Room Parent Obligations

5/17/2018 3:59 pm

"I was room mom this year and out of 24 sets of parents I had 4 that would volunteer to help with parties. I could not get donations, money, emails, or support at all. One parent said that I was responsible for using my own money to support the class. In 19 years of having kids in public schools and being room mom, this was definitely my first experience with a lack of support. I will go into the role next year with some clear expectations given out at back to school night!" 5/4/2018

First, THANK YOU for being a room parent this year and DOUBLE THANK YOU for considering doing it again next year! Room parents are incredibly important because they are the primary liaison between the teacher, the parents, and the PTO.

Second, the PTO, the teachers, and the school definitely DO NOT expect room parents to use their own money to support the class. Every class is different and our room parents report varying degrees of participation each year. Some room parents have said they have success collecting money* once at the beginning of the school year so they know how much they have to work with for the class parties and gifts for the rest of the year. Some room parents prefer to collect no money and create sign-up sheets for specific items as needed for class parties and gifts, acknowledging that if the item doesn't get sent in, that activity won't happen. Being flexible with your plans and having an inexpensive (free is even better!), last-minute backup plan are key to your sanity as a Room Parent! 

At the beginning of each school year, the VP of Membership and the Room Parent Coordinators hold a meeting for all Room Parents. This is a great opportunity to understand the expectations for this role and to share ideas with other Room Parents. We encourage same grade level Room Parents to share their contact information so they can stay in touch about what other classes are doing - consistency among classrooms within the same grade level will help other parents, too!

* If an individual decides that they want to collect money, they must explicitly state to the parents that they are collecting money as an individual and not as a representative of Sunset Elementary or the PTO. It is against policy for the PTO to collect money for teacher gifts. Therefore, it must be explicitly stated that money is not being collected by the school or the PTO, but rather is being collected by an individual volunteering to organize and purchase supplies/food/gifts on behalf of the group. It is strongly encouraged that the individual also keep a detailed account of any money collected and how it is spent, which he/she can provide upon request.