Ok, if everyone posting here is in the same boat...
What if all of us who take on everything and feel responsible for everything got together and tried to effect change in other areas.
We would be unstoppable. LOL.

Quitting wouldn't be an option for me, its tempting, but the drive to do these things is strong!! Sick? Maybe, but strong. I want things to succeed for the kids.

I will check out 3forme in Chicago.

rocket-

I just wanted to say that I think the three4me program sounds super! I've often thought that a part of the 'volunteer problem' lies in not managing volunteers as well as possible. That sounds like a criticism, but I think that the sooner people recognize that volunteers do, in fact, need to be managed, the better the response. It would be a nice world if people automatically pitched in at their child's school, just as a natural thing, but in fact all kinds of dynamics could be going on.

In my son's preschool, participation was mandatory. Failure to do your part resulted in a higher tuition, I believe. (Being private, they could do this!) The result was interesting for 2 reasons. It threw people together, and there was a friendly feeling about the school. In addition, no one was able to act as if he or she did more than anyone else! It was a great equalizer, and the school is known as a special kind of place.

People say that "it's all for the kids", and they are of course the main consideration, but school volunteering can and should be more than that. I believe it's good for families, and good for communities, which in turn benefits the kids as well. Rather than settling for the fact that "most events are covered, usually by the same old same old faithful few (and what happens when they leave the school????)", it sounds like this program realizes that MOST people will be glad to get involved if they know what's expected; they have some flexibility; they know that saying "yes" once won't indenture them for life; they're kept informed. In other words, to tap into a large body of energy and creativity.

It really sounds incredibly exciting, and I have no doubt that schools that have the kind of 'yes' attitude to look to implement such a program must be dynamic, super places to be! Thanks so much for the link!

Pam

Want to find a way to get parents reconnected with your school, PTA/PTO, and students? Check out this parent involvement program that myself and a friend created two years ago at www.three4me.com. It's all free. We were tired of all the same things that everyone is talking about on this thread. The results and success of the program were astounding to us: 50% increase in volunteerism, 300% increase in male volunteerism, 10 pt improvement on ISTEP Math and 9 pts in Language Arts, 49% increase in our parent group membership, zero bullying incidents and teachers were reporting better classroom behavior. Last year, we won the Champions in Education Award from Midwest Living and $10,000. And, just this month, we are being awarded an Indiana Youth Investment Award and $5,000 from the Indiana Youth Institute. Getting parents involved made our parent group stronger and more vital, improved the students experience and grades/test scores, improved behavior, and took some of the workload from the teachers. We have parents thank us every day for helping to get them connected at their child's school. More than 200,000 parents have signed promise cards this school year and we keep growing; it's truly rippling throughout the nation. You can learn more about how to start Three for Me at our website. We wish you all the best!

We usually have a grade perform something (songs, poetry, etc) at the beginning of each PTO meeting. That way, at least the parents of that grade show up to support their child and get to see what's going on with their PTO. This has worked pretty well for us.

This last week, because of testing, we didn't have a grade participate. I was so scared no one would show up, but in the last meeting we brought up a sore subject with everyone - the problem with traffic when picking up a student afterschool. We asked for suggestions and ideas and we planned on talking about them at the next meeting with the principal. Well many parents showed up and a committee was formed to deal with the problem. I think from now on, we will pick a subject and talk about it at the next meeting.

A parent suggested we have a topic box where parents could write in what they'd like to talk about at the next meeting and we could draw a topic at each meeting.

Also, I gave out a $10 gift certificate to one parent and fulfilled a supply wishlist for a teacher that showed up to the meeting. One parent and one teacher won something for showing their support at the meeting.

Hope this helps...

Sounds like we're all in the same boat. Lack of parent participation!!! I won't even get started...because I could really get on my soap box on ths subject! The only solution i think we should try is to make it mandatory for each set of parents to hold office for 6 months so that they can understand what all the frustration are! LOL LOL

If you are doing it all, there are only 2 possible explanations: you are doing such a great job no one thinks they can add to it or, perhaps, meet your standards; or you are the only one who cares about this. You've done everything you can, and it's clear that no one else wants to participate at least at the level you are doing. My suggestion is that you quit. Yep, just quit. Send out a NICE note saying that you are no longer able to devote the time necessary to run the PTO, and that you hope someone else will be interested. Then STOP doing it. DO NOT be a martyr, don't whine, just be cheerful and happy that you've contributed what you can and now you're done. If no one else steps up, then it's very clear that the position is unneeded and unwanted -- so why do it? Unless, of course, it's so important to you that you're willing to do everything . . . with, of course, the help of your 4-year-old!