Spanish Materials

The California State PTA is trying more and more to provide materials in Spanish. You can download all or part of the PTA Toolkit in Spanish. It takes quite a bit of time to translate the toolkit, so the newest 2007 one is not in Spanish but you can get the 2005 Toolkit in Spanish.

Also, there is a list of publications that you can order from the CAPTA in Spanish.

And, just recently, the Membership Committee of the CAPTA has released popular articles in Spanish. Take a look at:
Beneficios de la pertenencia a una PTA (Benefits of PTA Membership)
Lo que puede hacer una carta constitutiva de PTA (What a PTA Charter Can Do)
¿POR QUÉ UNIRSE A LA PTA? (Why Join PTA?)
¿POR QUÉ LA P T A? (Why PTA?)

UCLA's Information Studies on California Schools

The UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies has just released its state report which looks at the outcomes in California schools in light of the conditions we provide.

They have highlighted two sorts of gaps: a) the national gap whereby California schools on average provide less resources than almost all other states; and b) the racial opportunity gap whereby California schools serving the highest proportions of African American, Latino, and American Indian students experience far more opportunity problems than other schools in the state.

You can access this state report, as well as supplementary reports on Latino and African American students, at www.EdOpp.org.

Please share this valuable information with your districts, councils and units.

Grant Opportunities

California State PTA offers grant opportunities for PTA Units in good standing. Most have a November 15 Deadline which is coming soon. If you're interested, go to: http://www.capta.org/sections/programs/grants.cfm, where you'll find information and applications.

Grants are available to assist unit, council, and district PTAs and California State PTA commissions and committees to develop and implement programs in parent education, cultural arts, and leadership development. Grants are also available to assist unit, council and district PTAs to translate PTA materials into other languages.

Applications may be obtained from the California State PTA office, on the website at www.capta.org, or from Fax-on-Demand at 877. 406.3680.

Another Grant Opportunity:

Deadline: March 5, 2008
American Academy of Dermatology Announces 2008 Shade Structure Grant Program
To assist organizations in creating sun-safe outdoor areas, the American Academy of Dermatology has announced the availability of grant applications for its Shade Structure Program.

The program is open to United States nonprofit organizations or educational institutions for permanent shade structures over outdoor locations which are not protected from the sun, such as playgrounds, pools, eating areas, and other locations.

The 2008 program will have a longer grant cycle in order to allow AAD members to work with local schools and organizations to develop sun-safety programs and initiatives, one of the criteria for application. Also please note, the 2008 program is only open to schools and organizations that serve children and teenagers, ages 18 and younger.

Visit the AAD Web site for complete program guidelines, an application form, and information on locating a member dermatologist in your area.

NOTE: Here’s a direct link to the 2008 Shade Structure Grant Program:
http://www.aad.org/public/News/2008+Shade+Structure+Program.htm