Teachers often need assistance in the classroom, especially for elementary grades. It can be beneficial for a child’s learning experience to have a parent present along the way. Many parents want to be involved with their child’s academic life as well. Those that desire to help out when it comes to school and educational activities should consider asking the teacher or school authorities if there is a way you can get more involved with the school. Most of the time schools are inviting and enjoy when parents want to be included.

Whether it be chaperoning an event or assisting with snacks and reading, there are ways you can get involved with your child’s class and learning experience. Here are 7 different ways you can be of service to their school.

1. Be a class parent

A class parent is an overall job for those who want to help out at school. Teachers are always in need of an extra set of hands, especially at elementary levels. This role includes various things, from providing healthy snacks for class celebrations to reading and assisting with projects. If you want to a basic parent job at the school, being a class parent may be ideal for you.

2. Assist with extracurriculars

If you want to be an even more active parent for your child’s school you, you can volunteer to assist with extracurricular activities. These usually happen after school and are usually activities that will boost your child’s educational experience. These activities usually are positive ways students can find hobbies and interests all while getting a sense of belonging. This can also include recess monitoring when a teacher needs to get some work done and requires assistance with intervals of the day.

Whether the extracurricular activity is academic-related or athletics, being involved as a parent may make your child feel more comfortable and create a mutual understanding of their interests and what they enjoy doing.

3. Be a reader in a reading partners program

Reading to a class is a nice way to get involved with your child’s school. This way is efficient and easy to do, so if you don’t want to deal with the demand and responsibility of other ways you can get involved, opting for reading aloud to the class may be ideal for you. You will be helping the class build their reading and apprehension skills by reading to them. You will have to have a well-speaking voice and read fluently with proper pronunciation and enunciation.

There are programs available at many schools that allow members of the community to offer their reading skills to elementary students. If you desire to be involved, ask your child’s teacher if they have a program that is similar. You can also ask other teachers about their reading programs if you really want to be a part of the school.

4. Start a book club

Book clubs are also fun ways to get involved with your child’s educational experience. You can do this with fellow parents or just the children. You can choose what book you think will be best but make sure to run it by the teachers and officials to make sure it abides policy. This is a good way for parents to get involved with other students at the school. You can truly make an impact on students with this way of getting involved.

5. Chaperone field trips

Field trips are exciting experiences, especially for your child. If you want to experience what they do, volunteer to chaperone a field trip or classroom outing. Whether the field trip is a park visitor requires a bus ride, there will be a need for chaperones and many teachers look to the parent for help. Elementary kids can be a hand full and having help surely relieves some of the pressure from teachers and gives the parent an insight into their children’s academic experiences.

If you have ideas about field trips you can also pitch those to your child’s teacher or school official. You will have to have your details together though. You will have to determine if getting a school bus is necessary for transportation, how it is educational, how much it will cost, and other logistics that surround school field trips.

6. Participate in fundraisers

School fundraising is prominent in schools and almost always suggest parents help their children raise the money. If you want to be involved but don’t necessarily want to be in an elementary school environment, helping your child fundraise may be the ideal way for you. You can also be involved physically at the school too. It just depends on the type of fundraiser the school is having. School fundraising is very beneficial to the school and they often receive praise from both administrators and parents. There are many different types of fundraisers that your child’s school could be having, here are a few popular ones:

• Bake-sales
• Car washes
• Silent auctions
• Yard sale
• Read-a-thons
• Bookfair
• Cookie dough fundraiser

7. Attend Board of Education meetings

If you want to seriously impact on how your child is educated and how they are dealt with during school hours, you should consider attending Board of Education meetings to voice your opinion. They are usually held during the evening and discuss everything about education from school programs to facilities and student recognition. You can gain much insight into what is happening within the school district.

If you must know everything that goes on with the schools in your area, visit a Board of Education meeting and you will find out. You’ll have time to see what will be discussed beforehand so you can determine which meetings you want to attend or not.