How to Get Dads Involved in the PTA

Involvement in your child's school demonstrates that you value their education and support their teachers. Joining the PTA gives you connections with staff and other parents, and volunteering at PTA events can be a lot of fun. The PTA is one way to build a community within your child's school; but no community is complete without both genders represented. Fathers are an important part of any PTA.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Change perceptions by expanding events and committees. In addition to bake sales, think about expanding the offerings. If your PTA doesn't help with Field Day, find out how to start. Maybe fathers can help maintain the school grounds.

2. Target men that are otherwise involved at the school. Often lack of participation in PTA groups is easily remedied by targeted recruiting.

3. Consider the limitations and obligations of all your prospective members, including the fathers. Some PTA's have meetings during the dinner hour and provide the meal. Others include babysitting so that both parents can attend and participate.

Tips & Warnings

• Attendance numbers spike in the Fall at the beginning of school. Take stock at this time and find out what kinds of barriers your members may experience. This may lead to some rescheduling and shifting, but also higher attendance of mothers and fathers.
• Don't count on just men to cover grounds work, or just women to run the bake sale. Mixing up traditional gender roles is a great example to the children in the school.