I don’t know about you, but as an elementary teacher, I can’t live without my parent volunteers in the classroom! They love the opportunity to be a part of their child’s education while helping you (and the classroom) run smoothly.
Plus, they save me a TON of time! Anyone else love leaving when the end of the day bell rings and NOT bringing work home?!
I am excited to share how I effectively set up and manage parent volunteers in the classroom to boost parent engagement AND save you precious time!
Benefits of Parent Involvement in the Classroom
When I first started teaching, I found parent volunteers to be more of a hindrance than a help. Boy, was I wrong. I simply didn’t see the benefits because I didn’t know how to effectively plan for or manage the help.
After over 20 years in the classroom (with dozens of different parent helpers) these are the greatest benefits I observed.
- Additional Student Support: Parent volunteers can provide additional support, allowing for more one-on-one or small-group time. As we know, this can help to meet different learning styles and needs, potentially leading to improved academic performance. That’s the goal!
- Positive Role Modeling: We all know raising (and teaching) upstanding students takes a village. It’s great for students to have as many positive role models in their lives as possible.
- Improved Teacher Support: Have you ever wished you could clone yourself? (I know I’ve wished this more times than I can count in the classroom). Parent volunteers can provide priceless teacher support which in turn can reduce the dreaded burnout. It’s OKAY to ask for help!
- Diverse Perspectives: Parents from various backgrounds bring different perspectives, cultures, and languages into the classroom. How cool is it that volunteers can introduce our students to these differences?
Before Using Parent Volunteers in the Classroom
There are a few steps to take before inviting parent volunteers into your classroom. You want to make sure you are prepared beforehand to make the most of their time.
Step 1: Check School Guidelines
Guidelines for visitors differ from school to school. Be sure to check with your school’s policies before inviting parent helpers into the building. A lot of the time, they will need a background check on file which can take a couple of weeks.
Step 2: Use Signup.com to schedule and organize your volunteers
Singup.com is a user-friendly (and affordable) scheduler that allows you to easily organize your parent volunteers. Using an online scheduler with reminders helps to ensure parents show up at the times that you need them (ex: small group time) and that you have the amount of helpers you need for each event.
Step 3: Brainstorm tasks and projects
Before volunteers arrive, it’s important to brainstorm a list of potential projects/tasks. Simply brain-dump your ideas on paper to help organize your thoughts and prioritize your needs. Be strategic in your planning!
By planning ahead, you can set up your schedule far in advance and give parents enough notice to plan childcare for siblings and adjust their work or home schedules.
Tips for Effectively Using Parent Helpers
1. Create an ongoing volunteer to-do list
After brainstorming tasks (as mentioned above), you can now create a finalized to-do list full of the tasks that can be done when parent volunteers visit. This will help keep you and the parents organized. I like to keep this in a folder where parents can access it without needing me.
2. Utilize labeled volunteer tubs
Labeled volunteer tubs allow parents to get started right away. They can simply check the to-do list, grab a tub, and start working. (Ex: You could have a tub of papers to be copied or laminated and another tub with directions and supplies for small groups).
3. Allow parent volunteers to complete some of the tasks at home
A lot of parents want to help, but they can’t always come into the classroom. They may have young children at home or are busy during school hours.
I’ve had many parents who are happy to take home some work. Prepping centers, cutting bulletin board letters, or organizing master copies are all great options that can be done from the comfort of a couch!
Editable Curriculum Night PowerPoint source
4. Give many opportunities to sign up
Have your volunteer sign-up sheet readily available on Meet the Teacher or back-to-school night, inside your weekly newsletter, or at Curriculum Night, etc.
Parents are busy too! They will appreciate the reminders and opportunities.
5. Be intentional with your time slots
Open up time slots when you know you will need and can handle help. It can get overwhelming (pretty quickly) if parents show up unannounced or at inconvenient times.
6. Show your appreciation
A thank you card goes a LONG way. I’ve also made simple gifts for my volunteers and a class thank you card for all the students to sign.
19+ Ways Parents Can Help in the Classroom
There are so many ways parents can help in the classroom. Here’s a quick list to help you start thinking about where you would appreciate the most help.
- Cut centers
- Label books
- Plan and set up for parties
- Help small groups of students
- Read with individual students
- Help students who were absent
- Answer questions during center time (while you are working with a small group)
- Make bulletin boards
- Helping with technology
- Making copies
- Guest reader
- Run a center
- Math or Reading Fluency Practice
- Fundraising Help
- Field Trip Chaperone
- Organizing classroom supplies
- Deep cleaning
- Organizing/Labeling books for classroom library
- Facilitating donations for supplies or parties
As you can see the options are truly endless. By managing parent volunteers effectively, you will gain back precious hours of your personal time and your students will reap the benefits. It’s a win-win for all involved.
I’d love to hear your tips for using parent volunteers in your classroom! If you’ve found this post helpful please share it with your teacher friends!
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