Welcoming all families is a crucial task of any parent group, and those who serve a multicultural community must rise to the challenge of doing so in schools where sometimes many languages are spoken. The Bemis Elementary PTO in Troy, Mich., the 2010 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base, launched monthly Cultural Coffee Mornings to create a comfortable atmosphere for non-English-speaking parents to practice conversational English. The meetings helped parents from numerous countries assimilate at Bemis, as well as encouraged them to get more involved.
