Joining is easy, just download the Membership Application, complete, and return it with your check for $25 made out to Strongsville Early Childhood PTA to our Membership Chair, Lisa Goldberg, by mail or at any meeting. If you do not have a printer or cannot download the file, please contact Lisa Goldberg to have a membership application mailed to you, or look for our flyer and information at the Strongsville Public Library. Download Adobe Reader for free here. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. Do I have to be a resident of Strongsville to join the Early Childhood PTA? A. No, but most of our members are residents, former residents, or have friends or family who are residents. Some members live on the border of Strongsville and choose to belong to SECPTA instead of or in addition to their local Early Childhood PTA. Or members may have children attending a private school, preschool, or daycare in Strongsville and therefore have friends in the community. You do not need to live in Strongsville to join, but please keep in mind that most of the activities are in Strongsville or close to Strongsville. Q. What does it cost to become a member? A. Annual membership dues are $25 per year. This covers our National, State, and local PTA dues and other expenses. SECPTA is a non-profit organization. All revenues from fundraising activities and dues are used to cover expenses including speakers and themes at the general meetings, subsidizing activities for our members, keeping party and event costs low, community service activities, mailings, and event publicity. Q. How many volunteer hours are required of members? A. Members are asked to perform 10 hours of service for the organization per year. The volunteer hours are defined as time spent engaged in PTA busines, such as attending meetings, doing committee work, or working at PTA functions. Q. How do I report my hours? A. Complete the volunteer hours form found in each newsletter or by logging in. Turn this form into our Membership Chair, Lisa Goldberg, at any general or board meeting, mail it, or e-mail it. Q. Do I earn anything for my volunteer hours? A. YES! When a member accrues 10 volunteer hours, she will receive $5 worth of SECPTA Membership Appreciation Coupons, which can be used towards payment for activities. For each additional 20 volunteer hours the member accumulates, she will receive another $5 worth of coupons. Active members can redeem coupons issued during the 2007-2008 year through December 2008. There is a cap of $25 for the amount of coupons a member can receive in one PTA year. Q. How much credit do I earn for attending a general meeting? A. 1 hour of service (for the business portion of the meeting only) is earned for each general meeting attended. Q. How much credit do I earn for hosting a playgroup? A. 1 hour per playgroup hosted, regardless of how long the play group lasts or how much time you spend preparing. Q. How do I pay for activities? A. It is preferred that all activities are paid for by check made out to Strongsville Early Childhood PTA as cash cannot be accepted. You may also pay with coupons earned for your volunteer service hours reported. Q. What is the deadline for sign-ups? A. Generally, the deadline for children's activities is the last Tuesday of the month by 9 PM. It is best to sign up as early as possible as seats and space in the event are assigned on a first come, first served basis and some activities fill up fast. You must pay at the time you sign up, space is not reserved until payment is received. Some activities, such as special events or trips that are paid for separately, will have other (usually earlier) deadlines as noted in the information. Most couples, moms', dads' and theme party events require sign-up by the last general meeting before the event, but check each event notice for specific sign-up deadline information.