National Coalition for Accountable Parenting

Dear Supporters and Friends,

National Coalition for Accountable Parenting (NCAP) has been busy these last few months, lobbying politicians in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Idaho to enact legislation that will allow educators to report on parental involvement in elementary schools. We’ve talked to journalists at USA Today, as well as regional parenting magazines and websites, to advocate for effective parenting.

I appreciate so many requests to speak at conferences and rallies all over the country. Your enthusiasm and involvement shows that this is an important issue and one that will only grow in the months and years ahead.

Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I must suspend most of NCAP’s activity indefinitely. I’ve been offered an incredible job opportunity in the private sector, which is nothing short of miraculous in this economy. However, when combined with my weekly columns and, more importantly, my responsibility and desire to effectively parent two incredible 11 year-old boys, I find myself faced with a difficult decision. My family and full-time work must come first, and so I’m putting NCAP on the back burner – for now.

Make no mistake – NCAP will continue. I advocate for effective parents through outreach, columns, and editorials whenever I am able. I am simply suspending face-to-face meetings with elected officials, speaking engagements at rallies and conferences, and trips to state capitals to demand that politicians put parenting first.

Perhaps in the future, I’ll have the necessary time to devote to this important cause – I certainly hope so. Until then, please don’t hesitate to contact me with/for information and support. Follow @myNCAP on Twitter or “Like” NCAP’s Facebook page to stay abreast of important news in NCAP’s future.

Sincerely,

Catherine Durkin Robinson
President
National Coalition for Accountable Parenting

Dear Friend,

As our movement reaches out, important ideas are forming in the Florida House and Florida Senate that requires your attention.

Representative Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) introduced legislation last year that aimed to hold parents accountable, requiring teachers to grade parents. This year, she has improved upon that initial attempt, removed subjective language that doomed the original bill, and will be filing a new and improved bill for consideration next session.

This bill will require report cards, from kindergarten through third grade, to show whether parents have attended parent/teacher meetings, communicated with their children’s teachers and perhaps whether they’ve logged any volunteer hours. This is the important first step, because then these report cards could be used to determine parental involvement and allow businesses to reward parents whose children are successful, both in behavior and academic performance, while at school.

This is where we need your help:

1) Contact your state senator.
2) Contact your state representative.
3) Cut and paste the following letter or create your own.

Dear (Legislator):

Please support Representative Stargel’s upcoming legislation to hold parents accountable and ensure that this legislation is heard and acted on next session.

National Coalition for Accountable Parenting is calling on state legislators to require that report cards show whether parents have participated in orientation or open house events, parent-teacher conferences, parent-teacher-student organizations, and logged at least five volunteer hours during the school year. Such legislation will finally show with policy, instead of just rhetoric, that parenting is important.

More than anything, when businesses and laws show a reverence for effective parenting, such reverence reflects the kind of community in which we live.

Let’s help those who are already working hard to raise honorable children, and motivate others to join in.

This will help our schools to succeed, our crime rates to go down, and our property values to go up. Please support this trend toward holding parents accountable. They are the most powerful force on earth, and our laws and policies should take a step toward reflecting that.

Sincerely, (Insert Name Here)

4) Tell all of your friends. Forward this message and spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +.
5) Invite me to speak at your PTO meetings and get everyone motivated to reward effective parents.

Just a few weeks ago, Governor Scott signed into law a bill that would allow law enforcement officials to confiscate a parent’s driver’s license if his or her child was found to have cheated on an online driver’s test. There is a trend to hold parents accountable and we must act to ensure this is done responsibility and in a way that will truly help those who matter most – our children.

Please contact your elected officials so we can help empower our teachers and administrators to hold parents accountable, improving our schools and making society better – one parent at a time.

We Need YOUR Ideas. We Need YOUR Participation. We Need YOUR Help!

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