Question: PTA Cafe

Hi, I'm in charge of running what we called PTA Cafe for my kids school. It's pretty much a set up of coffee, hot chocolate & some sweets. This is running every Tuesday at 8:20 am, when parent drop their kids off at school. Not everyone is on time to school, not every parent stays, and only a few stay to grab a coffee. This idea we came up with to introduce parents to each other & make them feel involved in school. My question is, how can I improve it, make it educational, fun? Thanks! Chava

Asked by akbosh

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Patty C @ PTO Today writes:
Your PTA café is a great idea, but morning drop off can be a tough time for parents to stay and chat long enough to get to know one another. Lots of them might be carpooling or heading to other places (preschool, daycare center or job etc.) too, and just can’t do mornings. You can still run your café on Tuesday mornings, but it might be worth finding/adding another time block (library or playground after school?) for other parents to get involved, too. One thing you can try is talking up the idea and introducing yourself to parents in their cars right at morning drop off. Take a quick poll or hand out a questionnaire (along with a cup of joe to go, too?) so you can get to know what other times/days might work best for them to join you. Another idea you can try is to speak to your principal about cohosting a “principal’s coffee” for parents at some point. After the meeting, you can ask attendees for feedback as far as days/times/frequency and the matters they’d like to talk up going forward. Keep us posted on what works for your group!