I have to agree with Shaun...are you going tp rurn away someone of they bring their child. I know it may be hard but hopefully common sense occurs and the parent realizes if their child gets out of control. we offer child care at our meetings which does help our attendance rate, something to consider.

We've never not allowed children at any PTA/PTO I've been involved in do to the fact that that would turn about 90 percent of the percentage where trying to recruit.

At a few of the schools the schools didnt allow children in the Parent Center and Volunteer Tea thus making big stink each year and turning off 10- 20 (that we knew of) potential volunteers

I'd post it at please no children (are ya actually going to turn a parent away that for whatever reason deosnt have child care)

We have always allowed children at our meetings. It is even posted on our wensite. We meet in the school's cafeteria at 10am, so we have ample room for everyone. If you feel that you can get down to business and have enough room, go for it.

We have our exec meetings separately.
Our meetings are at 7:00 pm, with the hopes that the children will stay home. Our parents look forward to their " night out". If we do have kids, it's usually older ones, and they go somewhere within in vision and read.


I can see how wild and crazy children would make your meeting very disruptive, along with the parents who are trying to manage them.. Or the crying baby you are trying to talk over, and the mother doesn't have the social know-how to get up and leave the room.

Mat I suggest for your next meeeting, assuming you send out paper reminders, that you add a disclaimer that you can use every time. How about something like " We hope you can enjoy an evening out without your children, but if you must bring them, please understand that this is a business meeting. Proper and quiet behavior will be expected at all times during the meeting"... or something like that.. can anyone else come up with a more tactful way of saying that? I have to run to get my kids now.. no time to think! [img]smile.gif[/img]

We do allow children, but we use a babysitter. They go to another room where they can color, and play during our meeting. We pay her $20 each meeting. It has worked out well.

Sometimes we do our executive meeting before the general meeting, but typically we talk through email to cut down on the amount of time we spend with meetings.

HTH

Hi Debbie - Good questions. Here's how my last group did things:

1. Children at meeting - No official policy but it was OK for us. Parents only brought their kids if they were old enough to be by themselves and keep themselves busy with homework or reading a library book.

2. N/A

3. I would say yes because we only had one monthly meeting in which all business was managed. We didn't have general voting members. Everyone is automatically a member but only the board - officers, committee chairs and teacher reps - can vote. If we had paid members with voting privileges, things may have gone differently.