Give Me Five

Supporting Parents and Whanau

Supporting parents and whanau to nurture their children's learning and development has become a high priority in schools and early childhood centres, but it is not easy. Often it is the same small group of people doing the volunteer work, responding to surveys, or attending meetings. The result is that parents are missing out, teachers are missing out, and most importantly, children are missing out.

"I feel good when Mum can see me work." Sean, aged 9

To reach their full potential, children need their families to take an active role in their education. The New Zealand Parent Teacher Association (NZPTA) has produced the Give Me Five programme to help families and teachers develop an effective partnership to support children's learning.

Actions always speak louder than words. When children see parents showing that they care about education, they will care. They'll also learn the value of helping others.

"Mum must like school too." - Clayton, aged 9

"I ran faster in the cross country." - Kate, aged 6

What is Give Me Five?

Give Me Five is a promise from parent to child and a promise from parent to school or centre.

Parents and other family members are asked to give just five hours of their time during the year. This makes it seem possible to fit a little volunteering into a busy lifestyle.

PTA and staff members are encouraged to think of meaningful ways to include families in the life of the school, so that all parents have a chance to be involved.

The programme coordinator keeps a tally of the number of hours parents have given and volunteers who reach their five-hour goal are recognised for their contribution.

"It means we can have more help with things like reading." - Matthew, aged 12

Give Me Five works by matching volunteers to the tasks that need to be done, so parents enjoy their volunteering experience and schools get the best from their most valuable resource - people.

With Give Me Five, schools are able to break down the barriers and open the door to parents and other family members. Parents who have never volunteered at school will take that first step into the building to read to a child or help at a PTA or school event.