The Value of Versatility: PTA Programs at Home

If we learned one thing from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that we all needed to take a step back and reconsider how to engage PTA members, students and families in school communities—and that you don’t need a school building to stay connected to your PTA members and your school community.

In response, National PTA has revamped and reimagined our programs to launch PTA Programs at Home—completely customizable program options that you can adapt to meet the unique needs of your school community. You can host an online virtual event, or you can offer program activities for families to complete at their own pace, with or without technology! Choose from STEM + Families Science Festivals at Home, STEM + Families Propelling Our World at HomePTA Connected Smart Talk Program at Home, and Healthy Hydration Program at Home.

Close to 30,000 children, family members, school staff and community members participated in PTA Programs at Home during the 2020-2021 school year. 98% of families that completed the PTA Programs at Home satisfaction survey said that they would like to do more of these activities with their family. That’s amazing and a testament to how engaging the programs are!

The benefits don’t stop there, though. Many PTA leaders reported that their choice to offer PTA Programs at Home led to more parent and caregiver engagement, which led to increased PTA membership. Some PTAs even reported they were able to reach families that had never attended a PTA or school event!

We learned so much from PTA leaders through these new program offerings and want to ensure that everyone throughout our PTA network is aware of just how easy it is to offer PTA Programs at Home. 76% of PTA leaders responded that PTA Programs at Home toolkit and materials were very useful! 74% of PTA leaders found our National PTA technical assistance to be very helpful as well!

That’s right—at National PTA we are always working to provide your PTA with support. When you decide to host PTA Programs at Home, you gain access to technical assistance, networking opportunities with other PTA leaders, grab and drop program materials, an upcoming Programs calendar to help you plan your program year, and storytelling resources to help your PTA tell your story! But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what our PTA Programs at Home participants have to say.

PTA Programs at Home Highlights

Keeth Elementary PTA located in Winter Springs, Fla., ran the PTA Programs at Home STEM + Families Propelling Our World Program this school year, reaching over 700 students and family members. The PTA made the program available for families to participate at their own pace, providing an opportunity for families to do the activities together, building science, technology, engineering and math skills through challenging engineering design challenges. Check out this cool video!

  • Twin Echo School PTA, located in Collinsville, Ill., ran the PTA Programs at Home Healthy Hydration Program. One PTA leader said, “We reached over 450 individuals! Many of our students were unaware of the sugars in their favorite drinks. By educating them and showing them other healthy options through this program, we influenced them to choose healthier options and to choose water!”
  • Hembree Springs Elementary School PTA, located in Rosewell, Ga., was able to engage over 120 students and families through the PTA Programs at Home Science Festival Program. They hosted a live, virtual event and provided activities for families to do while watching at home. Students and families were so excited! One family member was so inspired by the event that they decided to volunteer to be on the PTA Board for the upcoming school year, to ensure that the PTA can continue offering these fun and engaging programs!
  • Lynn Wood Elementary School PTA, located in Broken Arrow, Okla., ran the PTA Programs at Home Smart Talk Program, serving 75 students and family members. With students and families more online than ever before, they knew an event like this was critical. One PTA leader shared, “We believe this program allowed our PTA to facilitate a focused engaging task for families that truly fostered transformative engagement amongst our school community.”

How We PTA: Every Child. One Voice.

As you begin planning for the 2021-2022 school year, remember: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just realign your efforts with the available resources from National PTA to fit the needs of your school community. Check in with your State PTA as well to see if they have additional tools.

Please reach out to National PTA if you need support in determining how PTA Programs at Home can work for your school community!  Follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletters. National PTA has a wealth of information, right at your fingertips. We are here to support you!

Arlington Science Focus School Virtual Family STEM Night 2021

Think you can’t host a family fun night while remote learning? Think again! Arlington Science Focus School, an elementary school in Arlington, Va., hosted its first-ever Virtual Family STEM Night Wednesday, Feb. 17.

The event went off without a hitch thanks to ASFS Investigation Station Lead, Stephanie Lin, the 2020 NOVA District PTA Educator of the Year, and a team of volunteers made up of ASFS teachers, parents, local high school students, and community partners.

Kindergarten through fifth-grade families were able to connect with one another and enjoy an evening of virtual STEM activities and live presentations, all from home. Students joined Microsoft Teams calls to listen to live presenters, watch demonstrations, and participate in a variety of science and engineering stations.

Thanks to the support of the ASFS PTA, families were able to pick up STEM Night supply kits with bags of simple materials needed for each of the experiments, and many of the activities could be completed with supplies found at home.

Some of the night’s highlights included hands-on activities, such as:

  • Building Index Card Towers
  • Creating Ocean Sculptures from recycled materials
  • Building a LED Copper Tape Flashlight
  • Making a Balloon-Powered Boat with a sponge, straw and balloon
  • Creating Underwater Fireworks with oil and food coloring
  • Experimenting with Paper Cup Constellations using a flashlight
  • Making music in the Chrome Music Lab

The event also featured presentations and demonstrations, including:

  • Astronomy presentations by a speaker from NASA
  • ASFS First Lego League Robotics Team demonstration
  • Reptile and amphibian presentation by a nature center representative
  • Space shuttle simulation with the ASFS student Tech Crew
  • STEM career talks by a Bioinformaticist, Computer Scientist, Environmental Engineer, Forester and Sustainability Analyst

Although the virtual experience was not the same as the annual science fair typically held at school, it was great to see so many families engaging and participating in this school-wide event and enjoying STEM in this virtual world.

Two of the most popular STEM activities from the night were National PTA STEM @ Home activities: STEM @ Home Experiment 2: Ballon Boat and STEM @ Home Experiment 5: Copper Tape Flashlights. For the Balloon Boat, many students filled up their sinks or bathtubs with water and enjoyed watching their boats travel. Siblings loved racing their boats against each other. With the Copper Tape Flashlight, students were amazed that the LED light could light up with simple household materials, and they loved how bright it was!

Interested in hosting your own virtual STEM night? Check out National PTA’s STEM @ Home page for more information.

ASFS Family STEM Night Photos