School Grants from Action for Healthy Kids—Made for You

Friday, April 6, 2018 – Applications due

School Grants from Action for Healthy Kids—Made for You

OK, so you’re ready to make change happen at school! Despite wanting to do what’s best for students’ health, many schools lack the necessary resources to implement health and wellness practices that help students eat better and stay physically active. Action for Healthy Kids has provided $7.7 million in grants to schools since 2009 to help them accomplish their student wellness goals.

We are pleased to offer Parents for Healthy Kids Grants for the 2018-2019 school year. These grants, which are sponsored by ALDI, are designed for parents or parent groups (e.g. PTAs, PTOs, other) to lead school-based physical activity and nutrition initiatives and to engage more parents in student and family health.

Grants up to $1,000 are available for K-12 schools in the following states: AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OHIO, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV. Schools with greater than 50% of students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals may receive priority, as well as schools located within 15 miles of an ALDI store, but all schools are encouraged to apply.

Want to learn more? Review the application and application instructions. 

View our Parents for Healthy Kids grant webinar to learn more.

How to Apply

1. Review the application and application instructions.
2. Register for the grant webinar to learn about specific grant details and eligibility requirements and receive helpful tips for applying.
3. We recommend you complete a paper application with your school health team prior to submitting your application online. Once the paper application is complete, it will take ~30 minutes to submit online. (No school health team? Learn how to start one or contact schoolgrants@actionforhealthykids.org for support.)
4. Log in or create an account on the Action for Healthy Kids school portal. Applications must be submitted online. 
5. Once there, connect your account with the school(s) for which you are applying. To do this, click on My Profile, then the Add or Manage Schools button.
6. Click on Grants, and select the Parents for Healthy Kids grant. Then, complete your application!

Deadlines

•    Monday, February 5, 2018 – School portal opens to accept applications
•    Friday, April 6, 2018 – Applications due
•    Monday, May 14, 2018 – Award notifications  
•    Friday, May 25, 2018 – School Terms and Conditions due

If your school is interested in a School Breakfast or Game On (geared toward school professionals and school health teams for nutrition and physical activity initiatives) grant, visit ActionforHealthyKids.org/Grants to learn more.

Resources

In case you missed our webinar on applying for Parents for Healthy Kids grants, you can find the recording and slides to help guide your application.

Questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions prior to applying.
Contact your AFHK State Coordinator or  SchoolGrants@ActionforHealthyKids.org.

Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award

• Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award

National PTA is now accepting applications for the 2018 Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award. This award recognizes PTAs that best demonstrate outstanding achievement in the areas of diversity and inclusion, as well as efforts to end discriminatory practices.

The award will be presented to one state PTA, one district/council/region PTA and one local PTA at the 2018 Annual National PTA Convention and Expo, June 21 – 24, 2018 in New Orleans, LA.

Winners Will Receive:

• $1,000 cash award
• 1 Plaque/Trophy
• Honored at the D&I Breakfast at the National PTA Convention
• Honored at the Awards Program at the National PTA Convention
• 2 tickets to the Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast at National PTA Convention
• 2 tickets to the Awards Dinner at National PTA Convention (1 person recognized on stage and individuals must be the same as those attending the breakfast)
• Potential opportunity to be a speaker at the Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast
• Certificates for PTA members named in the application

Who Should Apply?:

• PTAs with proven efforts in welcoming diverse members of their community.
• PTAs who have effectively hosted multicultural events to engage diverse communities.
• PTAs that have been able to recognize and address issues regarding bias, prejudice and misunderstanding to promote diversity and inclusion.
• PTAs who have effectively partnered with community organizations to increase brand awareness of PTA in their community including underrepresented groups.
• PTAs who have made meaningful connections with key members of the community to impact membership and volunteerism.
• PTAs who have increased the diversity of their board.
• PTAs who have had success in diversifying their membership.
• PTAs interested in continuing to grow their initiatives and efforts to expand their outreach.

Instructions - Requirement - Preview:

• Review full application (.PDF) for all criteria and details:
• 2018 Jan Harp Domene Award Application (FULL)
• Aplicación para el Premio Jan Harp Domene 2018 en Español (COMPLETA)

• Preview application form (.PDF)
  • English Preview 
  • Vista Previa en Español

Ready to Apply?  

Once you have gathered all of the components, submit your application online by the deadline of Saturday, March 31, 2018, 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. Remember to save your narrative document for your records.

• English Application  
• Aplicación en Español

Questions?

Email Diversity@PTA.org or call (800) 307-4PTA (4782).

Public School Is What You Make of It

Source: National PTA One Voice Blog

Public Schools Week is March 12-16. Show your support for our nation’s public schools by sharing stories like the one below on how public schools have positively impacted your child’s life using #LovePublicEducation and #PublicSchoolsWeek.

On her first day of kindergarten, I dutifully loaded my precious five-year-old Ashley onto a big yellow bus to head to school. She was thrilled, carrying her new lunchbox and proudly showing off a backpack that was bigger than she was! She looked so small, and so brave, waving from the bus window. My eyes welled up with tears on the walk back to my house. When I walked inside I went straight to the envelope the PTA gave me to open when we attended orientation two days earlier. It said, “Open AFTER Your Child Leaves for School.” It was a bag filled with 3 things: a tissue, a tea bag and a cotton ball. The enclosed note read:

“Thank you for entrusting your child to us. We will do our best every day to keep them safe and help them grow in knowledge. After you have wiped your tears, make yourself a warm cup of tea. Hold the cotton ball in your hand and let it remind you of the gentle spirit of your child. We will be here to partner with you to grow them to their full potential.” The backside of the thoughtful note said, “volunteering in our school is a great way to be near your children.”

They didn’t have to ask me twice! If the doors were open, I wanted to be at the school—whether it was making copies, reading to different classes, playing on the ball field or serving as a lunch monitor. I quickly learned that lots of parents in my community felt the same way I did. There were so many parent volunteers at the school that they had to draw names for folks that chaperoned field trips and worked field day. PTA was booming there! I assumed every school was like that. I quickly learned otherwise.

For reasons too many and far too long ago to recount, my husband and I separated during Ashley’s kindergarten year. Our divorce was final that summer. We didn’t do everything right as divorced parents, but we both committed to ensuring that the girls knew they were loved and that this was not about them. At the beginning of each school year, I sent a note to the girl’s teachers, advising them that they lived with me, but that their Dad was an important and active part of their lives. They were free to contact either of us and were assured that any information given to one parent would be shared with the other parent. Their father and I attended teacher conferences together, and that shared commitment despite our divorce seemed to motivate the girls to excellence.

A couple years later, life changed. I met my husband, Jerry. When we decided to get married he wanted the girls and I to move to his home. That meant leaving the community where all our friends and neighbors were, and worse, it meant leaving the elementary school where the girls were thriving. I researched the school where they would relocate and didn’t see high test scores or graduation rates. There was also no evidence of a parent volunteer presence. I talked with Jerry about my concerns, and he said that if parent involvement was so important, an active PTA should be able to change everything.

He challenged me to practice what I was preaching and after our wedding, I enrolled the girls at their new school for the fall. Ashley was in the second grade, and Katie was beginning kindergarten. I started as a room mom and worked my way up to the President of their PTA. As I formed friendships with other parent volunteers, and the PTA grew in membership, I saw that school truly come to life! Parents filled the halls, and could be seen sporting spirit t-shits at every corner. We made community business partners and raised funds to compliment the learning in the kids’ classrooms. We built an outdoor classroom, supplied microscopes, hired the Chattahoochee Nature center to come do in class field trips about bats, echolocation, stalagmites and stalactites. We even helicopter-landed “Jake the Flying Tiger,” a beloved children’s book character, in for Read Across America week. The change was alive and evident. The results spoke not only in the test scores; the pride was evident in the community surrounding the school.

Both of my girls graduated at the top of their respective classes. While I am very proud of their accomplishments, I am even more proud of the network of love, support and encouragement that saw them through all their years at public school. More than money, that support network makes the biggest difference in the lives of our children.

Lisa-Marie Haygood is a member of the National PTA Legislation Committee.

Ohio PTA Job Positions!

Executive Director/Office Manager

Job Description

Ohio PTA seeks a motivated, self-directed, articulate professional who believes in the mission of PTA.  The Executive Director/Office Manager’s role is to manage the day-to-day operations of our central office and support the Board and constituent PTA units. This is a “hands-on” position in the two-person office of a small member-based non-profit organization in Columbus.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES and ACCOUNTABILITIES:

ADMINISTRATIVE/MANAGEMENT

·         Maintains and manages member database

·        Manages correspondence, phone calls, and emails and responds appropriately

·         Staffs office

·         Contract negotiation for facility and equipment

·         Handles employee benefits and work reports

·         Supervises Administrative Assistant

BOARD RELATIONS

·         Executive Committee invitee

·         Member of the Convention Planning Committee

·         Compiles reports for the Executive Committee as requested

·         Provides copies for Board and events as needed

·       Maintains Board of Directors biographical and statistical information and compiles resources for new board members

·       Supports and advises Board of Director Committees

MARKETING/PR

·         Maintains and updates website

·         Manages all aspects of the Ohio PTA newsletter

·         Research, development and marketing for donors and sponsors

PTA UNIT SUPPORT

·        Advises units and refers to appropriate district advisor or director as necessary

·     Researches, coordinates and communicates with IRS, Ohio Attorney General and Secretary of   State to maintain Ohio PTA and constituent organizations’ legal status as 501c3 nonprofits

NATIONAL PTA

·    Submits reports and data required for Ohio PTA compliance with National PTA Standards of Affiliation

·         Maintains a good working relationship with National PTA officers and staff

·         Keeps current on National PTA initiatives through conference calls, emails and pta.org

EXTERNAL COMMITTEES

·         Represents Ohio PTA with partner organizations at the direction of the president

 ANNUAL PROJECTS/RESPONSIBILITIES

·         Reflections Program judging and administration

·         Ohio PTA Convention (exhibitors, hotel contract, convention program)

Structure and Salary

This is a full-time salaried position. Work hours are generally Monday through Friday 8-5 with weekend hours for designated events

Qualifications

•  Bachelor’s Degree
•  Non-profit management is an asset
•  Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills
•  Ability  to  work  independently,  unsupervised  and  make  decisions  and  solve  problems   effectively and creatively
•  Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team and developing effective working        relationships with staff, Board members and external partner organizations
•  Extensive computer skills including proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and        ability to work with nonprofit databases, website content, social media, email, and internet
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent customer service mentality
• Experience in grant writing and donor/sponsor development is a plus
• Experience in marketing is preferred

Please send a letter of interest and resume to Susan Hans at president@ohiopta.org

 The target start date for the Executive Director is June 11, 2018.

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Administrative Assistant

Job Description

Ohio PTA seeks a motivated, self-directed, articulate professional who believes in the mission of PTA. The Administrative Assistant’s role is to maintain the day-to-day financial operations of our central office and support the Board and constituent PTA units. This is a “hands-on” position in the two-person office of a small member-based non-profit organization in Columbus.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES and ACCOUNTABILITIES:

ADMINISTRATIVE/FINANCIAL

• Maintains member/financial database (NOAH)

• Responsible for payables and receivables

• Processes Gold Key, Achievement Awards

• Assists with correspondence, phone calls and emails and responds appropriately

• Staffs office on a part-time basis during business hours

BOARD RELATIONS

• Compiles regular budget and membership reports and other reports for the Board as requested

• Provides copies for Board and events as needed

• Supports and advises the Budget/Investment, and Scholarship Committees

• Facilitates Board of Directors Accommodations

PTA UNIT SUPPORT

• Responds to unit questions and refers to Executive Director or appropriate district advisor or director as necessary

Annual Projects/Responsibilities

• Administers Helping Hands and Outstanding Educator Awards

• Administers the Scholarship Program

• Ohio PTA Convention registration

Structure and Salary

This is a part-time position for 20-24 hours per week with weekend hours for designated events

Qualifications

• High School Graduate/GED

• Financial administration or bookkeeping experience

• Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills

• Ability to work independently and make decisions

• Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team and developing effective working            relationships with staff and Board members

• Extensive computer skills including proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Quick     Books and ability to work with nonprofit membership databases, email, and internet

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Excellent customer service mentality

Please send a letter of interest and resume to Susan Hans at president@ohiopta.org

The target start date for the Administrate Assistant is May 14, 2018.