Team Parent Responsibilities

Revised: August 18, 2008

INTRODUCTION
Below is a list of suggested tasks for the Team Parent. The main role of the Team Parent is to support the Manager/Coach by handling administrative and parent communication tasks. The result of having a Team Parent is that the Manager/Coach can focus more on coaching the kids and addressing player specific items. The Team Parent is also responsible for creating a job list for the parents, and ensuring that each job is assigned. The team job list provides the opportunity for all families to share the workload for supporting and maintaining the team. There is an accompanying document that provides a suggested list of jobs and the individual tasks associated for each one. Sometimes a team cannot find a Team Parent. In that case the responsibilities of the job can be divided up among each family on the team in order to prevent these duties from all falling on the shoulders of the coach. If that is the case on your team then the tasks listed below could each be assigned individually to a different family (in addition to their team job). A high level summary of these tasks from below are: Organize Team Meeting and Team Email List (though these might be better handled by the coach if there is no team parent) Attend League Team Parent Meeting Create Team Roster Send out Team and Practice Game Schedule and Reminders (TEAMREMIND.DOC). Fill out Team Job List with Parent Names; this includes both the jobs listed on the form and also the jobs in this section.

TASK LIST
Initial Discussion with Manager/Coach Ask the Manager/Coach what they would like the Team Parent to be responsible for. Go through the sections in this document and determine if they each need to be done, and if so by whom (Team Parent or Manager/Coach). Discuss the team jobs with the Manager/Coach: o Different divisions have different requirements (e.g. field preparation). It is therefore important to have the Manager/Coach review the job list with the Team Parent to determine which things are appropriate for the team. o Some of the team jobs may require multiple parents to help out. Find out from the coach which ones these are and how many parents are needed for each one.

o If a Manager/Coach wants to provide input for any of the specific responsibilities of the team jobs, provide them with a copy prior to distributing it to the parents on the team. Make any changes that Manager/Coach requests. o Sometimes it is easier for a coach to forward out information to the team directly than to have the Team Parent do it. This is especially true for items where having the Team Parent pass them on does not add any value. Discuss how this will be handled. o Decide under what circumstances the Phone Tree will be activated. Generally, most of the communication to parents will probably come from Team Parent. The Team Parent should be the first person that parents contact for administrative questions (e.g. when the next practice is, what field are our games played at). The intent of this is to offload the Manager/Coach of the more administrative tasks. One exception to this may be when League information is received via email by the Manager/Coach (e.g. announcements of upcoming league events, game schedules, etc.). If this information does not require any modifications (i.e. it can just be forwarded on as is) then it is probably more expedient for the Manager/Coach to do so. However, if the information requires changes before distributing to parents, then this may fit well as a Team Parent task. For some leagues there is communication directly from the President, Commissioner or Division Coordinator to each Manager/Coach. Sometimes it is helpful to have the Team Parent added to this distribution list as a backup in case the Manager/Coach is unable to monitor email on a timely basis (e.g. if they travel). All items from parents that relate to individual players should be directed to the Manager/Coach directly, and not the Team Parent. If a parent is not sure who to contact (and the item is not time sensitive) then parents should start with the Team Parent.

Team Meeting (usually done prior to any practices or games being held) Gather clipboards and pens to use for parents to fill out any sign-up sheets.. Let the Manager/Coach know how much time is needed for the Team Parent portion of the meeting. Print off any handouts so there is one for each family and a few extras. Confirm with Manager/Coach whether players and siblings are welcome at the meeting, and include this in the reminder message about the meeting. Send out a meeting reminder to everyone and ask them to bring their appointment calendars and child's medical emergency information (if applicable). Let them know whether players should attend and if siblings can attend. Distribute or discuss the following at the meeting: - team roster for parents to make corrections to (if not available on-line) - an overview of Yahoo Groups (if using this for the team email list) - an overview of each team job - a form to collect home and cell phone numbers for the Phone Tree parent (see TEAMCELL.DOC) - get agreement on what money will be spent as a team (e.g. after game snacks, banner supplies, coaches give, post season party) to ensure that everyone pays

their fair share of what is agreed to and one of the parents does not end up covering the costs of others who decide later they dont want to pay for something - a form to collect team job assignments (fill in any blanks that the Manager/Coach plans to assign before the meeting---e.g. assistant coaches) (see TEAMJOBS.DOC) Discuss the following at the meeting: - find out if any of the families are new to the league (so you know who may need extra attention during the season) - go through each of the handouts - sign-up sheets For any family that misses the meeting, provide them with the handouts that were distributed. Have them place their name on sign-up sheets they did not fill out. Gather any medical releases (if applicable).

Email List Get the OK from the Manager/Coach to create a Yahoo Group or other group email list. Once received, create the group/list and load all of the parent email addresses into it. Send out an email once everyone is on the list and communicate how to use it (for Yahoo Groups). League Team Parent Meeting Ask the Manager/Coach if the league has set up a meeting of all Team Parents. If so, attend. Team Roster Get the roster from the Manager/Coach (a softcopy). Print off a copy of the roster and bring it to the Team meeting so it can be checked for errors by the parents. If possible, add player uniform numbers to the list. After the team meeting make any corrections to the roster and send it out via email to the team. If the roster is available on-line from the league, provide them with the list of corrections and changes. To help the parents learn the kids names, you may find it useful to create a wallet sized card that lists player names and uniform numbers on it. This can then be distributed to parents to refer to during the first few games (see TEAMCARD.DOC). KidZone Parent Conduct Form Get the Code of Conduct form from the coach via email. Send it to all parents with instructions of when to turn it in. Remind them that their child should read and sign it also. Print off some extra copies for parents who don't turn them in. Collect and turn them in. Game and Practice Schedules

Get the game schedule from the Manager/Coach (ideally in electronic format) and distribute it to the team. This only needs to be done if the league does not provide online access to the game schedule. Send out a weekly reminder for practice(s) and game(s). Ask for a reply of who will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early. It is also very helpful to include whether the team is home or visitor as well as which families are assigned any duties for the game (e.g. team snack). See TEAMREMIND.DOC for a template for this message. In addition, Yahoo Groups has a calendar option that can be used for reminders to be sent out automatically. Provide the compiled list of player absences, late arrivals, etc. to the coach so they know what to expect in terms of player attendance. Find out from the Manager/Coach if the practice schedule will change at any point in the season (e.g. Daylight Savings Time changes).

Clinics Get information from the Manager/Coach about any player skills clinic that will be offered to players or parent volunteers and email it out to the team.

Scorebook Discuss with the Manager/Coach whether volunteers are needed for keeping the scorebook (a team book and/or any official ones that are required for a particular league). Find two volunteers to take on the entire responsibility. If this cannot be done then create a schedule and assign a family to each home game. Miscellaneous Check with parents to make sure they know how to access the Leagues website. Find out player numbers after the uniforms are distributed and send out the list to everyone. If the season occurs during the beginning of school it is advisable to find out about dates of back to school, walk-a-thons, etc. Some of these may affect the participation of both players and parent volunteers. Some players attendance at games and practices are affected by Science Camp, graduations, school breaks, school plays, etc. Ask the Manager/Coach if they would like to have information collected on any players whose participation in games and/or practices would be affected by certain activities. If one is being held, find out how the details of Opening Day will be communicated and pass on this information to the team. Bring a sharpie to the first game or practice after the uniforms are distributed and have the kids write their names on any items that could get mixed up (e.g. baseball hats). Check the league website regularly for announcements and updates and pass them onto the team as appropriate (possibly after checking with the Manager/Coach first to avoid duplication of effort.

Ask the Manager/Coach if assistance is needed in collecting any uniforms that need to be returned after the season is over.

Team Jobs Create list of team jobs that the parents will sign up for. See TEAMJOBS.DOC for a template. Modify the list based on input from the Manager/Coach (often they will select their assistant coaches). Make sure that the number of jobs (or groupings of jobs) matches the number of families on the team. If there are twins on the team then determine how the Manager/Coach wants to handle their parent responsibilities (e.g. how many jobs they should be assigned). Review the list of responsibilities for each job (see TEAMJOB2.DOC) and modify as needed. Print off the blank team job list and bring it to the Team Meeting for parents to fill out. Print off a few copies of the Team Job responsibility list to show to families at the Team Meeting (or email it out beforehand). For any parents who missed the team meeting, have them choose a job. Update the TEAMJOBS.DOC file and email it out to the team. Check in with each person throughout the season to make sure they have what they need for their job(s).

TEAM PARENT TASKS FOR EACH TEAM JOB (IF APPROPRIATE) Some of the team jobs require input from the Team Parent to get them started. There may be templates to pass on, instructions to provide, etc. Below is a list (by Team Job) of some of the things that the Team Parent can provide to parents to support them in their jobs. Banner Coordinator Follow-up with the Banner Coordinator to make sure they are fully reimbursed for any money they spent acquiring the banner. Field Preparation Find out how many field preparation volunteers the Manager/Coach needs. Provide the names of the field preparation volunteers to the Manager/Coach so they can train them. Provide list of tasks for field preparation to them (have Manager/Coach go through it first). See TEAMPREP.DOC. (For Little League only) Phone Tree Coordinator At the team meeting, pass out a list to collect cell phone numbers from any parents who want their cell phone included on the phone tree (this is encouraged). See TEAMCELL.DOC file.

After the meeting, provide the list of the cell phone numbers above to the Phone Tree parent. It is probably a good idea to make a copy of the list before handing it over to the Phone Tree parent. Provide a sample phone tree file to the Phone Tree Coordinator (seeTEAMTREE.DOC file).

Picture Day Coordinator Get the photo envelopes from the Manager/Coach once they are available. Count them to make sure there are enough. Provide the envelopes to the Picture Day Coordinator. Post Season Party Coordinator All tasks carried out by coordinator (none by Team Parent). Snack Shack Coordinator Get a copy of the information sheet from the League Snack Shack Coordinator and provide it to the Snack Shack Coordinator. Sponsor Parent Keep in touch with them and set an expectation for when the sponsor needs to be acquired so the sponsor name can be place in any locations (hats, banner, etc.). Team Snack Coordinator Provide the Team Snack Coordinator with the Dug-out handout if appropriate. (Little League only). Provide the Team Snack Coordinator with snack suggestions list (TEAMxxxx.DOC),