How to Find Volunteer Opportunities at a Child's School

Both private and public schools look for parent volunteers in a variety of capacities. You might find it difficult to volunteer during school hours if you are employed, but fortunately, volunteer opportunities for both men and women are often available at all hours and can fit easily into your schedule. Volunteering is a good way to participate in your child's educational activities and to help ease the financial burden many schools are facing.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• School calendar
• Computer skills

1. Stop by tables set up in the hallway or gymnasium of your child's school during enrollment in the fall. You can pick up pamphlets and schedules or add your name to various lists asking for some kind of volunteers. Ask about volunteer opportunities for times that fit into your own schedule.

2. Check to see if and when their classroom, or the school, is having a social activity in the classroom on Valentine's Day, Christmas or Easter. You can volunteer to be on a planning committee, make decorations or provide goodies.

3. Consider offering to help out as a crossing guard or bus monitor before or after school. These types of short term volunteer opportunities before or after school might fit into your work schedule.

4. Consider that if you know how to put together a newsletter or have a skill you can teach kids in the classroom, you might offer to use these and other skills you have to help out. Teachers and school administrative staff could provide you with all the information you need to put together a newsletter at home in the evening or on the week end. You could even involve your own child in helping with a newsletter at home.

5. Offer to cut out decorations, construction paper patterns and do other similar projects at home in the evening.

6. Join the parent teacher association at your child's school. PTA offers the opportunity to run for an office, help organize fund raisers, deliver items ordered during fund raisers and help organize school events.

7. Ask your child's teacher or administrative staff if the school holds an school fun night or carnival. Many schools no longer have Halloween parades with kids in costume in school and they hold an autumn carnival instead. If you know basic carpentry, how to make decorations out of pipe cleaners, construction and other materials, can wield a paint brush or carve a pumpkin, you will be able to find something to do to help out.

8. Check if your child's school has something set up with the local skating rink or movie theater to give children the opportunity to do something with their peers at a special cost. You could volunteer to act as a chaperone of sorts or to go along to help keep order. This is another excellent way to participate with your children and to show them that they are important enough that you want to help out.

9. Help build or put together a float for local parades that make use of students in any age group.

10. Check to see if your child's elementary, middle and high school has a site council. Unlike the PTA, site councils only have a set number of participants. If you like grass roots advocacy or local politics, volunteering to be on the site council if there is an opening might be something you would enjoy. Site councils usually meet in the evening or on the weekend and may only schedule bi-weekly or monthly meetings.

11. Volunteer to ride the charter or school buses with the orchestra or band members to competitions, parades, and other musical functions. The trip is usually free with only the cost of your food factored in. You will probably have to provide your own food while the school picks up the tab for the kids.

12. Know that if you like to watch public speaking or debate, most high schools are looking for parents and community members to judge competitions. You might volunteer to act as a judge, collect score cards or do other duties related to debate.

13. Be aware that school debate competitions usually last all day on a Saturday or Friday after school and all day on Saturday with students coming from high schools all over your state or area. You could offer to purchase bottled soda, juice and water or make a breakfast, lunch or dinner dish or meat and cheese tray for the judges break room.

14. Offer to be a score keeper at school bowling tournaments, baseball or softball games or referee a game.