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How to Use Community Groups to Boost Broader Engagement
More than 50 years of research confirms what educators see every day: When schools actively partner with families, students thrive. Strong family-school partnerships lead to higher grades, better attendance, improved confidence, and greater postsecondary success.
Yet for many districts, the challenge is scaling. How do you maintain meaningful, ongoing connections with your broader community, from alumni to local business supporters? This is where ParentSquare Community Groups comes in. Whether you’re strengthening a PTA, coordinating volunteers, or keeping alumni connected, Community Groups makes it simple to bring people together with purpose.
Why community groups are an essential community engagement tool
ParentSquare Community Groups lets your broader community—not just families and staff—sign up for updates and notifications relevant to their interests, even if they don’t have ParentSquare accounts. Think of community groups within ParentSquare as mini-communities within your larger district ecosystem.
Each community group has its own posts, events, file sharing, and member management—so you can send targeted communications without adding clutter to the main school feed.
5 ways to use ParentSquare Community Groups in schools
- Booster clubs – Keep your community connected to athletics teams and programs by sharing updates, volunteer needs, and fundraising initiatives
- Alumni engagement groups – Reconnect graduates, strengthen school pride, and build long-term community support
- School boards – Notify your community about board meetings and important updates
- Volunteer teams – Share volunteer opportunities with supporters in your community, even if they aren’t parents or staff
- Special events – Announce and promote events or initiatives that your broader community can participate in
By segmenting communication, schools can avoid message overload and give each audience only the updates that matter most, resulting in more relevant, more meaningful engagement.
Why community groups matter for school and district engagement
ParentSquare Community Groups isn’t just about convenience: community groups help create stronger, more inclusive partnerships that benefit the entire community.
- Relevant communication: Community group members only receive updates from the groups they’ve joined, so they get targeted, timely information that’s easy to act on.
- Stronger relationships: When extended families, alumni, and local partners feel like part of the school community, they’re more likely to attend events, share feedback, and collaborate with staff.
- Inclusive by design: Automatic translation and accessibility features apply to group posts, too, so every every supporter can connect in their preferred language and format.
- Broader community involvement: Districts can set up groups for alumni, civic leaders, or other stakeholders, even if they aren’t already ParentSquare users. This makes it easy to involve the broader community in supporting schools, from mentoring to fundraising.
- Empowered leaders: Groups can be led by staff, administrators, or even family or alumni volunteers (with permissions in place). This decentralizes communication, empowers people across your community, and reduces extra work for staff.
“The ability to create community groups was a valuable addition.”
—Larry Willis, Technology Manager, Henrico County Public Schools (VA)
How schools can extend engagement with ParentSquare Community Groups
Ready to put ParentSquare Community Groups to work for your district? Follow these steps:
- Identify the need: Start by mapping out the groups that could benefit from being brought into ParentSquare, like PTAs, clubs, and alumni associations. One tip is to look for groups with community members your district doesn’t otherwise communicate with, or groups that you’re using mailing lists or other services to reach.
- Create purposeful groups: Keep each community group focused on a clear purpose, whether it’s coordinating volunteers, reconnecting graduates, or sharing school board updates.
- Appoint a leader: Designate a community group lead who can post, respond, and engage members to free up staff time while empowering group members.
- Encourage conversation: Enable replies, run polls, or use RSVPs to make communication two-way and interactive.
- Promote the group: Share information in newsletters, on your website, or at events so community members know how to join.
The bigger picture: Building stronger communities around students
If your district is still managing engagement through scattered tools or one-size-fits-all messaging, it may be time to rethink your approach. ParentSquare Community Groups extends communication to every corner of your school community, from not only parents and guardians to alumni and local supporters.
When extended families, graduates, and neighbors feel connected, schools don’t just improve communication. They build a stronger, more supportive community around every student.
“Our faculty, staff, parents and community love the streamlined approach, and everyone’s on the same page now! We can safely and securely communicate with all our stakeholders and the translations ensure we’re inclusive.”
—Sondra Whalen, Director of Student Programs and Communications, Sherrill City School District (NY)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are community engagement tools for schools?
Community engagement tools are platforms and strategies that help schools connect with community members who aren’t parents or staff members in the district. ParentSquare Community Groups is one of the most effective ways to create targeted, inclusive engagement for your broader community.
How can ParentSquare Community Groups improve family engagement?
Community groups allow schools to organize stakeholders into meaningful groups, reduce message overload, and make communication more relevant and inclusive.
What types of school groups benefit most from ParentSquare Community Groups?
PTAs, booster clubs, alumni associations, and school boards are just a few examples.