participation in technology and science competitions.
Organize an Engineering Fair at your school (5th - 12th grade). Planning guidelines can be found at utahpta.org/stem-education.
Check out the STEM education page of the Education Commission website for additional ideas (utahpta.org/stem-education). Some Mathnasiums offer free math nights for your schools.

Library Media Centers

Sponsor classes at the school for parents and students on the computers at the school.
Hold an open house at the school library media center to demonstrate available services and resources.
Partner with the media specialist to recruit volunteers for the library media center.
Obtain fliers on Pioneer, Utah’s online library, and the Utah Education Network and make them available to parents at Back-to-School Night, parent-teacher conferences, or college and career readiness conferences.

College and Career Education (secondary schools)

Facilitate student participation in work-based learning opportunities.
Invite school counselors to explain options and programs available to students who do not graduate.
Sponsor an evening for high school parents on options for post-secondary education.
Share information about Utah’s Statewide Online Education Program; see schools.utah.gov/edonline.
Assist schools in identifying representatives from all types of careers and training for classroom presentations or school-wide career fairs.
Arrange a tour for parents and students of the local Applied Technology College or Applied Technology Center Service Region facilities in your area.
Invite representatives from local ATCs and other career training centers in your district to share information at a parent/student night.
Recognize students with CTE (Career Technology Education) Skill Certification.
Encourage student involvement with pre-professional organizations available for membership at the secondary schools.

Counseling

Conduct workshops or provide information to parents on how to participate in College and Career Readiness Plan conferences.
Inform parents of the value of qualified counselors and their role in guiding students.
Sponsor an evening with the school counselors to present the resources they have available in the Guidance Counseling Center.

Assisting Teachers and Administrators

Encourage the administration to provide quality professional development training for the faculty.
Find out if teachers have a need for parents to help with service-learning projects and match interested parents with the projects.

National PTA Programs

The following are registered PTA programs. Information about them can be found at the National PTA website (pta.org). Enter the name of the program in the search window.

Take Your Family to School Week is scheduled in mid-February. National PTA provides many resources to help you plan a successful week of events, including video training sessions. Watch also for announcement of grants to help cover the costs of your events.
National PTA School of Excellence program is to help PTAs strengthen the family-school partnership and make measurable progress together in one of the three areas: Education, Health and Safety, and Arts and Cultural Exploration. At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement. Enrollment for the school year begins in April of the previous year. Contact excellence@pta.org for more information.
The PTA Family Reading Experience, powered by Kindle, includes a set of free activities and tools in English and Spanish to organize events that engage the entire family in improving reading skills for students between kindergarten and fifth grade. Check out their ideas, promotional tools, and story contests to receive digital reading devices for your school. Additional resources are found at the bottom of the Family Reading Experience page.

Other Education Related Programs

Teacher Appreciation Week is usually observed during the first full week of May but, of course, you can schedule events to celebrate teachers at any time of the year.

Many schools have traditions for teacher appreciation and they may be well-loved and worthwhile. Evaluate the benefit/effort ratio. If the efforts to decorate doors gives the teachers little return, perhaps it is time to rethink the tradition. Take time to discuss with teachers and parents what would really send a message of appreciation; for example, volunteer classroom help, a fruit basket, or a masseuse in the break room.