Place the bulletin board in a location where parents frequently wait. Outside the classroom, in the hallway, outside the school or in the school office are great locations. Parents often spend some time in these areas standing around waiting for the kids to come out of school, looking for something to read or entertain themselves with while they wait.
Label the bulletin board clearly. Put a large title on it or above it indicating it is "For Parents." Properly labeling the board will help create interest and curiosity from parents. Parents will want to read the content because it appears relevant.
Organize the bulletin board. No clutter, no outdated content and no lengthy content. Make sure content is relevant and to the point. Make the bulletin board functional by designing separate sections to categorize content. For example, clearly mark an area for "School News," "Community Events," "Enrichment Activities," "Just for Parents" and "Of National Interest." You can cut out the words from construction paper or print them out from the computer; staple or pin them to the bulletin board in the appropriate area.
Post information about parenting classes, call for parent volunteers or parental resources in the "Just for Parents" section. Post information about sports programs or drama clubs in the "Enrichment Activities" section.
Create an attractive board for parents. Think professional, not cute. Parents are a different audience than children and the bulletin board should cater to parental tastes, not attract children. Keep colors neutral, use standard font and only use artwork that is informative, not purely decorative. For example, to give the board a little color, staple 1-inch wide plain construction paper around the edges of the board as a border.
Add a section to the bulletin board where parents can interact or contribute. This can be a place where parents can post general questions or suggestions for the teacher. Or parents can post information for each other, such as organizing a carpool or announcing birthday parties. For example, staple the top of a large, open envelope to the board with a note telling parents to write their concerns on a piece of paper and drop it in the envelope for the teacher.
Ask parents frequently about how to improve the usefulness of the bulletin board. Their needs may change from time-to-time and so should the board. Consider taking head-shots of parents at the beginning of the school year (school orientation or ice cream social) and ask for permission to post them on the bulletin board so parents can learn to recognize each other. You can replace this section with something else once it no longer serves a purpose.
Post schedules and calendars on the bulletin board. These are generally easy to read and loaded with important information.