Parent volunteers enrich our schools and help create a caring community of adults that support and nurture our children every day. This year OFEE wants to mobilize parents and community members to volunteer and to share their time and talent to support the schools, teachers, and student activities at our schools or at other locations.
We know parents and community members are busy and can’t take time off of work to volunteer in the classroom as much as you want. We want to design and create new ways and opportunities to volunteer.
We recognize parents have already given much of their time in these first two months of school having attended Back to School, helped out in their child’s classroom, or maybe by volunteering for our K to College school supply give away. Look for more volunteer ideas on our website and ask your teacher, and principal how you can help out.
Volunteer Ideas:
- act as a classroom helper
- mentor or tutor students
- help children with special needs
- volunteer in a school computer lab
- help organize, cater, or work at fundraising activities such as bake sales or car washes
- act as a lunchroom or playground monitor
- help to plan and chaperon field trips, track meets, and other events that take place away from the school
- help to plan and chaperon in-school events (dances, proms, or graduation ceremonies)
- organize or assist with a specific club or interest group (if you have an interest in an activity that isn’t currently available to students, offer to help get a group started — for example, a chess club or cycling team)
- assist coaches and gym teachers with sports and fitness programs or work in the school concession stand at sporting events
- help the school administrators prepare grant proposals, letter-writing campaigns, or press releases or provide other administrative assistance
- attend school board meetings
- work as a library assistant or offer to help with story time or reading assistance in the school library
- sew costumes or build sets for theatrical and musical productions
- work with the school band or orchestra or coach music students individually
- help out with visual arts, crafts, and design courses and projects
- hold a workshop for students in trade or technical programs
- spend some time with a specific club or interest group (ask the the teacher who sponsors the group)
- volunteer to speak in the classroom or at a career day, if you have a field of expertise that you’d like to share
- supervise or judge experiments at a science fair