When children go off to school, many parents and grandparents are looking for ways to best contribute and support a healthy school environment. A healthy school environment will benefit students and staff and allow for many areas in which to serve as a volunteer. Don’t be intimidated to reach out. Most schools will welcome enthusiastic volunteers with open arms!
- Seek out information. Go right to the source and call the school to ask about your PTA/PTO (Parent Teacher Association/Organization) These organizations aim to improve the school experience for children. A PTA/PTO is made up of parents, teachers, students, administrators, and community leaders who work together to promote family engagement and educational success.
- In the absence of an active PTA/PTO, the school might have a Community School Coordinator or a Family Engagement Specialist that can coordinate volunteers.
- The school might also have a Wellness Team, Leadership Team, or some other group that includes parents and offers support for teachers and enrichment for the students.
- Get the name and contact information for a PTA/PTO representative and reach out.
- Attend a meeting and introduce yourself. Plan to attend with a friend if possible for a little added support!
- Find out what is already in place at the school around school wellness and volunteer to assist where needed.
- Show up ready to contribute. Working together with like-minded parents will lead to some great results.
- Remember the teachers, administration, and support staff as well as the students! Consider ways to promote health and wellness to the entire school community.
Once you have your foot in the door, start thinking about specific ways your PTA/PTO could help support school wellness. These are a few ideas to get you started:
- Wellness Policy - does your school or district have a wellness policy in place? Review the policy/rules in order to understand the current landscape related to wellness.
- Snap-Ed Education - does your school collaborate with Snap-Ed? If so, get the name of the educator and reach out. Snap-Ed educators can use enthusiastic volunteers and input into the specific needs at the site.
- Fundraisers - does the PTA/PTO do any fundraisers throughout the year, selling unhealthy food items? This is an area of wellness often overlooked within the school community. Find ideas for promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and non-food fundraising with this tipsheet.
- Worksite Wellness - don’t forget the staff!
Busy teachers and school support staff rarely have time or energy to focus on self. Our worksite wellness ideas can get you started as a Teacher Wellness Advocate.
- Ask to use this Employee Wellness Interest SURVEY to gauge the interest of the staff.
- Inquire about what is already in place such as a county wide health initiative or other efforts focused on wellness. Bring new ideas and energy to these areas.
- TEXT for wellness is an easy way to create connection with the group. Set a goal and use texting as a way to check in and stay on task.
- BUDDY UP the teachers as grade level groups or a single partner. There is a reason the “Buddy System” still exists-it works! Create grade level challenges and/or personal goals. Buddies can agree on how to communicate to stay accountable.
- Start a WALKING CLUB either before or after school. You can lead the way by getting it started.
Other areas to consider in your work toward wellness:
- Non-food rewards
- Healthy classroom celebrations
- Healthy classroom snacks
- Promoting water
- Connections to the cafeteria
