This Sunday, October 5, local parents and educators are invited to attend the the first-ever, city-wide NYC PTA Expo! This day-long event, presented by Town Square, will provide PTA members and other parents with essential PTA info (from fundraising to parent involvement) as well as great networking opportunities.
We checked in with with Susan Anderson, founder of Town Square–a community-based organization dedicated to enriching the Williamsburg and Greenpoint community–to discuss what’s on deck for the Expo.
New York Family is proud to be a media sponsor of such a great event and idea.
What are the main components of the Expo, and what are the must-see attractions for parents?
One key component is the four informative workshops:
1. “ABCs FOR PTAs,” lead by Cathy Carlson, Past-President, Staten Island Federation of PTAs, and Rachel Fine, Co-Founder of PTAlink.
2. “Fundraising 101,” lead by Jean Joachim, Past-PTA President of PS 87 and Author of Beyond the Bake Sale: The Ultimate School Fund-Raising Book.
3. “Participatory Budgeting, A Great Source of $$ for Schools!” featuring Lisa Bloodgood, PB Project Director for NYC District 33, CM Levin & Ava Farkas, PB Project Coordinator for NYC District 34, CM Reynoso.
4. “501(c)(3) Basics” lead by Neil Stevenson, Senior Staff Attorney of Lawyers Alliance for New York.
Another vital component is the many networking opportunities for parents and educators. PTAs will meet almost 50 companies, consultants, government agencies, and other organizations. PTAs will meet other councils from all over NYC. At present count, over 40 schools have registered, with more expected over the next several days.
Other speakers include: NYS Senator Martin Dilan, NYS Senator Daniel Squadron, NYS Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, NYC Councilman Stephen Levin, NYC Councilman Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, Deputy Borough President, Diana Reyna.
There’s also long list of great exhibitors who you can find at our website.
What do you hope parents and teachers will take away from the Expo?
We hope that parents and teachers from different schools will connect and develop longstanding relationships. There is no reason for PTAs to recreate the wheel when they can share and leverage their respective experiences. The Expo’s goal is to educate, inform and connect PTAs across our city.
Is this just for Brooklyn-based PTAs, or for PTAs all across the city?
The Expo is for PTAs all across the city. Schools from all over Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens have registered for this Sunday’s expo.
How will the Expo help current and future students?
We hope that the knowledge and information gained from the Expo will enable PTAs to be more effective in developing and executing their goals.
Do you think that PTAs don’t collaborate enough with the school system? Why do you think this breakdown in communication happens?
PTAs are comprised of dedicated parents and educators who are volunteering their limited free time to help their schools. It’s not a ‘breakdown in communication;’ rather it is simply a matter of not having enough time in a day to learn about available resources and gain the necessary experience to effectively run a PTA and achieve their many goals. We hope to facilitate this process by bringing together resources, information, products, ideas, and experiences to one venue and thereby, help our hardworking PTAs move up the learning curve quickly and thereby, help their schools more effectively.
The Expol will take place from 12-5pm at the George H. Lindsay Elementary School in Williamsburg. For more info, visit nycptaexpo.com.
Interested in the Expo? You can still purchase tickets ($15 individual, $25 PTA) here.
