Outreach is a commitment to create an inviting climate, to form respectful relationships and to share important information about PTA with all community members. Outreach includes efforts that focus on enlisting the participation of all parents, students, and community members in the educational process, and establishing collaborative relationships focused on positive impacts by:
- Using languages represented within your community at your meetings and in your communications.
- Working to build representative leadership and voice within your PTA of all community groups. The makeup of your board members should reflect the makeup of your school community.
- Understanding that everyone has value.
- Assessing your outreach success regularly. Are there new board members and new members at your meetings that represent all parts of your community?
- Including students, teachers, community and extended family members.
Inclusion is a commitment to involve the entire school community in planning, as well as enjoying, PTA programs and activities. Bringing in many different views is the key to building a robust and meaningful PTA in your community. Members come with their own views, experiences, cultural heritage and traditions, skills and abilities, values and preferences. California’s public schools are a rich weave of these diverse threads, and their PTAs must be as well. Discrimination or prejudice, even behind closed doors, cannot be tolerated.
To be inclusive:
- Recognize that involvement of diverse populations enriches PTA activities and enhances the wellbeing of all children and youth.
- Listen to all voices so that your PTA can be an effective voice for ALL children.
- Celebrate diversity. Break down barriers that discourage people or minimize their involvement.
- Include in your active membership a representation of all ethnic, cultural, religious, economic and social groups in the community.
- Ask: Are there large underrepresented groups of California’s population missing from your PTA’s active membership? Is there enough representation from all groups to give an understanding needed to be advocates for all children? Does your PTA seek a diverse membership?
