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Step 1
Talk to your child’s teacher about class needs and how a parent’s group could best assist her. With a shortage of qualified instructors and an abundance of students, many teachers are thrilled with the prospect of receiving any kind of help.
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Step 2
Meet with the school administration or go to a school board meeting and state your intent to form a parent and teacher association. Ask for guidance and suggestions from the board. By approaching them in the beginning, you will understand the schools' needs and how your group can help.
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Step 3
Schedule a meeting of interested parents and form a board of directors. Elect or appoint a president, vice president, secretary and a treasurer. Allow other parents to sit on the board in an advisory capacity in order to count their votes. Encourage teacher attendance.
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Step 4
Adopt a constitution that governs your association. Usually called the “bylaws,” these documents list the officers’ duties, the term durations and how many members must be present to form a quorum, among other governing factors.
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Step 5
Become a certified non-profit organization if you intend to raise money for school projects. In this way, the money you raise isn’t taxable and a donor is able to deduct his donation from his income tax. Check your library for books that explain how to establish a non-profit organization or contact an attorney.
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Step 6
Send out questionnaires to all the teachers, asking for suggestions of how the association can best help them. Try to comply with as many requests as possible.
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Step 7
Conduct yourselves with respect towards the teachers and the administration in order to make your group a valuable asset to the school. A parents and teachers association exists to support the teachers.
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Step 8
Recruit other parents throughout the year to help with fundraisers or class projects. Not all parents can donate a lot of time but all students will reap the benefits. Have sign-up sheets at conferences, at enrollment and at school functions for parents to volunteer.
