Noting that volunteer programs succeed only with careful forethought and maintenance, this book is designed to provide information necessary to create and operate a successful volunteer program in an elementary school setting. Steps in thinking about volunteers in innovative ways, recruitment, training, maintaining program effectiveness, and relaying appreciation are presented. Ready-to-use plans and reproducible sheets are included to aid teachers in incorporating both community and parent volunteers into the classroom. Chapter one of the book presents several scenarios illustrative of some difficulties associated with the use of volunteers. Chapter two argues that use of classroom volunteers should be task oriented rather than time oriented. Chapter three assists in setting priorities and deciding which volunteer roles are most important to individual classroom circumstances. Chapter four provides concrete tips on how to recruit effective volunteers who will address specific classroom needs, while chapter five provides information on the proper training and orientation necessary for specific volunteer roles. Chapter six addresses issues concerning communication and provides advice on dealing with inevitable problems as they arise. Chapter seven explores ways to show appreciation for the volunteers. Chapter eight provides advice on evaluating the volunteer program and adding new priorities. Includes 25 reproducible worksheets. (SD)