Northern Virginia District PTA

What are the Benefits of PTA? (pdf)

"The PTA has so many ways to be involved, small to large time commitments. Because of the PTA I feel like I'm making a difference in my daughter's school, even though I'm not able to attend every meeting or devote hours of time."

Teri Davis, Vancouver, Wash.

The term "PTA" is commonly used to describe any parent group. Many parents, teachers, and administrators ask "What's the difference between PTA and PTO?" They are unaware of the distinct differences between PTAs, PTOs and other parent organizations. But the difference are many. For one, PTA provides a unified voice for all children. The following document outlines the many advantages to PTA membership. English   Spanish

Other Benefits of PTA (download VA PTA benefits statement):

• Our Children magazine, PTA’s flagship publication with parenting articles by experts on children's health, education, and well-being; and information on advocacy efforts; the latest news that affects children and youth.
• Professionally designed public service announcements (PSAs) to aid in membership recruitment.
• National PTA Annual Convention registration information.
• A Back-to-School kit containing recruitment ideas and other materials to get the year started.
• Teacher Appreciation Week ideas.
• Select resources developed in collaboration with PTA’s national partners.
• National PTA's Membership Achievement Program.
• Numerous resources on parent involvement programs, fundraising, working collaboratively, and much more.
• Discounts and special offers from a host of PTA Member Benefits Providers.

Individual members have access to a number of exclusive benefits too, including:

• Online parenting resources, including select articles from Our Children magazine.
• E-newsletters on parenting and legislative issues.
• Exclusive National PTA member benefits and sponsor offers.
• Leadership training opportunities in-person and online.
• Discounted member rate for PTA’s annual national convention, magazine subscriptions, and more.
• The Member-to-Member Network, connecting you to Congress when help is needed on issues important to children, schools, and families.

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Why Your School Needs a PTA (pdf)

Harnessing the Power of Volunteers
Shrinking budgets. Curriculum cuts. Increasing class sizes. Government mandates. The challenges of delivering quality education are daunting, to say the least. There is help. And the good news is it won’t cost you, the school administrator, anything. It’s the PTA.

What’s more, is it won’t take much of your time to get a Parent Teacher Association started. Find just one parent in your school to take the lead, and before you know it, you’ll have a group of dedicated parents committed to doing what PTA does best: providing resources and programs to all families.

PTAs Benefit Everyone

PTA addresses issues that are important to parents and public school administrators. We fight for the same thing—full funding, quality teachers, capabilities for schools to thrive. If your school or district does not have a school-based PTA, now is the time. Membership is open to everyone, your PTA is autonomous but supported by a national structure, and it sets its own dues.

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Still need convincing? Here are just some of PTA’s benefits.

• Leverage Volunteer Power. PTA organizes hard-working and dedicated volunteers. Parents are ready and willing to help implement school improvement programs. All you need to do is ask and provide a bit of direction.
• Improve Communication. Frequently, one of a PTA’s responsibilities is coordinating production of a school newsletter and information fliers, keeping the entire school community informed of current events, issues, and accomplishments. In addition, regularly scheduled meetings are an opportunity for you to share information with members.
• See Measurable Results. More than 85 rigorous academic research studies conducted through over 30 years of research prove that kids do better when parents are involved. Grades are higher. Test scores improve. Attendance increases.
• Discover More Dollars. Local PTAs are self-funding. By inviting the entire school’s parent community to join, they generate membership fees to pay for programs. Local PTAs often organize fundraising events. Proceeds support school-based programs, building maintenance and improvements, and educational and social events.
• Tap into Proven Programs. Local PTAs have access to ready-made programs with proven success records. From health and safety topics, to collaborating with teachers and community members, to fundraising, the programs are packaged to be easy to use, and easy to get results.
• Boost Children’s Well-Being. PTAs focus on what students need to be successful in their learning, including nutrition, health, and well-being. Whether the issue is school safety, physical fitness, or healthy breakfasts, PTA works with school administrators to ensure that children are prepared to succeed.
  
• Enjoy Informed Parents. Perhaps one of the most important benefits is that involved parents understand the challenges schools face and become part of the solution. They support improving education, both locally and legislatively. By developing a closer relationship with parents, student achievement improves, and the school develops a positive reputation in the community.
  
• Fulfill NCLB Obligations. Finally, PTAs can help schools fulfill the parent involvement requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act. PTA understands the needs behind NCLB. In fact, it’s PTA’s definition of parent involvement that is used in NCLB.
  

Learn How Easy It Is to Start a PTA

To find out more about what PTA can offer you and your school or district, or for step-by-step instructions for starting a PTA, please contact PTA headquarters at (800) 307-4PTA (4782) or e-mail us at newpta@pta.org or visit the PTA web site for more information.

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