Tips to make the most of the new school year.

Room parenting can be a wonderful way to participate in your young child's school life. Not only can you bask in the warmth of your child's smile as you walk into the classroom, but room parenting also gives you an opportunity to meet other families and meet your child's classmates. With a little organization, a lot of delegation, and open communication, it can be a very rewarding and fun experience.

Below are some important and easy tips from veteran room parents on how to make room parenting enjoyable while maintaining your sanity.

1. Communicate clearly. Parents actually love to help, but most of the time, they just don't know what to do and where. Busy parents just don't have the time nor patience to dig through stuff or inquire about how to help in the classroom - so spell it out clearly and have it easily available.

Do not send out a general email that says 'Volunteers needed for September.' Trust me no one will sign up.

2. Setup an online group site and email. Utilize the Internet and set up a classroom site on the Internet. With a shared calendar, online sign-up sheets, shared to-do lists, roster management, photo sharing, etc. Online group sites are the best and easiest way to keep everyone on the same page and informed.

Some of the newer services like Qlubb also have integrated email distribution lists that help remind parents of particular events or tasks.

3. Don't spam. While email is very tempting as a communication tool, do not send out more than one room parent-related email to the parent group. Any more than that, parents will tune your email out ("mental spam filter"). Keep emails short and concise with links to sign-up sheets, calendars, and other needed information.

4. Create an online roster with food allergies. One of the challenges of the new school year is matching parents names and faces with those of their children. Create an online roster of the kids and the parents and add pictures and avatars.

Given the prevalence of food allergies, also have parents add their children's food allergies on this roster. This will help parent volunteers prepare snacks and food during the year.

5. Delegate, delegate, delegate. By signing on as room parent, you are not volunteering for every event and every task. You are the organizing person, not the only do-er. So use sign-up sheets (online is best - ubiquitous and real-time) frequently - this is the best way to communicate with other parents what is needed, when, and where.

Sign-up sheets with specific tasks, duties, and time will give parents the necessary information to plan and volunteer. For Example: 'Halloween party: bring large 25-gallon tub for apple bobbing.'

6. Communicate frequently with the teacher. Make time each week to spend 10 minutes with the teacher to discuss upcoming events, needs, and activities. Some teachers even prefer to connect via email since their classroom time and afterschool time is very hectic.

7. You are a room parent not a therapist. Do not try to mediate problems between families and teachers. Don't take sides. If there are issues, lead the family to the correct school staff (e.g., learning specialist, school psychologist, or principal)

8. Collect a classroom slush fund. If your school allows it, build a classroom slush fund at the beginning of the year. Ask the parents to contribute $25 dollars to the fund to cover various expenses during the year, including special event expenses, costumes for plays. Having a classroom pot makes it much easier to plan events and buy supplies because there's no need to hassle every parent every month for a few dollars. Any money left over can be used for the end of school year or holiday gift.

Caveat: some schools discourage this because it conflicts with their Annual Fund or fundraising, so find out the school's policy.

9. Assign a treasurer for the classroom. Ask for a parent volunteer to act as the classroom treasurer. This person will help you collect money (the aforementioned slush fund), buys and organizes the classroom and teacher appreciation gifts and manages the PTA/PTO reimbursement process.

10. Share photos. Parents love photos. Use the online group sites or other photo sites to share photos of events. Allow parents to add comments and assign photos to events or dates throughout the year. At the end of the year, create a classroom photo book chronicling the school-year's activities and events. Some great photo book services include Blurb and Shutterfly.

Caveat: some parents are cautious about putting their children's images on the Web. Some of the photo sites, flickr, picasa, shutterfly, use security through obscurity (i.e. they use a long, obscure URL, but no password). Some online group sites like Qlubb protect all photos marked private via password.

11. Have Fun. Above all else, enjoy this role. Embrace the opportunity to interact with your children and their classroom lives while they still want you around! Mishaps will happen, but take them with a grain of salt and laugh. Relax, it's elementary school and enjoy the journey with your child.

Sophia Chiang is the mother of 2 young children and also a full-time Web2.0 entrepreneur. In addition to being Qlubb's CEO, she also finds time to be a room parent for both her children's classrooms and a community volunteer. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .