Search Results for “” 100 results: Category Running a PA/PTA Each public school in NYC is required to have a PA/PTA, a parent-led organization. PA/PTAs are made up of an executive board, general members, and committees. They are governed by multiple regulations... Category Earning through Shopping There are a number of ways that your PA/PTA can earn money through parents' regular shopping. Giving through shopping is free and generally easy—just register your PA/PTA and spread the word to your s... Category Parent Leadership Anyone with a child in a NYC public school -- parents, foster parents, guardians, step-parents, persons in parental relation -- can be a parent leader. Parent leaders: volunteer in schools (not just i... Category Donation Requests PA/PTAs often raise money through direct asks -- the Annual or Direct Appeal is, for many, the largest fundraising event of the year, while others rely on dues. Matching Gift programs allow parents to... Category Raffles Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 (CR A-660) allows PA/PTAs that have been in existence for at least three years to hold raffles for fundraising purposes. A PA/PTA or Presidents’ Council in existence for ... Category Parent Members: Committees, Volunteerism, and Advocacy While the executive board serves as the PA/PTA's administration, all parents make up the PA/PTA and are responsible for its success. Parents can support their schools by joining committees; volunteeri... Category Bylaws, Chancellor's Regulations, and other Laws Each New York City public school PA/PTA must comply with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor's Regulations as well as its own bylaws. If your PA/PTA is incorporated as a not-for-profit in... Category College and Career Readiness PA/PTAs can provide parents and students with programs and access to information for life outside of school. Some hold weekend events that showcase camps and other opportunities for summer enrichment.... Category Not-for-Profit & Tax Exempt Status Generally, it is useful for PA/PTAs to incorporate as not-for-profit organizations and obtain tax exempt status, but doing so might not be necessary for every NYC public school PA/PTA. This section is... Category Communication and Meetings To a large extent, PA/PTA affairs are managed through a combination of meetings of the general membership, executive board meetings, and committee meetings. CR A-660 allows general membership and exec... Category Working with the School Administration & DOE While PA/PTAs are self-governing organizations, they are required to work with the school administration and certain DOE offices in a number instances per the CR A-660. Apart from compliance with the ... Category Financial Affairs A PA/PTA’s funds are separate and independent from those of the school, and PA/PTAs are responsible for their own financial affairs. Managing these affairs is the responsibility of the executive board... Category PA/PTA Overview A Parent Association (PA) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the official organization of the parent body in a school. Every New York City public school is required by the New York State Education... Category Executive Board: Officers, Elections, and Transition The executive board is your PA/PTA’s administration — it runs your PA/PTA. It should function also as a representative of the entire parent body, which is important to keep in mind when defining its c... Category Arts Enrichment While budget cuts have thwarted many schools' ability to provide arts programs in schools, many PA/PTAs are helping bring arts enrichment to the students, either through grants or funds they have rais... Category Online Campaigns PA/PTAs, student groups, and teachers turn to the internet for a variety of fundraising activities — from benefit auctions to crowdfunding for classroom projects. Crowdfunding, which allows groups to ... Category Planning Events PA/PTAs can enrich their schools by running a wide variety of programs, activities, and events for students, parents, and the school community. For example, PA/PTAs can: plan community-building cele... Category Flea/City Markets The Department of Education allows PA/PTAs to run flea markets and City markets on school property in order to raise money for the schools. For schools with appropriate space, markets can be significa... Category Auctions & Galas For many schools, the auction is the year’s biggest fundraiser. It is often turned into a gala, an adult-night-out which includes dinner, a dance party, and live and/or silent auctions. These events r... Category Grants Grants can be a significant source of funding for PA/PTAs, particularly for special projects or certain programs. They require a plan for how the funds will be spent, and someone to put that and other... Category Sales & Product Fundraisers While fundraising often is thought of in terms of donations of money, many PA/PTAs hold sales – also called product fundraisers – to raise money.... Category Parent Education Parent education can take many forms, depending on the needs of your families. Some PA/PTAs host workshops on topics such as internet safety, bullying, and issues related to raising teens. Others focu... Category Health and Wellness Over the years, many PA/PTAs have started programs to support healthy living. They hold run curricula-based wellness program, organize health and fitness events, and become involved with the food offe... Category School Gardens Some PA/PTAs have built school gardens to help improve school lunches, advance environmental literacy, bring children outside, provide green space at urban schools, and introduce young people to fresh... Category Philanthropy Activities and events designed to provide resources to individuals and communities in need can also can educate students about social issues and help bring the school community together. Although CR A... Category Curriculum Based/Classroom Curriculum based activities and events can spur students' interest in particular areas of the school’s curriculum, help familiarize families with different aspects of it, and provide an opportunity fo... Category Community Building Community building is for PA/PTAs, whose function, in part, is to make families feel welcome and comfortable in their children’s schools. Additionally, the more unified the parent body, the better it ... Category Parent Advocacy Parent organizations are excellent vehicles to support parent advocacy. For example, PA/PTAs in some NYC public schools play a significant role in helping parents advocate for mandated and needed prog... Category DOE Leadership Structures Opportunities for parent leadership and advocacy exist within the NYC school system at the school, district, and citywide levels. These opportunities are meant to grant parents meaningful roles as par... Category Fundraising PA/PTAs are allowed to fundraise in order to enrich students' education -including for classroom materials, school-wide improvements, enrichment activities, after-school programs, and other student ne... Category Participatory Budgeting Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. In NYC Council Members choose to join Participatory Budgeting in New Yo... Articles PA/PTAs A Parent Association (PA) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the official organization of the parent body in a school. Every New York City public school is required by the State Education Law and ... Articles PA/PTAs' Guide to Grant Writing Why apply for a grant? Applying for a grant from a foundation or public charity can be an effective way to supplement your PA/PTA fundraising. Grantmakers can be corporate or private foundations (such... Articles Article: What Are the Issues Surrounding Testing? The annual state tests for elementary and middle school students have been a volatile subject among parents and teachers for at least a decade. Some parents have joined the “opt-out” movement while ot... Articles Donation Boxes Some PA/PTAs raise money by asking parents to donate their loose change when they come into the school. Parents at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn came up with a creative way to get parents to share this way: th... Articles Rummage Sales Some PA/PTAs hold rummage sales, either on their own as part of a larger event, to raise money for the school. Families can bring in gently used items they no longer need and the PA/PTA can set up a s... Articles The 7 Steps to Creating an Effective PA/PTA Executive Board Originally published in 1989 as a business and self-help book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven R. Covey, became a best seller and a must-read for many entering the business world. T... Articles School Store There are several different ways to run a school store. You can sell only school supplies, providing an easy way for parents to stock up on the items their children need while benefitting the school, ... Articles Sunshine Garden - PS 107K PS 107K's website contains a page about its Sunshine Garden, including the organizations that supported and funded it. Articles Dues A number of PA/PTAs ask parents to make donations in the form of dues. These are usually small requests, sometimes $10 per family, that take into account the demographics of the school and the distric... Articles Matching Gifts Many PA/PTAs that are 501(c)(3) organizations procure a significant amount of money through matching gift programs. Matching gifts are those in which a company “matches” the contributions that its emp... Articles Direct/Annual Appeals For some PA/PTAs the direct appeal, also referred to as an annual appeal or an annual fund, is the largest fundraiser of the year. A direct appeal is usually a request, made by the PA/PTA board to all... Articles Raffles Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 (CR A-660) allows PTAs that have been in existence for at least three years to hold raffles for fundraising purposes. Raffles are highly regulated activities — a PTA wish... Articles Communicating with Parents Your PA/PTA’s executive board functions as a representative of the entire parent body. To fulfill this responsibility and be as effective as possible, the board needs to maintain constant, open commun... Articles Book Fairs A Book Fair is a partnership between a seller of books (and perhaps other merchandise) and a school, with the goal of giving students and their families access to educational products while raising mo... Articles Cupcake Friday - P.S. 295K At P.S. 295, Cupcake Friday is a fun and easy way to build community while adding a little PTA revenue to every month of the school year. On the last Friday of each month, volunteers bring in cupcakes... Articles Bake Sales Bake sales have long been one of the most popular ways of raising money for schools. They are easy fundraisers because they usually do not require complicated preparations and the goods for sale are d... Articles Budgets A PA/PTA’s budget is a guideline of how the organization will receive and spend its money. It is composed of two parts: income and expenses. In May or June, a PA/PTA, in accordance with its bylaws, sh... Articles Bank Accounts CR A-660 requires that PA/PTAs maintain a checking account, which must be used for all transactions. Below are some other relevant requirements: The checking account must be opened in the PA/PTA’s nam... Articles Expenditures CR A-660′s rules regarding PA/PTAs’ expenditures of funds are too detailed to be summarized. All PA/PTA officers should be familiar with the section of the regulation pertaining to financial transacti... Articles Financial Records The PA/PTA executive board is responsible for maintaining and safeguarding the records of the association. Financial records are all records that reflect income, expenditures and other financial trans... Articles Audits An audit is an examination of the financial records, business transactions, accounting practices, and internal controls of an organization. It is performed to assess the accuracy of an organization’s ... Articles Safeguarding PA/PTA Funds An important responsibility of the executive board is ensuring that PA/PTA money is safe from theft and misuse. As stewards of these funds, the board needs to have proper internal controls — policies ... Articles Conflicts of Interest Rules All organizations – especially those that conduct business and handle money – should have procedures in place to address conflicts of interest, and PA/PTAs are no exception. Generally, a conflict of i... Articles Donation Acknowledgments If your PA/PTA is a 501(c)(3) organization, it should provide written acknowledgment of donations it receives (known as donation receipts) so that donors may claim a tax deduction for their contributi... Articles Reporting, Disclosure and Record-Keeping Requirements New York State Registration and Reporting Requirements Charitable organizations operating in New York State are required by law to register and file annual financial reports with the Charities Bureau ... Articles New York State Tax Exemption Articles How to Incorporate as a Not-for-Profit Organization This section provides an overview of the process for incorporating your PA/PTA as a charitable corporation. As noted in Legal Issues/Liability, incorporating provides useful liability protections for ... Articles Collaborating with Teachers and Administrators I have spent many years active in NYC public schools in the Bronx — as a PA President, Title I Parent Committee Chair, SLT member, Vice President of CEC District 9, and long-time member of United Pare... Articles A PA/PTA President's Tips: 10 Things to Remember The principal is the school leader. He/she was probably at the school before you arrived and will most likely be there after you leave. Create a strong partnership with your principal but remember to ... Articles How to Apply for 501(c)(3) Status To apply for tax exempt status as a charitable organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, your PA/PTA should file the following forms with the IRS: Forms to file IRS For... Articles Legislative Breakfast - P.S. 217K Inviting a politician to meet with you outside of his/her office is a great way to guarantee that you have his/her full, undivided attention. Inviting a group of politicians is even better. For the pa... Articles PTAlink Webinar: Back to School, Back to PA/PTA Basics PTAlink is joined by guest speakers Katrina Long, Camille Casaretti, Kim Washington and Family Leadership Coordinator Ed Castro to share their learned wisdom and experience working with and within PA/... Articles PTAlink Webinar: Getting Together! Community Building for PA/PTAs At this December 12, 2024 webinar, PTAlink and parent leaders shared best practices to foster community and inclusivity, as well as, develop institutional capacity and sustainability. This webinar ser... Articles Supportive Services for Immigrant Students Due to the recent roll out of policies by the current Trump administration our fellow community members who identify as asylum seekers and/or immigrants are facing a vast landscape of conflicting info... Articles Organizing for Integrated Classrooms While New York City has been famously criticized for having one of the most racially segregated school systems in the country, P.S. 9, The Sarah Garnet School, in District 13, demonstrated what is pos... Articles Fundraising for a New School Building: The Harbor School's PTA's Success Parent leaders are accustomed to going out into community to ask for support for their school: they seek donations from local businesses for a school auction, or maybe they’ll ask a local restaurant t... Articles Restorative Justice Black and Latinx students have long suffered harsher disciplinary actions in schools than their white peers, fueling the school-to-prison pipeline. Many schools are taking steps to curtail these well-... Articles Sharing Resources in a Crisis: How District 15 leaders created a mutual aid program during the Covid-19 shutdown For most PA/PTAs, March is usually an exciting time. The majority of the school year is over, and the PTA board is knee-deep in orchestrating annual celebrations. Fundraising is the cornerstone of man... Articles Organizing a School Themed-Fundraising Festival -- Art and Design High School Bake sales and pizza Fridays, movie nights and auctions: many PTAs have tried one or more of these popular fundraising activities. This year, the PTA at Art and Design High School in Manhattan was int... Articles A Glimpse into the PTO at P.S. 282K A conversation with Andrew Marshall, Una LaMarche, and Steve Hamill, co-presidents and vice president of PS 282’s Parent Teacher Organization Becoming Involved with the PTO Executive Board Andrew: My ... Articles Donate Your contribution will make it possible for us to expand the website and the services we provide to New York City public school parent organizations. PTAlink is a project of New York Appleseed, Inc. a... Articles Parent Engagement Basics Here are a tips that our presidents found useful for engaging parent members in the PA/PTA: Communication, Communication, Communication – use different methods (email, website, flyers, backpacked note... Articles Hiring Staff Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 permits PA/PTAs to use funds to hire staff either indirectly by donating money to schools or directly; however, its rules governing PA/PTAs’ hiring of staff are detailed ... Articles Barnes & Noble Book Fairs A book fair at your local Barnes & Noble store can be a relatively easy way to earn money for your school. Barnes & Noble representatives do much of the work involved in hosting the book fair ... Articles Local Business Solicitation Many PA/PTAs ask local businesses to make donations -- food, services, or money -- to the school's PA/PTA for specific events and/or pledge sponsorships. For instance, a local pizzeria might be willin... Articles Participatory Budgeting Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. In NYC Council Members choose to join Participatory Budgeting New York... Articles Standardized Testing Each spring, public school students in 3rd through 8th grade take state tests in English and math; 4th and 8th graders take a science test as well. These tests were introduced in the mid-2000s in orde... Articles Marta Torres - District 16 Where did you grow up and what schools did you attend? I grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and went to District 16 public schools. I attended PS 26, where my mom was PTA president when I was a c... Articles PA/PTA Facebook Group Sample Guidelines Some PA/PTAs decide to use social media to communicate with their school community online. Since any form of communication should reach as many parents as possible, it's a good idea to survey parents ... Articles SLT FAQs Roles and Responsibilities of SLT Members What are the responsibilities of members of a school’s SLT? Mandatory members of the SLT include: The school principal, PA/PTA president or designated PA/PTA ... Articles How Do I Get Parents to Attend PA/PTA Meetings? How do I get more parents to attend PTA/PA meetings is one of the most asked questions among PTA/PA leaders and an issue that cuts across all types of PA/PTAs, in all types of schools. The amazing thi... Articles Is Your School Renovation Safe? In 2012, we were excited when we heard that the City was going to repair leaks in P.S. 29’s roof and walls and get rid of mold in our classrooms. We also had questions about how to protect our kids’ h... Articles Building a Network for Parents of Children with IEPs & Special Needs I am the mother of 3 children, two of them school age. One of them has an IEP. I know, first-hand, the difficulties that parents of children with special needs have navigating the school system. When ... Articles Family Education Events - P.S. 73X At P.S. 73, while chair of the Title I Committee and PTA President, I worked to improve the effectiveness of how we spent our Title I funds and to increase collaboration between the administration, te... Articles Sample Treasurer's Checklist This treasurer’s checklist is consistent with the requirements contained in CR A-660 but is intended only as a general guide. As the role of the treasurer differs among PA/PTAs, the timeline should be... Articles Rummage Sale and Event - P.S. 29K Twice each year, in the Spring and the Fall, P.S. 29 school in Brooklyn hosts a Rummage and Recycling Event for our community where we collect ewaste and textiles. People come from all over the city ... Articles Legal Issues/Liability Incorporating your PA/PTA provides useful liability protection for the people running it because if you incorporate, your PA/PTA’s directors, officers, and volunteers will not be personally liable for... Articles Should my PA/PTA become a 501(c)(3) Organization? What is a 501(c)(3) organization? Once your PA/PTA is incorporated, it will be considered a not-for-profit corporation under New York state law. However, any income it receives is taxable under federa... Articles School Leadership Teams (SLTs) All schools are required to have a form of school-based management called a School Leadership Team, or SLT (New York State Education Law Section 2590-h). Administrators, teachers, and parents comprise... Articles Lectures/Workshops Some PA/PTAs hold a series of lectures or workshops, sometimes called “What’s a Parent To Do,” at which experts in a certain field speak to parents at the school about a range of topics, including int... Articles Advocacy Parent organizations often take on advocacy projects after a parent or group of parents become invested in a particular issue and engage and organize the rest of the school community. On the site, we ... Articles Family Leadership Coordinators The Family Leadership Coordinators work in the offices of the Community Superintendents. They provide information and support to school and district parent leadership structures, including PA/PTAs, Pr... Articles School Photos PA/PTAs often sponsor a photo day at school for students’ portraits and class photos. The PA/PTA signs a contract with a company that provides school photos and receives a portion of the proceeds earn... Articles Access to Physical Activity It is now undeniable that physical education (PE) is an essential part of student's academic experience. Exercise and wellness education have positive effects on children’s behavior and can help culti... Articles Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) The Panel for Educational Policy, or PEP, allows for parent involvement on a citywide level. Responsible for some of the most significant decisions affecting the education system, the panel votes on t... Articles Citywide Education Councils There are four Citywide Education Councils: Citywide Council on High Schools, Citywide Council on Special Education, District 75 Council, and Citywide Council on English Language Learners. These Counc... Articles Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) The Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) provides a way for parents to be involved in citywide education policy. It is an organization made up of the presidents of each Presidents’ Council in t... Articles District Leadership Teams (DLTs) District Leadership Teams (DLTs) present an opportunity for parent involvement in NYC public education, but parent representation is limited to parents who have already been selected to serve in other... Articles Community Education Councils (CECs) Community Education Councils, or CECs, allow for parent involvement on a district-wide level. Responsible for approving school zoning lines and hold hearings on capital plans, they also function as ad... Articles Presidents’ Councils Presidents' Councils are made up of the presidents (or their designated representatives) of each of the PA/PTAs within a given jurisdiction and are intended to support their constituent PA/PTAs. Chanc... Articles Special Events PA/PTAs can sponsor events to help parents better understand the curriculum in their children's classrooms, how to help with homework, become familiar with larger education issues such as Common Core ... Articles Organizing to Create a New School Lunch Menu - P.S. 217K P.S. 217 is among the most diverse elementary schools in the city. Located in District 22 in Brooklyn, it is a Title I school whose families speak numerous languages, including Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, ... Articles Vice-President CR A-660 does not mandate the office of vice-president; however, many PA/PTAs choose to include that role on their executive boards. Vice-presidents generally assist the president or co-presidents and... Articles How To Help Improve Your School’s Food - District 1 Presidents' Council One of our key concerns as parents is our children’s overall nutrition and school meals, and how we can help to change them for the better. The District 1 Presidents' Council formed a nutrition commit... Articles Candy & Wrapping Paper Sales Candy sales require no up-front cost and relatively few volunteers. Companies provide the candy and parents, family and friends can shop to benefit the school. The percentage the PA/PTA makes from the... Articles Family Yoga Night - P.S. 188Q & P.S. 221Q Whenever I finish a yoga class, I feel calmer, more relaxed. Having the benefit of centering, breathing, balancing and stretching, life seems so much more manageable. I’ve thought so many times how I ... Articles Starting Our Garden - P.S. 32K In January of 2011, a group of parents and teachers began to discuss the possibility of a garden at P.S. 32. As the plan began to take shape, Principal Deborah Florio signed on wholeheartedly and ass... Articles Career Day - P.S. 144Q P.S. 144’s PTA sponsors a Career Day each May at which parents and community members are invited to speak about their work. The event runs from 9:00 – 11:30, and we have about 30 speakers. Our school ... Articles Immigration Study - The Highbridge Green School, P.S. 361X While I was on the SLT at Highbridge Green School (a middle school), I helped lead the creation of a collaborative curriculum project that was a joint venture between some teachers and parents. Always... Articles Science Day - P.S. 372K Our school has many great annual events, such as Arts Day, Book Fair, and a Valentine’s Day Dance, but a group of motivated parents worked with our wonderful science teachers earlier this year to crea... Articles Back to School Events - P.S. 199M Most parents, especially the new kindergarten parents, are very enthusiastic about school during the first month. Often, the first PA/PTA meeting is the best attended of the year. Use the opportunity... Articles Talent Show - P.S. 277X This year, our annual talent show was one of the highlights for our school community. It was a fun, community building event for our students, families and staff, as well as a PTA fundraiser. Articles Dances School dances can be fun, community building events for the students. Often, they are used to celebrate events such as graduations or holidays, though some PTAs integrate them into the curriculum. Dan... Articles What is a PA or PTA? A Parent Association (PA) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the official organization of the parent body in a school. Every New York City public school is required by the State Education Law and ... Articles Grandparents’ Day Many PA/PTAs host a Grandparent’s Day, which can serve a number of purposes: it becomes an occasion for a multigenerational event, with grandparents teaching children by sharing memories or experience... Articles President The president is the chief executive officer of your PA/PTA. Since PA/PTAs are autonomous bodies, the precise duties of the president are defined by your PA/PTA’s bylaws. The DOE’s bylaws template inc... Articles How to Create a School Garden School gardens are high on the popularity chart…and here to stay. Having a garden places you in a league of impressive parents, teachers, students, and administrators who have improved school lunches,... Articles Market Regulations Some of CR A-650's requirements differ for flea markets and City markets that operate 12 or fewer days per year and those that operate more than 12 days per year. The following are some of the key req... Articles Tips for Managing Volunteers Learn what they like to do. Try to give parents work that they will enjoy so it's a good idea to ask what they are interested in getting involved with. Some parents might love the idea of hanging out ... Articles Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) Team The Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) team is responsible for developing and supporting parent governance structures in New York City schools. FACE provides leadership opportunities, training, c... Articles Resource Equity A large majority (more than 70%) of NYC public school students live in poverty. As a school system, adequate resources in schools in NYC are extremely important and often require advocacy by families,... Articles School Food In many neighborhoods across the city, parents have organized to improve the meals served in their schools’ cafeterias. Often, parents form a PA/PTA committee, decide on their priorities, and then wor... Articles Language Justice Under New York State law, all English Language Learners (ELLs) have a right to the resources, services, and support they need to be able to achieve the same educational goals and meet the same standar... Articles Special Education Supportive Services Parent groups can play important roles in supporting students with disabilities by providing families with the information they need to advocate for their children’s educational rights. PAs/PTAs can c... Articles Desegregation/Integration New York City’s school system continues to be one of the most segregated in the country. To address the harmful consequences of school segregation, many students, families, educators, and other commun... Articles Parent Coordinator A school’s parent coordinator is a member of the school staff and is supervised by the principal. The parent coordinator’s primary responsibilities include creating a welcoming school environment for ... Articles Board Transition If your PA/PTA has elected one or more new members of the executive board, board members should think about the process of transitioning from outgoing to incoming officers. To keep your PA/PTA operati... Articles Recording Secretary The recording secretary is the third mandatory officer on the executive board. As with all PA/PTA officers, the precise roles and responsibilities should be defined by your PA/PTA’s bylaws. Generally ... Articles Teachers Once you have established a good relationship with the principal, good relationships with teachers are often the key to creating lively events and activities that engage the school community and suppl... Articles Elections PA/PTA officers are elected by a vote of the general membership. Elections must be held in accordance with Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 and your PA/PTA’s bylaws, which must outline, among other thing... Type All Sections Articles Resources Organizations Events Categories All Categories Parent Leadership Running a PA/PTA Planning Events Fundraising Back to Top
