By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement , California State PTA Whose job is it to create partnerships between families and the schools that serve them? That question has driven the w...
Media Literacy: Should it be part of your school’s curriculum?
January 13, 2022
By Mary Perry, California State PTA Communications Commission In the era before internet and social media news, we looked to a limited number of media sources (e.g. newspapers and magazines, TV networ...
By Mireira Moran, California State PTA Communications Commissioner If you receive an email/text or social media message that seems a bit strange – you might be a target of a scam. You may have receive...
Make Sure You’re Prepared for Your PTA’s Annual Meeting
January 11, 2022
By Michael Morgan, Vice President for Leadership Services Your PTA is required to have an annual association meeting. Your California State PTA Leadership Services Commission is here to help you. A fe...
By Dianna McDonald, California State PTA Advocate New laws around Infrastructure, jobs, and climate change will impact California’s children and families. California is due to receive about $45 billio...
New Law Helps Schools Better Serve Homeless Students
January 10, 2022
By Amy Rickard, California State PTA Advocate California’s population of homeless youth is growing. Assembly Bill (AB) 27, supported by California State PTA and recently signed into law, assures...
By Membership Services Commission MEMBERSHIP TIP: The New Year Calls For New Membership Campaigns Let’s ring in the new year by bringing in new members to our PTAs so we can continue to support childr...
Family-School Partnership Standard #6: Collaborating With Community
January 7, 2022
By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant The PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships offer best practices for increasing authentic family engagement ...
How Your PTA Can Engage Even the Busiest Working Parents
December 17, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement To be as inclusive as possible, every PTA needs to provide opportunities for all parents and families to be involved. So far on the blog we’v...
Family-School Partnership Standard #5: Sharing Power
December 9, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement When families and schools work together as equal partners in decision-making, students succeed. Parents/caregivers, students, school staff, an...
By California State PTA Treasurer and state office IT Staff We are no strangers to various scams across the internet — whether it’s through phone calls regarding our car’s extended warranty or emails ...
By California State PTA’s Health and Community Concerns Commission The holiday season is upon us along with cold and flu season! California State PTA’s Health and Community Concerns Commission wants t...
Celebrate Inclusive Schools This Week — And All Year Long
December 3, 2021
By Derby Pattengill, Vice President, Health and Community Concerns During the week of December 6, schools across the country will be raising awareness about how to make sure every classroom offers opp...
It’s Time for Your PTA Mid-Year Audit/Financial Review!
December 3, 2021
By Laura Ann Hawk-Loya, California State PTA Treasurer Your bylaws state that you should be conducting twice yearly audits of your financial records. For most PTAs that means you have a mid-year audit...
By Michael Morgan, VP for Leadership, California State PTA Just think, two years ago the term “hybrid meeting” was pretty much unknown. The pandemic changed all that and our guidance for PTA leaders c...
Legislation Conference Strengthened My Confidence and Connections
December 3, 2021
By Kathryn Rickard, Student Board Member, California State PTA When I look back and think about why I applied to become a student member of the California State PTA Board of Managers, I am reminded of...
Nominating Committee: The most important committee of your PTA
December 3, 2021
By Brad Waller, CA State PTA Parliamentarian January marks the time to think about the election of your PTA’s nominating committees! Your local bylaws determine when your nominating committee should ...
By: Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement During elementary school connecting with your child’s school and teacher can be relatively straightforward and our kids generally welcome our...
Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2021 (Thompson)
December 3, 2021
By Dianna MacDonald, California State PTA Legislative Advocate For more than a century, California State PTA has advocated for safer schools. While gun violence is a public-health crisis that affects ...
Celebrate International Men’s Day By Getting Men Involved at School
November 19, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement Involving men on school campuses and in school activities has lasting positive impacts on children. When fathers (or other male role models) ...
By California State PTA Education Commission The National Education Association (NEA) has officially declared November 15-19, 2021 as “American Education Week.” This is a time to celebrate public educ...
Advocates Plan to Continue Work on Several Education Bills
November 12, 2021
By Anita Avrick, Melanie Lucas and Beth Meyerhoff, California State PTA Education Advocates The California State PTA takes positions on bills to improve the lives of children and families. The Legis...
By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant As kids get older, family involvement in school and in PTA tends to drop off – even as stakes grow higher. When high schoo...
The Legislation Conference Turned Me Into an Advocate
November 11, 2021
By Jade Chao, Immediate Past President, Palo Alto Council of PTAs I first heard about a conference focusing on advocacy and legislation through my local PTA. As a relatively new volunteer in my childr...
Multiple Bills Addressing Students’ Mental Health are Now Law
November 11, 2021
By Beth Meyerhoff, California State PTA Advocate Fear and isolation heightened during the pandemic have reinforced California State PTA’s long-standing commitment to the mental health of children and ...
Governor’s Signature on AB 417 Supports College Access
November 10, 2021
By Beth Meyerhoff, California State PTA Education Legislative Advocate College opportunities for incarcerated teens and adults increased significantly when Governor Gavin Newson signed Assembly Bill (...
AB 856 Established Protocols for Safe Return to School
November 10, 2021
By Vinita Verma, California State PTA Community Concerns Legislative Advocate California State PTA supported Assembly Bill (AB) 856 (Maienschein) which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in July. ...
Senate Bill 796: A Step Closer to Historic Justice for a Southern California Family
November 10, 2021
By Beth Graves Meyerhoff, California State PTA Legislative Advocate In a historic moment on September 30, 2011, the issue of reparations was addressed by Governor Gavin Newsom when he signed Senate Bi...
Takeaways from the Family Engagement Summit (Part 2)
November 5, 2021
Byline: Heather Ippolito, California State PTA Vice President for Family Engagement At schools all over the country, educators and community members are working to build stronger connections be...
By California State PTA Family Engagement Commission A Conversation with Kelly Mattinson, Family Engagement Commission Consultant Q. How does a student find the “perfect fit” college? In most cases it...
Takeaways from the Family Engagement Summit: Part 1
October 22, 2021
By California State PTA Family Engagement and Communication Commission What do focusing on equity, motivating and validating others, understanding learning goals, pivoting away from passive informatio...
Halloween is just around the corner. To ensure a fun and safe holiday, California State PTA suggests the following tips from Safekids.org: Walk Safely – Use crosswalks, walk on sidewalks instead of th...
By Mary Perry, California State PTA Communications Commission How do we help families use technology responsibly for learning, creating, and participating in the larger community? That is the central ...
Learn How To Put Arts Education Into Your District Budget
October 17, 2021
LEARN HOW TO PUT ARTS EDUCATION INTO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET Parents, students, and community advocates can help assure that arts education is part of their school district’s annual funding discus...
California Supports Diversity with New Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement
October 15, 2021
By California State PTA Legislation Team with the Health and Community Concerns and Education Commissions With the governor’s signing of Assembly Bill (AB) 101 Ethnic Studies (Medina), California is t...
Futureproof: A Book About Your Kids’ Futures (and Yours)
October 15, 2021
By California State PTA Family Engagement and Communication Commission Futureproof, written by technology writer Kevin Roose, offers new perspectives and interesting food for thought on matters...
By California State PTA Health & Community Concerns Commission October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Bullying is a serious issue at home and in school, and parents and caring adults can ...
Celebrating Partners in Education: School Administrators
October 13, 2021
By California State PTA Education Commission Our kids’ education is a team effort! A collaborative partnership between families, teachers and school administrators who are dedicated to the well-being ...
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month “The line between our online and offline lives is indistinguishable. In these tech-fueled times, our homes, societal well-being, economic prosperity and nation...
Children are back in school, but for many of us it feels like we are still a long way from a full pandemic recovery. One place many PTA leaders feel that is in the volunteers on their local boards, or...
Need help heading off tax issues before they start? Need help reaching the right contacts at the various government agencies who can help expedite processing of paperwork? We’re here for you. Ca...
Family-School Partnership Standard #4: Speaking Up for Every Child
October 8, 2021
by Heather Ippolito, Vice President Family Engagement Commission The fourth PTA National Standard for Family-School Partnerships calls for empowering families to speak up and advocate for their child ...
by Family Engagement Commission Thank you to all of the families, schools, PTA councils, and districts who joined us in the September walking challenge. Remember that you can use that family engagem...
by Heath & Community Concerns and Family Engagement Commissions Parents Need to Know Why Attendance is Vital About forty percent of parents underestimate how many school absences their child has ...
by Heather Ippolito, Vice President Family Engagement Commission This Sunday, September 26th is Gold Star Mother’s Day. Gold Star Mother’s Day is designated as the last Sunday in September and is des...
by California State PTA Vice President for Health & Community Concerns, Derby Pattengill We recently highlighted September’s National Preparedness Month, a great reason to raise awareness ab...
by Membership Services Commission MEMBERSHIP TIP: Let Everyone Know About PTA Perks PTA members get more perks than you may have realized! Membership in a Statewide and Nationwide organization comes w...
Question: College? When do we start talking about college? Answer: NOW!
September 17, 2021
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kelly Mattinson The best time to discuss and prepare for college is now. That said, your three-year-old does not need to decide where t...
How to Apply for CA State PTA Scholarships and Grants
September 16, 2021
by California State PTA Scholarships and Grants Committee California State PTA is pleased to offer these scholarship and grant opportunities to you and your PTA. The deadline is coming up fast for two...
by Resolutions Committee A History of Parent Advocacy Founded in 1897, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a nationwide network of 4 million families, students, educators, and community leaders workin...
PTA leaders can spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide
September 15, 2021
by Derby Pattengill, Vice President for Health and Community Concerns Over the last year and a half, we have faced a pandemic, combined with a massive experiment in remote schooling, a racial justice ...
by Membership Services Commission Did you know anyone can be a member of the PTA? That’s right, from students (even elementary), to grandparents, alumni, school board members, and… Well, you ge...
by CA State PTA Arts Education Committee This National event, taking place this year on September 12-18, is a great chance for local PTA leader and members to show your support for Arts Education and ...
by Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement This coming week National PTA celebrates Back to School Week. From September 13-17 they are hosting activities and encouraging school sites across the countr...
by Family Engagement Commission On September 12th we celebrate Grandparents Day to honor all of the contributions that grandparents have made in our lives. While it can be a wonderful idea to bring g...
by Education and Family Engagement Commissions The website, Raising a Reader, recently shared these statistics about reading and literacy: Less than half of the 16 million U.S. children who live in po...
Participate and WIN: 2021-2022 Membership Awards & Incentives
September 6, 2021
by Membership Services Commission We’ve made the directions simple on your journey to a successful membership drive. Visit each checkpoint along the route to build a strong membership campaign for you...
Family-School Partnership Standard #3: Supporting Student Success
September 3, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement As we continue our series about the PTA National Family-School Partnership Standards we want to remind you that we have several blog posts around this topic...
Family Engagement Monthly Activities – September Family Walking Challenge
September 1, 2021
By Family Engagement and Health & Community Concerns Commissions Each month the Family Engagement Commission is going to share an activity that you can do with your school, council, or district. ...
Test Scores Can Help Jump Start the Learning Process
September 1, 2021
Register Now! California State PTA Presents: A Zoom presentation by Educational Testing Service and Metametrics September 2, 2021 – 4-5pm We often think of test scores as the ending point of a ...
Child Tax Credit Outreach Requested by US Department of Education
September 1, 2021
We recognize that many families are still struggling financially from the pandemic and that the Child Tax Credit is an important opportunity to help them cover their expenses, especially as kids prepa...
PTA Tools Can Help You Exceed Your Membership Goals
August 30, 2021
by Membership Services Commission School has started now, and we know just how easy it is to be overwhelmed by the commotion of getting your own students out the door and into the classroom. Because i...
by Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement The Family Engagement Commission this term consists of a Vice President, nine members of the CA State PTA Board of Managers (five of whom are District Preside...
by Membership Services Commission ELECTRONIC MEMBERSHIP WORKS! A few years ago, at the request of our local leaders, California State PTA created the online membership system known as Totem. Since its...
Congratulating 29 California PTA/PTSAs designated 2020-2022 Schools of Excellence
August 24, 2021
by Communications Commission Congratulations to the twenty-nine California State PTA/PTSA units at schools throughout our state who were designated 2020-2022 National PTA Schools of Excellence in reco...
by Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement In July we introduced the PTA National Standards for Family School Partnerships and Standard 1- Welcoming All Families on this blog. Today we are going to sh...
by Mary Perry, California State PTA Board of Managers All over California, the back-to-school ritual has begun. This year, of course, that ritual is so different. For many students and families, it’s ...
PTA Knows Family Engagement! Learn more about the School Smarts Program
August 18, 2021
by School Smarts Committee For nearly 125 years PTA has helped parents and caregivers make lasting connections to their school campus to benefit all children. Over the last ten years our School Smart...
by Reflections Committee Want to be inspired? Just spend some time looking at the dance routines, films, visual artwork, written poems and stories, and photographs California students created as part ...
By Membership Services Commission Adding student members to your association and having students serve on your executive board is great for them and great for your PTA. PTA was established to be a ...
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement PTA units are always asking our state leaders “How can we get more people to attend our association meetings and events?” The Leadership Servi...
By the Membership Services Commission In the PTA universe, we know how important our teachers are! Having the teachers and administrators at your school join your PTA and participate in your programs ...
As the summer ends, many workshops, webinars, and virtual conferences are preparing educational leaders, teachers, and parents for the return to school. Our Family Engagement Team has attended severa...
The CDC is Asking You to Help Raise Awareness About Immunizations
August 5, 2021
By Mary Perry Vaccinations are a hot topic right now, thanks of course to COVID-19. But long before the current pandemic the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) designated August as National Immunizatio...
Standard #1: Welcoming all families into the school community
July 30, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, VP for Family Engagement Earlier this month we introduced the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships on the blog. You can view that article by clicking here. Today...
Protecting Kids from the Academic Impact of a Lost Year
July 29, 2021
By Mary Perry, California State PTA Board of Managers For many California children, the 2020-21 school year was a time of lost potential as one fourth of families did not have a high-speed internet co...
Parent Town Hall with the US Department of Education
July 26, 2021
There is a unique opportunity for parents this Thursday, July 29th at 5:00 p.m. — The National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement and the United Parent Leaders Action Networ...
Interview with Danni Kim, National PTA Family Engagement Whole Child Fellow
July 23, 2021
Earlier this month National PTA announced the names of four Family Engagement Fellows from across the United States. California State PTA is proud to announce that Danni Kim from Franklin Magnet PTA i...
As we gear up to head back to school, our commission has been noticing a trend in the news — there has been a great deal of talk about Family Engagement! This is exciting for all of our PTA unit...
Learning loss during the summer months is a real concern, especially after the challenging school year we’ve had. If you’re looking for ways to keep your child’s mind active over the term ...
Introduction to the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
July 9, 2021
National PTA is focused on transformative family engagement which is defined as “a shared effort of families, schools, and community leaders to advance programs, practices, and policies that empower e...
Getting started as a brand-new PTA officer can seem daunting at first. There’s a lot that needs to be done to get things up and running, but who does what, and in what order? This list help you ...
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement In PTA we often talk about family engagement, but what does it really mean and why is it so very important? Family engagement with schools h...
Hello PTA friends and friends of California State PTA: The resilience, dedication, and creativity shown by PTA leaders during this challenging term has been exceptional. Through the pandemic, PTAs con...
An opportunity drawing is a prize where everyone who comes to the event has an equal chance of winning and no one pays for a ticket. A raffle is defined as a lottery in which each participant buys a c...
The biggest challenge of the last year to maintaining healthy vision has been digital eye strain. With kids being forced to switch from in-person to digitally based distance learning because of the pa...
Helping our students think about college and career readiness is a great thing to do during the summer months. The Family Engagement Commission has found a really fun resource for students in grades 5...
Book Club Discussion: “Strangers from a Different Shore” by Ronald Takaki
June 21, 2021
Members of the California State PTA Board of Managers have been reading books that give us a deeper understanding of the effects of racial prejudice on our minority populations. We have read eight boo...
California State PTA believes that all children deserve a quality education regardless of the community in which they live, the color of their skin, their language, their gender identity, or their imm...
