Advice from PTO Today

Elly writes:

Kudos to you moms! Elly thinks offering dads their own opportunity to get connected at school is a great idea. You don’t need to establish this group as a separate entity or obtain a new employer identification number from the IRS; your dads club can function under your PTO’s umbrella as one of its committees. (Your board may want to allocate an operating budget for the club just as it would for any other committee.) There’s no need to establish a separate board here, either, but it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a fun and outgoing dad you know to serve as chairman. Dads are more inclined to show up when there’s male bonding to be had.

A good first step in starting a dads club at school is to initiate a major project that gives them a sense of ownership. PTA veteran Rich Linden revitalized his school’s fathers’ group, the Diemer Dads at John Diemer Elementary in Overland Park, Kan., by organizing the repair of the school track and repaving the parking lot to add handicapped parking spaces. Are there similar needs at your school that could be met by dads helping out? Does your spring carnival need more zing? Maybe your group has always wanted to try a golf tournament fundraiser or a chili cook-off. Maybe it’s time to hand over the reins to the dads!

Elly likes how Jim Paglia, a former PTA president in Aurora, Ill., suggests getting dads to take action. Instead of asking “Here’s the job. Do you want it?” Paglia recommends saying “Here’s how we’ve done it in the past. How would you do it differently?” (Elly thinks this is terrific advice for dealing with all volunteers, male or female.)

Elly also likes how Paglia began engaging other dads at his school. He held a “Me and He” show at school, for kids and their male role models to share their hobbies and talents. There were displays like a 30-foot canoe one pair were building, a motocross bike, and stained glass art. Everyone had fun, and it opened the door for dads to pitch in more.

Your PTO could hold a similar event, then talk up your ideas for a more permanent dads club and its future activities. Your chairman may want to pass out surveys to gauge interest levels in certain activities, such as a bowling outing, fishing, attending a local baseball game—you get the idea.

The direction and scope of your dads club will change from year to year. You may get a majority of dads one year who want more in the way of outings vs. projects, and Elly says that’s OK.

It doesn’t matter how dads in the club are connecting, just that they are connecting. Be sure the club plans one or two weekend activities throughout the year so more fathers have a chance to participate. Have fun!

• Report Abuse Nonsense Spam

Community Advice

newpres33 writes:
We offer a fox watch dads program, the dads can volunteer any snobby of time they have available. They flow to various jobs from recess help, lunch duty, bus and car rider lanes, and more. This is a very popular program within the school, we offer them a shirt, free lunch the day of volunteer service and put their picture on the bulletin board up front so Evonne sees it!!

• Report Abuse Nonsense Spam