Are your School Meetings BORING? Help is Here!

As a parent educator one of the questions that I get most often is “Help! How do I set up a parent education meeting?” Luckily, I have been both a parent education host and a presenter! So I know where you are coming from! Here are some simple tips to guide you, whether you are a seasoned parent education coordinator, or a first time volunteer. Each of these steps will help you organize a well received and well attended meeting.

Step one: Identify your audience

Evaluate who will be attending your event. Families? Parents only? Elementary or Middle School level? Once you have identified who will be interested in attending, you can begin your search for a speaker that will offer topics for those adults.

Step two: Understand your budget

Check with your school PTA to see if there is a budget set aside for speakers. You can also check with your school district office, as they may also offer limited funds to help pay for parent education classes you bring to your school. Local businesses may donate money or you might be able to charge a small admission fee if necessary.

Step three: Choose a topic

Think about topics that will be of interest to your learning community as a whole. If you select a topic that is too narrow it may be difficult to get a lot of attendees.  Some sample topics that are often popular with parents are: General parenting issues, child discipline, personal safety, internet safety, bullying, health and fitness for your family, media and your child, how to have “the talk” and issues related to ADD/HD and advocating for your child within the school district.

Step four: Locate presenters

When you start looking for a presenter, there are several resources to locate a qualified presenter. Ask other PTA's if they have recommendations and check with your state PTA chapter. (Pssst! or you can ask me! I know lots of speakers!)

Step five: What to ask potential speakers

Once you have located a potential speaker there are several important questions you need to ask

• Speaker fee
• Speaker availability
• Speaker needs (power, technical equipment, seating, tables, screen)
• What topics they will cover and length of presentation
• Method of payment accepted
• Cancellation policy

 Step six: Chose a date

Although you can chose any time or day of the week for your presentation, many PTA’s often choose to host a parent education workshop that coincides with their regular PTA meetings.

Step seven: Select a location

Depending on the type of presentation you are hosting many schools often host their parent education meetings in their school library or gymnasium. Determine if you will need childcare. Be sure to reserve the room(s) with your school office. Ask about accessing the building after hours and what time you need to be out of the building and arrange for help if you require seating set up or technical equipment.

Step eight: Begin promoting!

Ask your presenter if they provide promotional posters or other marketing materials to help you get the word out to your learning community. Fliers to be sent home with the kids as well as email, school newsletters and window posters are all great ways to let parents know about your parent education program.

Step nine: Concluding

At the end of your workshop, hand out an evaluation sheet to the attendees. This will help you determine if the workshop was well received and can often offer an opportunity to poll your attendees about interest in future parent education programs.

Engaging the parents in your learning community is a powerful and wonderful way to connect, learn new skills, empower your children and create a strong community to help your kids.