Parent Teacher Association

With over 6 million members, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the largest child advocacy organization in the United States. There are organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in the Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific. The declared mission of the PTA is to be a powerful voice for all children, to be a relevant resource for families and communities, and to be a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child.

The founders, Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, began the organization at a time when American women were denied the vote. This single act of courage had the effect of opening the door for a number of social reforms. Recognizing that there is no stronger bond than that between mother and child, the founders believed that it was up to the mothers in the United States to eliminate the threats that endangered children. In its initial meetings, more than 2,000 people responded—all with a commitment to children. Problems were identified and strategies devised to resolve them. Dissent and reform were the hallmarks of this organization from its inception.

The swift growth of the organization implied that it filled a strong need for advocacy for America's children. Among the issues that the PTA has addressed over the years was its insistence on the formation of child labor laws in America. The political climate of the United States, highly favorable to the growth of big business in the early 20th century, was not eager to hear that children in the workforce were being exploited. Despite this, PTAs around the country stood firm on their support for enactment of laws to benefit children.

In addition, in the 1940s, the global devastation of World War II spearheaded the organization's determination to find a new and better way to resolve conflicts before they erupted into violence and destruction. The National PTA was one of the first organizations to support the fledgling United Nations.

In the 1950s, the PTA began to recognize and address the issues of America's affinity for prescription and over-the-counter medications and to call for a national conference to address narcotics and drug addiction in youth. In addition, one of the most high-profile projects in PTA history was the organization's participation in the field testing of the Salk polio vaccine, leading to securing the polio vaccination for all schoolchildren.

During the rise of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, reform efforts on the part of the PTA called for schools to focus on the risks involved with drug abuse; it also created public service messages to educate parents and the general public about the dangers of addiction.

Efforts to protect America's children continued in the 1970s, when the increase of violence on television spurred the PTA to action regarding the effects of such programming on children. Today, programs such as critical viewing skills workshops, which are developed by the National PTA, are held around the country.

In the 1980s, the rise of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases found the PTA again at the forefront in advocating that comprehensive information about the diseases be made available at school and in the home.

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