Are you a Principal or school leader looking to start a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at your school?
If you’re looking for ways to boost family engagement in your building, then starting a PTO is a fantastic way to achieve that goal!
There’s no better way than leveraging the power of parents to make the PTO come to life so that you can delegate tasks and get more parents and families engaged on a different level than you’ve ever been able to before.
The parent volunteers can help to take so much off of your personal plate that is already overflowing with all the things.
Let’s get into the initial steps of forming a PTO.
Get Parents Involved ASAP
The very first thing that you need to do when you are going to be starting a PTO in your school is to look at which parents are already involved in the school in some aspect.
Consider which of these parents might be interested in helping you get the PTO off the ground and running.
Starting a PTO should not be a 100% Principal initiative.
It should not even be split between the teachers and the Principal.
It’s great to have the involvement of the teachers in the PTO right from the start, but parents should involved right from the get-go as well because parents will know things that you as the Principal don’t.
Parents will have connections that you don’t yet have.
Ultimately, Principals want to be leveraging the networking opportunities that the parents have already at their disposal.
Gather as a Group
Once you have those interested parents, you want to set a meeting time an initial gathering to get parents together to talk about what the PTO is going to look like.
Use the time to get on the same page, including about the goals for the group.
Spend the time to think about the role the parents will play, individually as well as a group, and do the same for the any teachers or staff present, in addition to considering your role too.
Establish Roles
During this initial meetings, ask for volunteers for the group’s roles.
This post has a list of the suggested positions every PTO should have and is a great starting point for any new group.
The specific roles that you’ll need in your PTO is really going to depend on what you want to do in your school, what you want the PTO to be planning and organizing.
It’s a good idea to get a feel for how the parents are interested in helping.
This will help guide decision making about what activities are first planned and put on and also where the group will need to focus recruiting efforts.
Draft Bylaws and Standing Rules
The next thing you need to do as a group is to draft standing rules and bylaws.
Writing a set of governing documents at this stage does not mean that this is a one-and-done sort of thing.
You will draft something initially and then as your group grows and matures and has more experience, you’ll need to keep adding to and revising the documents.
Having a set of bylaws and standing rules is a really good way to make sure that everybody is literally on the same page, reducing miscommunication and drama.
If you need some guidance, the Bylaws and Standing Rules Made Simple Kit s for you.
Creating or updating bylaws shouldn’t be a nightmare.
Our Bylaws and Standing Rules Made Simple breaks down the process of creating or updating your PTO’s governing documents into easy to follow process anyone can do.
Written in straightforward English, the kit transforms your bylaws into off-putting legalese into powerful tools that’ll get everyone on the same page.
Take your school parent group from disorganized and unclear to professional and effective.
Plan an Activity
Next, decide as a group the first activity for the PTO to offer.
Having an event, program or activity sponsored by the PTO will give meaning to the group’s existence for so many parents.
Most parents will not understand what the value of a PTO is without seeing what it means for their kids or them personally.
The PTO can demonstrate the value and purpose clearly with a super fun event.
The type of event depends on kind of what grade levels the school encompasses, of course.
At the elementary level, it can be a family event.
If it is at middle school or junior high and higher, kids don’t really want to be hanging out with their parents very much. So, make an adjustment accordingly.
This post has some fantastic ideas for different types of PTO events to consider.
With over 50 ideas on the list, there’s something for every group!
Having an event early on in the PTO’s kind of first months is really going to help draw in more parents that you didn’t maybe necessarily understand that were interested until they participated in the activity.
This initial activity can help give your brand new PTO the boost that it needs to get more parents involved.
Provide Resources
Another aspect of working with the parent group is understanding that the new group doesn’t have much in the way of resources yet.
But this is something you as the Principal can help with, specifically by providing resources to support the volunteers and group leaders.
Many don’t understand that most parents who step up as volunteers for the PTO don’t have experience running a school parent group.
They’re coming in with only whatever life experience they’ve amassed thus far.
If they’ve never worked on another nonprofit or never volunteered in a group setting before, they likely don’t know what it means to be a treasurer or what it means to run a PTO meeting, for example.
Not having the training will hold the group back from achieving the goals you collectively set.
It’ll hamper volunteer development too, pushing back their ability to help you.
One of the biggest frustrations PTO volunteers express is not knowing what they should be doing in their roles.
An opportunity for school leaders to support the parent volunteers is by giving them the guidance and resources they need.
Check out the resources listed at the end of this article for details on the Powered Up Parent Engagement System, a collection of tools and resources for PTO / PTA volunteers.
Turn It Over to the Parents
Once you get resources for your parent group, then what’s next?
At this point, you really can step to the side and let the parents take charge to get the PTO up and running
In doing so, you’ll move into an “advise and consent” role, staying apprised of the PTO’s activities, programs and events, giving your stamp approval and suggest modifications as needed.
But this role is far different from being the main driver of action.
And you’ll be thankful for this!
As you and the PTO develop together, your relationship will develop into an authentic partnership, allowing for collaboration on all fronts.
Resources You’ll Love
The Principal’s Parent Group Playbook
Beyond these initial steps, there’s a lot to know and understand about supporting a PTO as a school leader.
I’ve written a book to help with that!
Tired of feeling like you’re playing catch-up with your school’s parent group?
Wish you could better leverage it to boost family engagement and strengthen your school community?
The Principal’s Parent Group Playbook is your essential guide to building, improving, or completely transforming a struggling parent-teacher organization into a thriving, effective force.
You know how crucial parent groups are, yet your professional training didn’t cover how to best manage or support them.
You dream of a true partnership with the group, but understanding how they work feels overwhelming, and figuring it all out on your own is simply not an option.
This playbook solves that problem.
It combines a high-level overview of how parent groups operate with engaging activities that reinforce key concepts.
Each chapter ends with actionable strategies you can implement immediately, whether your group is brand new, ready to level up, or in desperate need of a refresh.
This isn’t a dense manual covering every detail of running a parent group—that’s a job for the volunteers themselves.
This book gives you precisely what you need to know, explaining why it matters and empowering you to forge an authentic, powerful partnership that helps your entire school community succeed.
Get your copy of The Principal’s Parent Group Playbook here.
The Powered Up Parent Engagement System
I’ve put together a fabulous collection of all of the resources your new PTO is going to need to succeed.
Transform your school’s parent engagement with the Powered Up Parent Engagement System.
This isn’t just a resource bank; it’s a comprehensive, all-in-one platform designed to elevate your PTO, Booster Club, and all parent groups.
Provide your volunteers with the exact tools and training they need, tailored to their specific roles.
Watch your parent groups thrive and your school community flourish.
Watch This
Over to You
PTOs are such a powerful tool for school leaders to be able to use to improve your entire school community.
The amount of work it can take to start a PTO seems daunting, but when you break it down, it becomes much easier:
- Focus on involving teachers and parents from the start.
- Decide on volunteer roles for the PTO.
- Establish the rules of the group by drafting an initial set of bylaws and standing rules.
- Work with the PTO to plan an activity, program or event.
- Equip parents with resources they’ll need.
- Educate yourself on how to support the PTO as it grows.
The investment of time and energy to establish a PTO is well worth it!
Not only can the group can help you meet the professional goals you personally set, but the PTO can also help with building goals to help meet your goals, making your superintendent happy too.
