Who we are
Our Story
Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County was formed in 2013 by a core group of parents who wanted to elevate the perception of Pitt County Schools. Working with the national office of Parents for Public Schools, the group held a series of conversations with community stakeholders to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to our system.
After formally starting the chapter, the founding members identified programs that could help meet the mission of advancing the role of families and communities in securing a high quality public education for each child.
The Parent Engagement Program (PEP) has been a cornerstone of the work of the organization for over a decade. The program is designed to equip and empower parents and community members, PEP cohorts offer an engaging learning experience that deepens participants’ understanding of public education in Pitt County and North Carolina. These cohorts prepare families and community leaders to be informed advocates for high-quality education – a right guaranteed by the North Carolina Constitution.
PPS-PC’s school tour program is one of the organization’s most impactful and long-standing initiatives. In collaboration with Pitt County Schools, school tours connect families, community leaders and potential new residents with the schools that shape the community. Throughout the year school tours offer families and community members authentic, inside-the-school experiences that allow them to see inside a school building, meet school staff, and understand each school’s unique strengths.
The year Pitt County parents founded the chapter.
Some of our accomplishments include:
Open Enrollment
Many families have utilized open enrollment and began attending their school of choice. Community Conversations largely influenced the board of education’s decision.
Staggered Entry
The staggered entry process for kindergarteners was made consistent countywide, easing families transition into school.
Community Leader Tours
Annually, Pitt County Schools partners with PPS-PC to host five school tours. These leaders included elected officials, Realtors, and others who may advise newcomers on their education options.
Transition Tours
Spring tours are offered for families transitioning (beginning kindergarten, middle school, or high school), and gives families the opportunity to meet others who were in the same life phase.
Virtual School Tours
The virtual tours allows families who are thinking of moving to Pitt County, NC to take a virtual tour of any school in the county through the PPS-PC YouTube channel.
PEP Accomplishments
The Parent Engagement Program has left over 175 leaders feeling more knowledgeable about public education and equipped to advocate for all children from the classroom to the legislature. PEP graduates have served the community in many ways including as School Board members.
Board of Education Candidate Forums
During election years the forums have been a primary source for citizens to learn about each candidate’s platform. Because all candidates are invited, the forums remain non-partisan, and voters have the opportunity to hear the views of each person who accepts the invitation to participate.
PPS-PC Interns
College students have gained valuable experiences that have not only prepared them for the workforce, but grown them as future public education advocates themselves as social work, communications, and marketing interns through meaningful internships with PPS-PC.
Liaison between the community and schools
During COVID, PPS-PC immediately became the liaison between the community and schools, coordinating the donation of thousands of to go lunch containers when school lunches became a “drive through option, coordinating groups that held cleaning supply and toilet paper drives for school social workers to deliver items to families in need and working with local businesses such as Jersey Mike’s to safely distribute picnic lunches to thousands of families when the pandemic began.