New York Appleseed alongside the co-founder and director of PTAlink is thrilled to announce that the PTAlink namesake and platform is now a project led and operated by New York Appleseed.
For well over a decade, PTAlink and its website www.ptalink.org have been an esteemed resource providing technical assistance, workshops, and support to parent leaders across New York City as they navigate the many complexities of the NYC public school system. PTAlink’s dedicated co-founder and director, Rachel Fine, and committed staff members and volunteers such as Marta Torres have provided NYC’s Parent/Parent Teacher Associations (PA/PTAs) with invaluable guidance and approached their work with the compassion and understanding necessary to connect with and provide support for parent leaders. New York Appleseed is excited to build on this legacy and lead PTAlink in its next chapter.
By continuing PTAlink’s mission of ensuring all NYC public school PA/PTAs and their members have equal access to the information and support they need, NY Appleseed is also fulfilling its own mission of advocating for integrated schools and communities that are inclusive and responsive to students and their families needs. NY Appleseed is ready to bring its institutional knowledge and network cultivated from years of working in NYC’s educational justice space to help scale PTAlink to reach many more school communities.
The PTAlink website and its informational inquiry line will remain at www.ptalink.org and info@ptalink.org. NY Appleseed looks forward to connecting with PA/PTA members and leadership on their needs and aspirations for the PTAlink platform, as well as increasing capacity immediately by launching a job search for a part-time PTAlink Program Coordinator.
New York City PA/PTAs have an incredible task of navigating the NYC public school system to effectively meet the many needs of their school communities–we look forward to working alongside them in support of their students and families.
“We are incredibly excited and grateful to the co-founder and director of PTAlink for entrusting our organization with leading PTAlink in its next chapter. New York Appleseed’s mission of advocating for inclusive, equitable and integrated schools is aligned with PTAlink’s mission of ensuring all families, especially those from historically marginalized groups, have equal access and opportunities to run a thriving PA/PTA that uplifts all its students. We cannot wait to begin connecting with NYC PA/PTAs and dedicating ourselves to the growth of the platform so that it continues to be an invaluable resource for their members and leadership.” – Nyah Berg, executive director, NY Appleseed
“‘I am thrilled by NY Appleseed’s acquisition of PTAlink. For well over a decade, NY Appleseed has been a staunch advocate for integrated schools and communities in New York City and State, and I am excited to witness Nyah and her team not only fulfill PTAlink’s mission but also invigorate and uplift New York City’s public school parent organizations in a new way,’ said Rachel Fine, co-founder and former director of PTAlink.”
“PAs/PTAs perform a vital role in our public schools but running these organizations requires specialized knowledge, which leads to inequities in under-resourced schools. PTAlink performs a critical service in supporting these PAs/PTAs and New York Appleseed is excited to lead and operate this platform. “ – Jonathan Walcoff, board chair, NY Appleseed
“I have been a proud Board Member of New York Appleseed since January 2019. I originally joined because my son was a student at P.S. 133 in Brooklyn. I am thrilled that New York Appleseed has acquired PTAlink. Part of our work is to ensure that all families have access to, and an understanding of what is required to create equitable, culturally responsive, and ethnically diverse schools. Nothing can change if we are not all informed and involved – especially those who are most impacted.” – Naomi Raquel Enright, Writer, Educator and Equity Practitioner
“It is exciting to see PTAlink come to Appleseed. With this partnership NYC will have a new and more equitable way to learn about schools throughout the city. Families will have a mechanism to learn more about their roles on PA/PTA’s in ways that respects and honors who they are and what they have to offer. This is a proud day for NYC families.” – Natasha Capers, Director, NYC Coalition for Educational Justice