That's an excellent question. One which I'm still trying to find the answer to. Both my husband and I work full-time. Both of us have participated in field trips, which my son really enjoyed. It's a good way to see some of the other parents and get to know them, as well. Public schools usually don't have activities for parents that take place "after work." They want more parent involvement, but don't make it available or easy for working parents to participate. My daughter attends a private Catholic school, and they have many after school and evening sports activities where the parents can participate and get to know other parents. Other than school, if your children are involved in sports, there's a great way to stay involved with your kids. My husband coached boys' basketball at our local YMCA. It would be great to hear from other parents who have figured out a way to spend more time with their children's schools.

This question has come up a few times, so it's obviously one of those universal problems that families face. You'll find some great suggestions in the following threads. The first comes from a being involved thread in the Public Schools Parents group

community.greatschools.net/groups/11553/discussion/124223?cpage=1#comment_127221

And this one comes as a question about helping in the classroom as a working mom:
community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/129138/How-can-I-help-in-the-classroom-when-I-work-all-day?cpage=1#comment_129511

For parents without rotating schedules or vacation time that allow an occasional daytime trip to the school, some public schools do have opportunity for volunteers at after hours fundraising events and book fairs. Perhaps the PTA could work on those. My children's school has started a great WatchDad progam for dads who can come in during the day for even once a year. They can for instance help load cars at parent pickup.

Our PTA has many opportunities for working parents to be involved. We have a baking committee that gives our working parents a chance to participate as well as many weekend and evening PTA programs that always need volunteers. Check with your child's teacher and the library staff too as there are often simple things that they need which can be done from home in the evening. We too have the Watch D.O.G. program (Dads of Great Students), which encourages the dads to be involved whenever possible. Working with the PTA is probably the best way to go. Try to attend the meetings and offer suggestions/solutions whenever possible. Good Luck!

I work full time and I have 2 children, so I know how difficult it is. It seems that when I was a kid our school plays & holiday programs were in the evening. Now days all my kid's school functions are during the day, usually mid-morning. That makes it tough to get to all the programs and make the field trip AND have time to volunteer to help out as well. What I did this year is plan my volunteering around the school programs. I take a day off of work to watch the kids play and I spend the afternoon helping out their teacher. I also take a couple days off every 3 months and schedule the day to helpout the teacher. It does mean that I lose some vacation time, but it's definitely worth it to me. The teachers appreciate it and they tend to communicate with me more about the little issues that they might not have normally.

I have found that parents with any kind of scheduling issues (young children, working outside the home, special-needs children, caring for elderly or infirm parents, money problems, transportation limitations, their own disabilties and so forth) will always find a way to become or remain involved in their child's school if involvement is a priority. If not, then the school or parent association must make intensive and tireless efforts to attract parents to opportunities for involvement that are intriguing, defined, limited and obvious to their children.

Our association inaugurated a free"build it night," with limited enrollment, in which the children constructed a birdhouse with their parent. It was a simple program, held on a Friday evening during the winter, chaired by a brand-new-to-the-school dad with a son who just started kindergarten. Registration for the program closed within a day.

In addition, one of our association officers just started a "Recess Fitness" program that parents can participate in during lunch. The parents do not need to commit regularly but merely sign up on a board in the lobby for whatever days they can join the activities. The parents then show up on that day during the first lunch recess at 11:20 and stay until 12:45 (or anything in between) and set up a fun, loosely organized game of kickball, hopscotch, newcomb, foursquare and the like so that children aren't excluded, game rules are taught, fitness is promoted and healthy interaction with the peers and their parents thrives. The para-professional staff that supervises recess is free to perform their overarching duties of safety and security and the children are kept active and skirmish-free.

We also alternate our association's monthly Wednesday meetings from 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. (which ends at dismissal and the parents take their children home) to 7:30 p.m. so that even working parents on shiftwork can attend at least 3 meetings a year.

Fullcircle,

Great ideas!

My daughter's school varies the times, and we definitely see different people on the Friday mornings versus the Wednesday or Thursday evenings. If it weren't for changing the days and times, some of these families couldn't be there at all.

Join your PTA and work at as many non-work hour events as you can. Also make sure that your teachers know that you are willing to help with field trips, if your boss doesn't mind, as well as being a source of any other assistance you may be able to be. This can be getting supplies for the class or taking your childs fundraising information to work and seeing if your co-workers will help out.

We welcomed all the parents who could even for just an hour help with setting up for Reading Week. Helping in the evenings gives daytime working parents time to help and their children and the staff are always very pleased. Volunteer around your schedule of upcoming events. Thank you for any time you give. Even if it's once a year. :)

My son's elementary school's PTO tried to come up with many different ideas so that working parents could be a part of their children's education in some way, even if small.
When we purchased small saplings for Arbor Day, we asked for volunteers to help tie notes and ribbons on them, (at night). Weekend sports events, required a baking table, with volunteers. Family reading NIGHT was put into place at the school, Math Night, etc.