1 Your Child Benefits

When parents get connected to the school, children do better. Research shows children whose parents are involved get better grades, do better on tests, and have fewer discipline problems at school.

6 There's a lot to be done.

These days, schools are asked to do more with less. Our help is needed more than ever to fill the gaps.

2 We make a difference.

Our mission is to create the kind of school community where teachers and administrators can do their best work - and so can our children. We provide support for teachers in and out of the classroom. We provide resources they need. We help create learning opportunities for children. And we try to build the kind of supportive, caring atmosphere that makes school fun.

7 We can match jobs to your interests and abilities.

The work we do covers a broad spectrum: filing and photocopying, planning and executing events, writing and editing, working directly with children, managing a budget and cash flow, and lots more. We encourage creative ideas, and we're thrilled to have people take on tasks that meet their skills and interests.

3 We pledge to honor your time constraints.

People are often reluctant to participate because they're afraid they'll get pulled into a black hole of never-ending time commitment. That won't happen here. An hour or two a semester really makes a difference. And we won't push you to commit more than you want to or are able to.

8 We're welcoming.

To us, there are no "outsiders." We are people who have come together to work toward common goals. We couldn't be happier to have you join us in working toward those goals.

4 We have fun.

Volunteer work shouldn't be drudgery. We accomplish a lot, and not everything we do is easy. But we know we're not balancing the national debt, either. We don't take ourselves too seriously, and we try to enjoy ourselves along the way whenever possible.

9 We're about parent involvement, not fundraising.

In these times of tight budgets, parent groups everywhere are having to fill in the gaps, and so are we. But our number one goal is to get more parents connected to the school That's because more than 500 independent research studies show that building parent involvement in education is the number one thing we can do to create a great school and improve student performance.

5 Meet nice people who share your concerns.

We all have a common bond. We care about creating the best possible educational experience for our children. We are neighbors and peers who share many of the same experiences. And many friendships have developed as a result of those connections.

10 This work is very rewarding.

It's seeing the bright light of learning sparkle in a child's eye. It's seeing the smile that shows we're making school a little more fun - and a child feel a little more comfortable in a learning environment. It's learning that test scores have risen and knowing we played a role. There are lots of rewards, both big and small, for those who get involved. Won't you join us?