Making time to help in the classroom or chaperone a field trip can be an enriching experience for both parent and child.

Opportunities range from coordinating a monthly school newsletter to attending parent-teacher conferences. The point is to get involved.

"It is vitally important to your child's sense of the importance of school that you become as involved as possible in school events," said Stacy DeBroff, chief executive officer of Mom Central Consulting and author of, "The Mom Book Goes to School: Insider Tips to Ensure Your Child Thrives in Elementary and Middle School" (Free Press, $15).

"Studies show that grades go up with every level of involvement in which parents engage," DeBroff said.

Whether helping out in the lunchroom or attending an open house, the more that parents participate, the greater the reward for the child.

"Volunteering in a child's classroom demonstrates the parent's interest in school. It also allows for some shared interest and experience that serves the parent-child relationship," said Pete Stavinoha, a child psychologist at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

When parents show interest in their child's school, the child learns to value education and academic achievement, Stavinoha said. On the flip side, parents get a unique opportunity to witness their child's learning process, social development and peer interactions.

"All of this is important in helping to establish a basis of motivation for school achievement," Stavinoha said.

The first step to getting involved is getting to know your child's teacher and offering to help out in the classroom whenever possible. Whether it's grading papers, decorating a bulletin board with student art or donating extra supplies, any help will surely be appreciated.

"This may be one of the best things you can do to help your child succeed," DeBroff said. "The students of parents who make an effort receive more attention than most students do."

If you have a regular time each week when you can volunteer, let the teacher know. If your availability is more scattered, ask to be kept in mind for class parties, field trips, science fairs and other special events.

If you're a working parent, think beyond the classroom.

"As a working parent, it gets a little tricky in terms of devoting time," Stavinoha said. "Working parents should look for opportunities that fit with their schedules -- and even take a day off now and then."

There are plenty of opportunities for working parents to lend a hand in the off hours, according to DeBroff. Some options include:

-- Volunteer to be an usher for school productions or offer to help with scenery and set construction for plays.

-- Make treats for bake sales, class parties or for the teachers themselves.

-- Volunteer to be a guide for visitors on parents' night.

-- Help from home by putting together materials for art projects, grading papers or typesetting student compositions.

-- Offer to make reservations and arrangements for class trips.

-- Start a school newsletter. This can be a simple calendar of events or an elaborate student-produced newspaper. Parents will benefit by being kept up-to-date. The kids will love learning about journalism and seeing their writing and art in print.

-- Offer to run errands for the classroom like picking up books that teachers have ordered from the public library and delivering them to the school.

-- Volunteer to shelve books in the library or file papers in the administrative office after school.

-- Invite your child's class to take a field trip to the place where you work.

-- Look into becoming a crosswalk attendant or traffic usher for parents picking their kids up.

-- Become a leader for an after-school group like Odyssey of the Mind, which challenges children in creativity and problem solving.