Building Successful School Community Relations by Using

1. Building Successful School Community Relations by Using Volunteers Presented by Andy Flora and Jason Guilliams School and Community Relations Dr. Arbogast Summer 2004 July 29, 2004

2. Who Are These Creatures? • Volunteers can be: • Parents • Retired persons • Senior citizens • Business persons • College students • Students in another school (high school program)

3. Successful Volunteer ProgramsQuality Indicators • Create an atmosphere that parents and volunteers are valued and welcomed. • SURVEY parents to collect data regarding their interests, talents, and availability. • If a volunteer is unable to help in the building, give them options where they can help in other ways. • Organize a program that is user friendly for parents and teachers. • Develop a system to contact parents to review progress of the program in general.

4. Successful Volunteer ProgramsQuality Indicators • Design opportunities for those with limited time and resources to participate by addressing child care, transportation, work schedule needs, and so forth. • Show appreciation for the efforts of the volunteers. • Educate and assist staff members in creating an inviting climate and effectively utilizing volunteer resources. • Ensure that volunteer activities are meaningful and built on volunteer interests and abilities. National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs.

5. Why use Volunteers? • Benefits to studentsinclude enriched learning, individual attention, and positive role models. • Benefits for the school include free workers, community support, and positive public relations. • Benefits for the community include better quality of education, better educated students, and a more responsive school system. • Benefits for the volunteers include learning new skills, becoming more involved in the school and community, and sharing knowledge and talents.

6. Increasing the Potential of Volunteers • “The more adult help in the school, the better—if educators and volunteers can find ways to work • Effectively • Efficiency • Cooperatively”

7. The Volunteer Program Wheel • Stage 1- Plan • Stage 2 - Implement • Stage 3 - Maintain • Stage 4 - Evaluate Taranto, Susanne (1983) Coordinating Your School Volunteer Program

8. Planning • Identify areas of need for involvement. • Develop a goal that has a specific purpose or mission. • Develop a committee that shares in the mission statement. • Survey parents and interested participants. • Select or place someone into a leadership role.

9. Becoming Purposeful • “If parents see no purpose for their participation, they will not volunteer; if they see no benefit, they will not remain. Parents are busy people and selective in committing their time and efforts.” Warner, Carolyn (1997) Everybody’s House - The School House

10. Seven Steps to Becoming Purposeful • Identify needs • SURVEY parents and interested individuals • Compare needs and interests • Set parameters and goals • Continuously recruit • Evaluate • Celebrate

11. Volunteer Job Descriptions Administrative Arts and Crafts Attendance Audio-Visual Classroom Assistance Clerical Classroom Instructional Clinic Community Resource Computer Counselor Creative Writing Career Education Pre K Gifited Field Trips Language Arts Library Listener Math Music PE Special Activities Vocational

12. Implement • Coordinator recriut volunteers. • Offer multipe chances for volunteer training and orientation. • Have staff fill out needs for their class.

13. Maintain • Remember the Three “R’s”: • Recruit • Retain • Recognize ‘s

14. Ways to Recruit Volunteers • Direct Recruitment: Two-way communication between the recruiter and prospective volunteers. Examples - telephone calls, word of mouth, letters, recruitment SURVEYS. • Indirect Recruitment: One-way communication such as flyers, posters, and brochures. • Delegated Recruitment: Recruitment is delegated to outside agencies such as PTA, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).

15. Evaluate • Issue periodic evaluation forms to participants to gain feedback and data from their experience. • Have staff complete evaluation forms that rate the performance of volunteers. • Have the committee evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program. • Plan for the future.

16. Increasing the Potential of Volunteers • Steps to follow: • Secure administrative commitment -- BELIEVE in success. • Generate educator, parent, and community member support. • Identify a capable individual to coordinate volunteers. • Recruit appropriate candidates to be volunteers.

17. Increasing the Potential of Volunteers • Steps to follow: • Orient volunteers to their roles and responsibilities. • Generate a contract with volunteer. • Establish quality control measures. • Periodically conduct evaluations. • Publicly and privately recognize the volunteers—CELEBRATION!! Blank, Mary Ann and Cheryl Kershaw, The Designbook for Building Partnerships

18. Technology used to Organize the Volunteer Program • Samaritan Technologies developed a software solution to organize and coordinate your volunteer program.

19. Technology used to Organize the Volunteer Program Poudre School District, Fort Collins, CO  Where volunteers can look up what is needed. http://psdschools.volunteernow.com/ Where volunteers can sign up http://ec.volunteernow.com/recruiter/index.php?class=VolunteerRegistration&recruiterID=675 Where teachers can look up a volunteer. http://www.psdschools.org/programs/partnership/volresources.aspx

20. Resources • Blank, Mary Ann and Kershaw, Cheryl (2001) The Designbook for Building Partnerships. The Scarecrow Press 2001. • National Parent Teacher Association National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/standards/pfistand4.asp • Taranto, Susanne (1983) Coordinating Your School Volunteer Program VORT Corporation Palo Alto CA. • Warner, Carolyn (1997) Everybody’s House -- The Schoolhouse. Corwin Press, Inc. National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs