We’re thrilled to begin this new year with all of you—whether you're returning or joining us for the first time! Our mission statement is: PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child. 

 

Advocacy is at the heart of PTA and we need voices. Members = Voices. The more members we have, the more voices there are, and the louder and stronger our advocacy becomes on the local, state, and national levels. Remember “everychild.onevoice”.

 

Your leadership, dedication, and willingness to step up will make all the difference. 

 

Your energy and enthusiasm will inspire others to get involved, and we are excited to see what we will accomplish together.

Involving children in PTA—often through student memberships—offers meaningful benefits. It fosters a sense of belonging, encourages early participation in school activities, and helps nurture leadership skills. Students gain firsthand insight into how PTA supports their school and community, and they directly benefit from the initiatives and programs PTA helps fund.

 

Seeing peers and the adults in their lives actively advocate on their behalf can inspire youth to advocate for themselves and to be an active participant in their community.

Have a Successful Back to School Season

Is your school hosting a Fall Open House or Back to School Night? Here are some quick tips to make it a successful event for your PTA unit!

 

🌱Have plenty of Membership Forms, pens and some money to make change.

 

🌱Use the Why PTA flyer (available to customize on our NYS PTA Membership Toolkit page) to hand out and explain all that your PTA unit does for the children in your school (e.g. book fairs, scholarships, reflections, arts in education programs, etc). 

 

🌱Have a “quick and easy” flyer that includes your unit’s meeting dates and times for the year, save the dates for major fundraisers, social media handles, and a QR code to become a member.

 

🌱Read a bit about NYS PTA’s and National PTA’s advocacy work! That can help you answer that hard question - “ what does PTA do?” 

🌱Continue to finalize your membership plans for this year. For fresh campaign ideas from around New York State or for help from a PTA friend, check out the NYS PTA Leaders Facebook Group.

September means the kids are back to school, though many PTAs have been hard at work through the summer to prepare for the year ahead.

 

Our brand-new Horizon Award encouraged units to submit their membership themes and campaign plans by August 31st, and we can’t wait to see how leaders across the state plan to “Grow With Us” throughout the year.

 

Whether it’s a New Parent Tea, Know Your School Night, or Open House, events at the start of the school year present the perfect opportunity for your unit to promote why membership is so important.

 

Have a table ready with paper forms, a QR code or mobile card reader for digital payment options, and a list of programs and events made possible by your PTA. You can also try some of the following:

• Host a Boohoo/Yahoo breakfast for Kindergarten parents experiencing sadness (boohoo) or excitement (yahoo) - or a mixture of both - to build community. Encourage experienced PTA volunteers to connect with new parents and explain the benefits of getting involved. 
• Create an exclusive discount code on Givebacks available only to paid PTA members. This can apply to spirit wear or event admission, not memberships.

Membership Mondays Continue

Membership Monday Zoom Schedule & Registration links

WATCH FOR OUR NEW Lunch and Learn!

New this year! We will be recording small training videos that run at most 1-2 minutes in length. So be sure to join the NYS PTA Facebook Leaders Group here.

Videos will be released periodically throughout the year and will only be accessible on Facebook through NYS PTA Leaders Group.

2025-2026 Membership Awards have some changes to the previous year's awards. Please review our monthly newsletter every month to see what is coming up next and learn what criteria your PTA needs to achieve in order to earn a Membership Award. You can also read about each Membership Award on our website nyspta.org/membership-awards-2025-26/

To be eligible for any award your PTA must be "In Good Standing" as described in bylaws and Resource Guide. This means that your PTA's:

1. State/National dues paid for at least 25 members* 
2. Insured with the AIM NYS PTA Insurance package
3. Bylaws that are not expired
4. 990 Filing is current and IRS Exemption not Revoked**
5. Officers updated with current school year in Givebacks
6. President and Treasurer have completed the new Financial Accountability training*

• Check out the Membership Resource Guide for all sorts of tips and helpful ideas. (This section will be updated soon!)
• Use the “Why PTA” flyer [(Canva) (Word)], and have plenty of copies available to hand out that explain all that YOUR PTA does for the children in your school (cultural arts programs, reflections, book fairs, scholarships, etc...).
• Put a Customized PTA Logo on all your communications so that everyone knows "PTA did this!"
• Check out NYS PTA and National PTA websites to learn about the advocacy that takes place. Knowing a little can help you answer that hard question -  "what does PTA do?"
• You can find past newsletter editions in our archive here!

NYS PTA Membership Team invites you to join our statewide units

NYS Pride PTSA and Empire State PTSA!