NJEA Preservice drops dues to zero
By Matthew Yuro
As the Membership and Local Outreach Chair for NJEA Preservice, I’ve seen a significant loss in membership over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen our NJEA Preservice numbers drop across the many different college campuses and universities in New Jersey. This is hardly surprising as the one-on-one conversations we normally get to have on campus just couldn’t happen.
Fortunately, we have a plan. With the implementation of a free dues pilot program, we have begun to see more future educators apply to be NJEA Preservice members. With so many benefits and perks, such as attending NJEA Convention and the Preservice Conference, it makes sense that so many future educators are once again joining! And now, the best part is that it’s free!
Preservice Previews
Preservice Previews are interactive presentations where members of the NJEA Preservice Full Leadership Team talk about everything NJEA Preservice has to offer. It allows for prospective members to join during the meeting and allows for a broader understanding of who we are and what we do as aspiring educators.
Become a Preservice ambassador
NJEA Preservice is looking for ambassadors from colleges and universities across New Jersey to join our Full Leadership Team. Ambassadors act as a liaison between their institution and the NJEA Preservice state board. They update the Full Leadership Team on what their individual chapters have accomplished throughout the service year.
For the spring 2023 semester, we plan to do even more outreach to even more colleges and universities by hosting more Preservice Preview events. Our membership goal for April 2023 is 850+ members. We are already halfway there, which is really exciting.
Encourage future educators to join
If you are an NJEA member who works with a future educator, make sure they join NJEA Preservice today! If you are already an NJEA Preservice member, spread the word to your future educator friends that they need to join us too.
Visit njea.org/preservice to learn more and about all of the benefits of becoming a Preservice member. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at myuro@njea.org. I am super excited to continue pushing for membership and reaching our goals for the year.
We hope that you will continue to support NJEA Preservice and come to many of our spring events!