In a time of shrinking school budgets, parent volunteers often mean the difference between a school curriculum enriched with extra opportunities and a bare-bones program. Children learn to value education when they see parents giving time to schools.
When it comes to volunteering, however, parents aren't always sure where to begin. Perhaps you're a working parent who can't volunteer during the day, or you want to help, but you don't want to stuff folders or work as a crossing guard.
There's a place for every parent volunteer, regardless of your circumstances or abilities. Do some exploring to find your niche. Your child will thank you.
Don't be shy about sharing special talents. Perhaps you have computer skills or can sew costumes. Serving on a committee offers a good avenue for working parents because most committees meet in the evening. Offer to teach a craft, such as woodworking or pottery, or organize field trips and parties.
Ilene Wilson, of Grayling, Michigan, knew she wanted to be directly involved in working with the children. She loved literature and had a flair for drama.
“When my children went to elementary school, I was part of a 'Book Fairy' program which gave each child in our school a book to keep, once per month," she recalled. "I dressed up in a fairy costume when I gave away the books. That was about 10 years ago, and some of the kids still remember me because of that experience.”
Karen Bantuveris, founder and CEO of VolunteerSpot, recommends that those seeking an opportunity to volunteer in a school setting first take an honest look at their own skills and availability. VolunteerSpot is a free online service that allows volunteers and school administrators to quickly and easily coordinate and track volunteer assignments.
“If you have small children or an extra-busy life," Bantuveris said, "choose a volunteer job that happens once a term, like chaperoning a field trip, or helping with a festival or science day."
Other advice for potential volunteers includes:
Keep it simple. Parents get burned out when volunteering becomes cumbersome or tedious. Develop a simple way to communicate with fellow parents and teachers. Websites such as VolunteerSpot.com can simplify making assignments and maintaining a calendar.
Be sensitive to the teacher’s goals and schedule. You may have a great idea for a literacy activity, but you’ll likely meet with failure if you want to schedule it during math time or plan something that doesn’t fit the academic goals of the teacher.
Be reliable. Teachers make daily plans based on the help they’ll receive from volunteers. “Be there when you say you will. Ten minutes early is even better,” said parent volunteer Michele Samuels of Mill Valley, California.
Keep confidences and earn teachers’ trust. While working in classrooms, you may become privy to sensitive information about a child or family. Do not share this information with other parents. Doing so will hurt the family involved and make the teacher less likely to include you in classroom activities.
Clerical work may seem mundane, but any task you do frees up time for a teacher to provide instruction. If office work isn’t your cup of tea, consider other needs of the school and teachers. Think beyond the traditional roles parents play in schools and ask yourself what needs to be done. Perhaps the playground needs an overhaul or the art classroom is desperately in need of new supplies.
“Our school offers many creative ways for parents to meet service hours that go beyond crossing guards and stuffing folders,” said Jennifer Kettlewell, a parent volunteer at Caprock Academy, a charter school in Grand Junction, Colorado. Parents at the school are required to perform 70 hours of volunteer service annually.
"Parents pull weeds and dug lines for a sprinkler system," Kettlewell said. "Parents built and maintain the school’s website, coordinate book buying and book repair for the school library and even help with electrical and plumbing repairs."
Schools always are open to hearing new ideas for volunteering, said Patty Hanrahan, director of elementary education for Douglas County Schools in Colorado.
"Former first lady Laura Bush noticed that her child's MIdland, Texas, classroom was always messy," Hanrahan said. "Instead of judging the teacher, she realized that she could use her talents to organize the books (she was a librarian) and the classroom for the teacher. She offered and the teacher was thrilled. That way, the teacher's time could be spent focused on the children and the classroom could be user-friendly — a win-win for everyone."
Whether your child's school is top-notch or struggling, your contributions can pay huge dividends. Share a common vision with school administrators and teachers to make a real difference. If you notice that something needs improvement, speak up. Chances are teachers and administrators have noticed it but lack the resources or time to change it. Take a collaborative approach rather than assigning blame, and offer solutions rather than just identifying the problem.
Jacqueline Edelberg of Chicago faced a challenge that many parents experience when it was time to send her children to school. Her neighborhood school had a negative reputation and many parents opted to open-enroll their children in other public schools or pay for private schools.
Edelberg felt strongly that her children should be able to walk to a high-quality neighborhood school. She and a like-minded friend visited with the new principal, who asked them what it would take for them to enroll their children in her school. The women returned the next day, armed with a wish list.
The principal looked over the list and — according to Edelberg — said, "Well, let’s get started, girls. It’s going to be a busy year.” That initial conversation was the beginning of a transformation that would bring about remarkable change, Edelberg said.
“We were eight moms who galvanized neighborhood parents and then organized an entire community to take a leap of faith, transforming a challenged urban school into one of Chicago’s best, virtually overnight,” she said.