The Importance of the PTA

I know most of you are going to read this and think to yourself that I’m a PTA fanatic and trying to make you “join the dark side”. First, yes I’m in my school’s PTC (parent-teacher committee). Second, I’m not trying to make you join your child’s PTA, but I would love a chance for you to hear me out. Third, we (sometimes) have cookies!

American media likes to trivialize and poke fun at Parent Teacher Associations (PTA or PTO/PTC) of schools. It’s the one meeting that the parents “dread” attending and volunteering for. I get why it can be cumbersome to join a PTA and most parents don’t have the time (or mental capacity) to attend.

You might have heard that PTAs are just for stay-at-home parents or that they’re cliquey. In reality, PTAs are for everyone – working parents, single parents, and even grandparents – anyone who wants to support their child’s school.

What is the purpose of a PTA?

A PTA is established usually to help the school raise funds to be able to make school improvements, have exciting field trips that are low cost or free for students, or create fun community engaging events for the whole school to enjoy.

Most schools are state-funded, and due to budget restrictions their funding might be cut short some years. Even with Private and Charter Schools the reasoning is still the same. The PTA is there to help alleviate the school’s budget to allow funds to go towards educating, ensuring safety, and feeding the students. School improvements are one of the top goals for PTAs because there’s always something that needs fixing, upgraded, or replaced.

Who is in the PTA?

The organization is mainly made up of parent volunteers with a few teachers that are also volunteering to attend the meetings to act as a liaison between school and parents.

Most PTAs have a “board” composed of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary roles. There may be several committees where parents can choose to volunteer if they don’t want to be in the “leadership” role.

One of the biggest misconceptions about joining the PTA is that it requires a huge time commitment. The truth is, you can be involved at a level that works for you. Whether it’s attending a meeting once a month or helping with one event a year, every contribution matters.

Why should the PTA be important to me?

For most schools, the PTA is in charge of school events that happen throughout the school year. If you have opinions on what events should happen or how things should be run – join the PTA. You can then join the committee (or even be the chair) and add your voice!

Not only does joining the PTA give you a voice in your child’s school, but it can also be a great way to develop useful skills like project management, communication, and teamwork. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with the local community and other parents who share common goals for the school’s success.

PTAs are also important to foster parent engagement with the school and the teachers. It helps establish a relationship that otherwise feels distant through online messaging or student hubs. When you join the PTA you also meet other parents in your child’s class and can make friends for yourself or your child in the process.

When I first joined the PTC at my school last year I was excited because we were the first ones to establish it! Creating a PTC from scratch did have its challenges trying to balance work/life/PTC in my day to day, but being a part of the events and putting together teacher appreciation gifts ended up being the highlight of my first year in the organization. Now that I’m in my second year, I have a few things that I took from the first year to improve on and better our PTC.

What if I missed the sign ups?

If you missed the sign-ups, don’t worry! Here’s how you can still join: first, check your school’s website or PTA page for the meeting schedule. If you don’t find it, send a quick email to the school office, and they’ll connect you with the PTA president. Most PTAs welcome new members throughout the year.

By Emi Sano

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