How to Volunteer at a Kid’s School When You Don’t Have Time
During the school year, my son’s school required volunteers for more activities and activities than I could remember. They need volunteers to do the PTA. Complete food tables at the annual Donuts With Dad and Muffins With Mom events. Observe a group of second graders at the science center (not to mention the round trip bus). To help the kids put on their costumes before the Halloween parade and to plan and host the Spring Carnival.
It takes a village to raise these kids, and yet sometimes we find ourselves in a season where we might want to volunteer for all of this (or part of it), but we just don’t have the time. There are still ways to get involved and help that don’t require you to come in and out of the office anytime during the work day.
Be a material sponsor
I was a preschool mom who appears in kindergarten as “Mystery Reader of the Week” and accompanies a class trip to the pumpkin patch. I have had years in which my work schedule allowed for this flexibility, and knowing that many other parents do not have this option, I suggested my time whenever possible.
But in recent years, things have changed for me, and as the amount of time I can spend at school decreases, my donations for everything teachers need have increased. I send in materials for every school holiday, buy candy for fundraising, ship tissue boxes and containers of antibacterial tissues, and save stacks of newspapers and plastic bottle caps for art projects. It takes me less minutes, but still allows me to contribute.
Help behind the scenes
One of the biggest time-consuming things for a teacher is endless preparation. If your daytime hours are already busy, but you have some time in the evening to relax in front of the TV, ask your child’s teacher if there is anything they would like to send home so you can help prepare. An extra pair of hands is almost always welcome for cutting out letters or shapes for projects, sorting and sewing paper bags, or preparing materials for work.
Combine your time
If physical presence at school is important to you, but you cannot skip work at every last event, try to do everything at once. Daisy Wademan Dowling, founder and CEO of Workparent , writes in the Harvard Business Review that parents can try to plan ahead and “bundle” all their volunteering into one day.
Plan a personal day or day off in advance and use it exclusively for school volunteer work. Maybe you’ll be your daughter’s second grade reading assistant in the morning, walk through the neighborhood school security patrol in the afternoon, and take minutes from the 5:00 pm PTA fundraising committee meeting. When the day is over, rejoice in the knowledge that your annual contribution has been fully and efficiently paid.
Or just not
If all goes according to plan, your child will be in school for 13 years (not counting kindergartens, preschool and any higher education). And yes, those years will fly by, but there are still many of them. At some point, you’ll find a way to contribute, even if it’s not right now. If you’re just stretching too thin, you can afford to get off the hook.
Just be sure to thank the parents from the bottom of your heart, who always seem to be hosting holiday parties or volunteering to bicker with the kids on their last excursion. They will appreciate being recognized for their contributions, and one day you will be able to contribute when they cannot.