Guilford County Council of PTA's
the Guilford County Council of PTAs and the Community Foundation
of Greater Greensboro offers grants to individual PTA units
to build vital partnerships between
parents, families and community organizations.
A maximum award of $1,000 per local PTA unit.
The goal of the SPICE grants is to improve student academic success
by helping local PTA units of Guilford County Schools meet
the national standards for parent/family involvement.
Any
- Improve communications between home and school
- Support home centered learning
- Promote good parenting skills
- Overcome barriers to parental involvement (transportation, child care, language & cultural barriers, etc)
- Address diverse cultural needs at the school
"The SPICE grants will be very specific to the schools they serve,” said Uma Avva, former Family Education Chair (2002-2003), Guilford County Council of PTAs. “We encourage local PTAs to be creative and design ways to address the academic needs of children while encouraging parents to get connected to their children’s schools. One school might focus on a regular newsletter or survey to communicate with parents; another may host a family science night or even a parent workshop,” she added. “Each PTA should determine the primary needs at that school.”
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This year, a total of 32 schools participated with outstanding ideas for Spice Grant submission:
| 2010 Spice Grant Awardees | ||
| No. | Guilford County Schools | Grant Idea |
| 1 | Aycock Middle | Reading Night Out |
| 2 | Erwin Montessori | Win-Win Resolution |
| 3 | Smith High School | Positive Behavior Support |
| 4 | Peeler Open | Go Far 5K Run |
| 5 | EP Pearce Elementary | Anti-Bullying Campaign |
| 6 | Archer Elementary | Family Math Night |
| 7 | Lindley Elementary | Outdoor Learning Space |
| 8 | High Point Central H.S. | We are Bison Campaign 2010 |
| 9 | Northwood | Garden Bed |
| 10 | Northern Elementary | Sock Hop |
| 11 | Oak Ridge | Library Night |
| 12 | Morehead | Family Game Night |
| 13 | Northwest Middle | Family Night/Speaker |
| 14 | Page | Resource Library |
| 15 | Brightwood | EOG Night |
| 16 | Ferndale | Cultural Fair |
| 17 | Murphy | Muticultural Day |
| 18 | Bluford | School garden |
| 19 | Frazier | New kindergarten parent orientation |
| 20 | Sternberger | |
| 21 | Northern Middle | Fan Fest Family Activity Night |
| 22 | Dudley | Financial Aid Workshops |
| 23 | Allen Jay Elementary | Multi-cultural arts and crafts night |
| 24 | Jones | Lunch & Learn Series |
| 25 | General Greene | "Greene and Healthy Kids" Night |
| 26 | Wiley | Spring Parent Retreat |
| 27 | Hampton | Several sessions to bridge gap between the cultural differences in the community with a better understanding of the member of Hampton Family. |
| 28 | Pilot |
Healthy Eating and Exercise via Walking ___________________ |
| 29 | Kernodle | Workshop to educate parents about sexting; Grant not intended solely to pay for food |
| 30 | Northern High | Parent Resource Library |
| 31 | Reedy Fork | Cultural Night and Bed Time Stories Around the World |
| 32 | Triangle Lake Montessori | Operate a 10 week training program for students and parents to run a 5K race; not enough parental involvement |
Frequently Asked Question
1. What is the purpose of SPICE grants?
The purpose of the grants is to: 1) increase parent/family involvement in their children’s education and/or 2) overcome barriers to participation. The National PTA has developed a Family/Parent Involvement Program Standards to assist PTA units in broadening the stereotypical definition of involvement (volunteering/fundraising at schools.)
2. What are the National Standards and how can I learn more about them?
The National PTA developed a booklet outlining six standards for parent/family involvement programs. Each school should have received a copy of the booklet last year. Ask last year’s PTA president or principal for your school’s copy. They are summarized below and also listed on the front page of the request for proposal for the SPICE grant.
|
National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs |
| 1. | Communicating | Communication between home and school is regular, two-way and meaningful |
| 2. | Parenting | Parenting skills are promoted and supported. |
| 3 | Student Learning | Parents ply an integral role in assisting student learning. |
| 4. | Volunteering | Parents are welcome in the school and their support and assistance are sought. |
| 5. | School Decision Making and Advocacy | Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families. |
| 6 | Collaborating with Community | Community resources are used to strengthen school and families, and student learning |
3. Who is eligible?
Any
4. If our PTA received a SPICE grant last year, are we eligible for a grant this year?
Yes.
5. What types of programs do you fund?
We have funded a resource center, parenting and computer workshops, reading programs & cultural programs. For a complete listing of grants recipients, check out our web site, www.guilfordcountypta.org.
6. Are there any budgetary line items that cannot be funded?
According to PTA financial guidelines (see Dollars and Sense for Treasurers provided by the State PTA), PTAs cannot fund salaries. Last year, capital expenditures (i.e. playground equipment, tables, building materials, etc.) were also not funded. Remember that the goal of the SPICE grant is to build parent and community involvement, not to fund acquisitions.
7. Does the Council offer assistance in writing grants?
The Council will offer a workshop for grant applicants at the Council's Fall Leadership Conference. If you have specific questions regarding the grant or program planning, please feel free to contact Spice Grant Chairs Bettye Jenkins @ 697-1277/ jenkinb@gcsnc.com or Natalie Andrews @ 510-7716/ heaggansandrew@att.com.
8. Do we have to complete the entire RFP form?
Yes, it is critical that you complete the entire form including the three questions asking you to summarize your proposal at the bottom of the first page. It may be tempting to refer to an attached page, but it is important that these summaries be filled out on the application page so that they be fairly categorized prior to judging. All the information will be used in our database and will be valid if the responses are in your words instead of our interpretation.
9. What happens to any unused SPICE grant monies awarded to our PTA?
According to an agreement signed by the PTA president and school Principal on the last page of the RFP, unused monies along with an annotated budget need to be returned to the Guilford County Council of PTAs.
10. If our PTA receives a grant, are there any other obligations?
You must complete a project evaluation form by January 31 of the year following your grant award. You may also be asked to write an article for publication describing your project or participate in a workshop.
11. How long do we have to complete our parent involvement programs?
Projects must be completed between January 1st and December 15th. The Council may also be able to assist your school with Public Relations if dates are given to us in far enough in advance.
12. Why must we file a report about our project?
Other schools are always looking for ways to increase parent involvement. One of the goals of the SPICE grant is to catalog programs that work and publish those so that others may benefit from your success. Not only does this draw attention to your school and the successes that you may have, but it also may enable other schools to duplicate your successes both here in
13. What happens if we decide not to follow through with the project that we were awarded the grant for?
As with any unused money from the SPICE grant, you should return the entire amount. If however, the scope of your project changed, it may still be possible to keep the money and use it for the new or modified project. If you have questions regarding the project, please feel free to contact Spice Grant Chairs Bettye Jenkins @ 697-1277/ jenkinb@gcsnc.com or Natalie Andrews @ 510-7716/ heaggansandrew@att.com.
