By the California State PTA Legislative Advocacy Team
On February 17, 1897, Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst convened over 2,000 people in Washington, D.C. to launch what would become the nation’s largest volunteer child advocacy organization. In 1926, Selena Sloan Butler founded the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers to advocate for all children, especially those in segregated communities. These three PTA founders believed parents working together could eliminate threats endangering children—and they were right. Their vision built an organization that has championed kindergarten classes, child labor laws, public health services, school lunch programs, juvenile justice reform, and mandatory immunizations.
Today, California State PTA’s Legislative Advocacy Team carries this mission forward.
California State PTA has a bold history of creating and supporting laws that improve the lives of all children. Our advocacy protects the rights of all children, youth, and families regardless of background, status, or identity. We work to assure high-quality, inclusive, and equitable public education with meaningful opportunities for family participation. We safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of children and families while supporting measures that equip students, schools, and communities to address the effects of climate change.
This work produces tangible results. California State PTA has been recognized with the Outstanding State Advocacy Award from National PTA for our efforts on behalf of children. For decades, we have advocated for adequate and equitable school funding in California. Our support helped pass the Local Control Funding Formula, which fundamentally changed how schools are funded and how parents participate in educational decisions. We have pushed for accountability measures that consider the needs of the whole child—not just test scores, but also graduation rates, access to the arts and enrichment, and school social climate. We continue advancing efforts to ensure all students have access to a full curriculum that includes the arts.
The Legislative Advocacy Team prepares PTA members to engage effectively in the democratic process. We train local advocacy chairs and legislative officers, providing resources and guidance to streamline their work. The annual Legislation Conference brings PTA advocates to Sacramento to meet with legislators, learn advocacy skills, and strengthen our collective voice for children.
Every PTA member can continue the legacy of our founders.
- Sign up for action alerts at capta.org to receive notifications when your voice is needed on legislation affecting children.
- Attend your local school board meetings and participate in the Local Control Accountability Plan process.
- Use social media to amplify the PTA’s voice on education issues.
- Complete the free Ed100.org online course to deepen your understanding of California education and share it with others in your PTA.
- Most importantly, get informed, vote, and encourage others to do the same, including high school students.
Our founders understood the power of individual action. They worked beyond the accepted barriers of their day and took action to change the world for all children. When you join your local PTA in advocacy work, you become part of a tradition that has been making a difference for 129 years. The challenges facing today’s families may differ from those of 1897, but the solution remains the same: families and educators working together to make the world better for children.