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Parent Volunteer Room In 2001, Rancho Santa Gertrudes Elementary School in Whittier, California, was identified by the state of California as for the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program. Among many new initiatives, principal Jonathan Vasquez was looking for a way to make volunteering at school easy and comfortable for parents. Vasquez came to understand that while many parents would like to volunteer, they did not feel comfortable participating in the classroom or could not commit to one specific time, so he dedicated a room at the school specifically for parent volunteers. He made it look nice and ensured that it was furnished with Internet accessible computers and printers, a refrigerator, coffee, snacks, and school and office supplies. The room also has a folder with each teacher's name on it and job request forms. Teachers fill out a request for copying, laminating, word processing, etc. along with instructions and materials and place it in a box. Parents come in when they have time and complete as many tasks as they are able. The turnaround time is usually one day. Vasquez also saw that some of his teachers were able to establish a real rapport with parents. He moved one of those teachers to a kindergarten class. Because of the school's a.m./p.m. kindergarten schedule, the teacher could teach kindergarten in the afternoon and help out with parent involvement in the mornings. This teacher got the room organized, helped the other teachers understand the system and trained six active parents. Now these parents run the volunteer room and train new parents. Having a place to gather has helped parents build a sense of community and given them a sense of belonging at the school. In fact, it has helped to create an active Parent Teacher Association at the school. In 2004, Rancho Santa Gertrudes Elementary was identified by the California Department of Education as a Distinguished School and a Title I Achieving School. Related Resource(s): 10 Things Any School Can Do to Build Parent Involvement . . . Plus Five Great Ways to Fail! Seventy-Five Ideas to Build Parent Involvement and Support
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