Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a PTA?
   A PTA unit is a local, self-governing membership association whose main purpose is to promote the health, welfare, safety and education of children and youth in the home, school, community, and place of worship. PTAs traditionally work within a school community, although there are examples of non school based PTAs working for children in other settings. (http://www.wastatepta.org/faq/faq.htm)
    

2. Why Join a PTA?
   One important reason to join PTA is that PTA is the only group whose exclusive interest is the health, welfare, safety and education of your children. Children cannot vote, and are not organized and do not participate in the legislative process. Thus, they have no say in creating the policies that affect their lives and well-being. PTA allows you to speak for the interest of your children when you cannot be there yourself. Whether in Washington DC, Olympia, or in your own city government offices -- everywhere decisions are made that affect your children, PTA is there speaking on behalf of your children. This has always been and will always be a central focus of PTA. In 1937, PTA was advocating for child labor laws. Today the issues are equally important for our children -- internet safety, youth violence, levy/bond election, education reform, school class size and many more.
   
   Another compelling reason to join your local PTA unit is that every study ever conducted on the relationship between student performance and parent involvement in education shows that when parents are involved in education, student academic performance improves. Involvement in PTA allows you not only to be involved in your child's education, but also allows you to get to know their teachers better and become more familiar with the school and what goes on there. It also allows you to get to know the parents of your children's classmates better. Even if you don't have a great deal of time to devote to PTA activities, by becoming a member and attending meetings you are showing your children that you believe their school and their education is important.
   
   Lastly and perhaps most importantly, your membership in PTA has a direct impact on your children and the quality of their school. PTA has the ability, more than any other organization, to make a school a better place for your children to learn. PTAs do this by addressing the needs of their individual schools. By becoming a PTA member, you can help identify those needs and develop solutions that may include: making the school safer, becoming more technologically advanced, being more tolerant to others' differences, and bringing enriched educational opportunities to the school. (http://www.wastatepta.org/faq/faq.htm)
    

3. How do PTAs Help Kids?
   PTA's mission is to "Build a Better World for Children." Here are just some examples of how individual PTAs from around the state are fulfilling that mission in their own communities:

   • Providing enrichment programs for children -- PTAs offer enrichment opportunities for children. These opportunities include providing after-school tutoring; foreign language classes; hosting a career day by bringing in a variety of professionals to talk to kids about their jobs and what it takes to do their jobs; encouraging children to write articles and poems and publishing them in a special magazine; and organizing an on-going after-school science enrichment program for all students at the school. Because each PTA chooses its own enrichment programs based on the needs of their community, there are as many different enrichment opportunities provided by PTAs as there are individual PTAs in this state.

   • Providing parenting classes for their community -- Many PTAs provide parenting education in conjunction with their meetings, including such topics as parent involvement in education, understanding learning styles, building children's self-esteem, helping your child succeed in school, and youth violence prevention.

   • Influencing legislation on behalf of children -- Some PTAs advocate for local issues that affect the children in their community. In the past, individual PTAs have advocated for mandating bicycle helmet usage in their community, advocated for increased pedestrian safety laws, and advocated for safer yard maintenance at school by eliminating the use of pesticides, to name a few.

   • Making the school a better place to learn -- PTAs have purchased and donated computers, playground equipment, and volunteered countless hours in the classroom and in conjunction with programs and activities. (http://www.wastatepta.org/faq/faq.htm)
      

4. What is the Washington State PTA?
   When you join PTA, you join a local PTA unit. Your local PTA unit is a member of the Washington State PTA. The State PTA is the common thread that links nearly 900 local PTA units throughout the state. This thread is what gives PTA clout and prestige to influence state laws, policies and attitudes affecting your children.
   
   The State PTA exists to provide local PTA units and their members with services, material, and information to enable parents to protect and nurture your children in their schools and your communities. Specifically, some of the services provided by the Washington State PTA include: a daily representation in Olympia and at regulatory agencies where decisions are being made that will affect your children; leadership training; a website with parenting resources, the Child Advocate magazine; and quality leadership materials. (http://www.wastatepta.org/faq/faq.htm)
    

5. What is the National PTA?
   National PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States. PTA is a leader in reminding our nation of its obligations to children. PTA has nearly 6.5 million members nationwide.
   
   The mission of National PTA is threefold:

• to support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.

• to assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; and

• to encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.
  (http://www.wastatepta.org/faq/faq.htm)

6. Am I obligating myself to anything if I join the Daybreak PTA?
   Nope! You decide just how involved you want to be as a Daybreak PTA member. You can tell us about your availability when you fill out the Membership Form.
    
7. Do I have to attend the general meetings as a Daybreak PTA member?
   Nope! Attending the general meetings is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged.
    
8. I have children attending both the Daybreak primary and middle schools. Do I have to join two PTAs?
   Nope! The Daybreak PTA includes all participating parents from both schools.
    
9. What are Daybreak PTA membership dues used for?
   Off the top, $6.50 of each membership is paid in dues to the Washington State PTA. The remaining funds help the PTA pay for project supplies, materials for special events, fees and insurance, training, web site hosting fees, printing costs, and so on. For specific financial details, become a PTA member and check out the Members Only area of the web site.
    
10. Do I have to live in Battle Ground or have children attending Daybreak to become a member?
    Nope! Anyone who wants to join the PTA and help support our community is welcome.
     
11. I work for a company that would like to get involved. What can my company do?
    By law, businesses cannot be members of a PTA. Instead, we ask that willing participants become "Supporting Contributors" that donate funds rather than purchase memberships. There is an option for this type of partnership on the Membership Form.
     
12. What are the benefits of becoming a Daybreak PTA member?
    You mean, in addition to the warm fuzzies you'll have knowing that you're doing good things for the children of the Daybreak Schools? Okay, okay. Check this out.
     
13. How do I become a member of the Daybreak PTA?
    Complete the membership form here, then submit your form by email or print and return it with your dues to your child's teacher or either of the school offices. You can also mail your membership form and dues to us:

Daybreak PTA
2210 W Main St., Ste. 107, #386
Battle Ground, WA 98604