YACA & Volunteering
Yinghua Academy Community Association
Yinghua Academy Community Association believes that if a parent is involved in their child’s school, the entire school community benefits. All parents are invited to be a part of YACA.
YACA is dedicated to building a strong school community at Yinghua Academy through sponsoring social and cultural activities and raising funds for the school and our dedicated teachers and staff.
YACA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, under the name Yinghua Academy Foundation.
YACA Role & Structure
Purpose
The Yinghua Academy Community Association (YACA) is the parent group of Yinghua Academy, similar to a Parent Teacher Organization at a traditional school. Its nonprofit charter is filed under the name “Yinghua Academy Foundation ” doing business as the Yinghua Academy Community Association or YACA.
Mission
Supporting the mission of Yinghua Academy, its students, families and staff by providing volunteer coordination, fundraising opportunities, and assistance in cooperation with the Director and the School Board.
Members
All parents and guardians of currently enrolled Yinghua Academy students are considered “general members” of YACA.
Volunteers
YACA supports Yinghua volunteers. The school’s Volunteer Coordinator is a volunteer and serves on the YACA board. YACA pays the $20 fee for the background check, which must be completed by a parent or guardian volunteer prior to volunteering at the school. The background check should be completed every five years. Submit your background check form online; the school’s Business Manager will process your form, and the Volunteer Coordinator or a member of staff will confirm its processing with you.
Donate to YACA
YACA helps support many aspects of Yinghua Academy’s mission. Fundraising through YACA provides funding for the school and supports school community-building activities. YACA focuses on offering fundraisers that serve our parents and teachers including such things as busing for field trips, meals for teachers during parent-teacher conferences, cultural events (moon cakes, pineapple cakes), intern outings and community events.
YACA Board
YACA is led by a board consisting of seven to eleven elected members. The Board appoints a Volunteer Coordinator and a Classroom Coordinator Liaison who serve as ex-officio members of the Board. In spring, the Board calls for Board candidates to come forward for election and elections are held at the end of spring term.
Bylaws
The Yinghua Academy Foundation bylaws are linked here: Yinghua Academy Foundation Bylaws.
Roles & Descriptions
- Presides at Board meetings and serves as a voting member of the Board.
- Coordinates the work of the Board and its Committees in order that their objectives may be promoted.
- Provides a written agenda for each Board meeting and each General Membership Meeting.
- Provides an opportunity for each YACA Committee Chair to present updates of their activities at meetings.
- Serves (or appoints another Board member to serve) as a Liaison to the school Board of Directors. Serves as a non-voting adviser, ex-officio, to the Yinghua Academy School Board.
- The Chair may execute for the corporation all contracts, deeds, conveyances, mortgages, bonds, and other instruments requiring an officer’s signature unless otherwise directed by the Board.
- Splits Chair Responsibilities with Chair and manages Events Committee Branch.
- Serves as Vice Chair with the intention of assuming Chair in the next school year.
- Serves as a voting member of the YACA Board.
- In the absence of the Chair, presides at YACA Board meetings.
- Coordinates the work of the Board and its Committees.
- In the absence of the Chair, provides a written agenda for each YACA Board meeting and each General Membership Meeting.
- In the absence of the Chair, provides an opportunity for each YACA Committee Chair to present updates.
- In the absence of the Chair, serves as a liaison to the Yinghua Academy School Board as a non-voting adviser, ex-officio.
- Performs such duties and exercises such powers as necessary or incident to the supervision and management of the business and affairs of the corporation as directed by the Board.
- Submits to a consumer credit report check.
- Maintains a full and accurate account of the funds of this organization including receipts and expenditures.
- Coordinates disbursements as authorized by the YACA Board in accordance with the adopted budget.
- Presents a report of the financial condition of the organization at the Annual Meeting.
- Provides written financial statements to the YACA Board as needed.
- Facilitates the annual independent audit.
- Performs such other duties as may be provided for by the bylaws, prescribed by the parliamentary authority or directed by the Chair or the YACA Board.
- Serves as a voting member of the YACA Board.
- Records the minutes of all meetings of the YACA Board and YACA General Membership meetings.
- Sends out the minutes from the previous meeting to the Board for review prior to next month’s meeting. Updates and discussions of the previous month’s minutes are made during the next month’s meeting.
- Be prepared to read the records of any previous meetings.
- The Secretary shall be responsible for the keeping of all books, correspondence, committee minutes, calendars, and papers relating to the organization’s business, except those of the Treasurer, and posts these as necessary.
- Performs such other duties as may be provided for by these bylaws, prescribed by the parliamentary authority, or directed by the Chair or the YACA Board.
- Serves as a voting member of the YACA Board.
- Manages the YACA web pages.
- Oversees the Classroom Coordinator program, Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers, and work of the Volunteer Liaison.
- Takes care of communication on behalf of YACA.
- Serves as a voting member of the YACA Board.
- Serves as an ex-0fficio member of the Development Committee of the School Board.
- Helps to coordinate school and YACA fundraisers such as Give to the Max Day and the Red Envelope Campaign.
- Serves as a voting member of the YACA Board.
- Serves as a resource to the YACA Board regarding Chinese language and cultural needs/issues as they arise.
- Does not have a specific list of duties.
- Rather they serve the board’s strategic needs.
- May have various responsibilities and projects during their elected term.
- Classroom Coordinator Liaison is an appointed non-voting member of the YACA Board.
- Promotes YACA’s goals for the Classroom Coordinator Program.
- Works with the YACA Board, school administration, and teachers to organize and implement the Classroom Coordinator program to build stronger family-school partnerships.
- Recruits and trains the Classroom Coordinators in partnership with the YACA Board and school.
- Sends out communications to the Classroom Coordinators.
- Gives monthly updates to the Community Chair of the YACA Board.
- Collaborates with the YACA Board to identify how parents can become more involved at school in different capacities.
- The Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers Coordinator is an appointed non-voting member of the YACA Board
- Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomer Coordinator is someone who wants to help welcome new families and connect them with current families.
- Promotes YACA’s goals for the Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers and kindergarten interests.
- Works with the YACA Board, school administration, and teachers to organize and implement the Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers to build stronger family-school partnerships.
- Collaborates with the YACA Board to identify new parent welcomers as needed.
Recruits and trains the Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers in partnership with the YACA Board and school. - Pairs up families with children entering Yinghua Academy for the first time with (welcomer) families.
- Sends out communications to the Jiātíng 家庭 Welcomers, new families, and all kindergarten families.
- Gives monthly updates to the Community Chair of the YACA Board.
- Works with the YACA Board, school administrators, and teachers to organize and implement volunteerism at Yinghua in order to build stronger family-school partnerships.
- Organizes and communicates with staff, teachers, and other Yinghua community members who seek and work with volunteers.
- Gives monthly updates to the Community Chair of the YACA Board regarding volunteer activity, including any special projects requiring volunteers during the past month, ongoing/recurring volunteerism during the past month (such as lunch, library), challenges, and recommendations.
- Collaborates with the YACA Board to identify volunteer needs and how to recruit parents to become more involved at school in different capacities.
- Is an ex officio member of the YACA Board who reports to the Community Chair. In consultation with the board chair, the VC may decide whether to be a voting or non-voting ex officio member of the board.
- Promotes Yinghua Academy’s and YACA’s goals for the General Volunteer Program.
- Helps recruit and guide volunteer leaders in partnership with the YACA Board and school.