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.

By the California State PTA Education Commission and Legislative Advocacy Team

Speak up. Show up. Use your voice. Because when we work together, every child’s potential becomes reality.

Every time you speak up for your child, you’re using your voice as an advocate. Have you asked your child’s teacher for extra help with math? Spoken to the principal about crosswalk safety? Contacted your school board about budget priorities? That’s your voice in action—and it matters.

We use our voices every day to advocate for what we want, need, and believe in – at doctor’s appointments, at work, and in our communities. Advocacy isn’t reserved for professionals in suits roaming the halls of Congress. It’s something we do naturally.

PTA helps you direct that voice to support the children and families who need it most—and amplifies it so decision-makers hear you.

Advocacy Driven by Our Members

In a time of deep polarization and frustration, PTA offers something rare: a nonpartisan, nonsectarian space where people can unite around shared values for children. Outside interests or individuals don’t drive our advocacy—you drive it.

California State PTA’s legislative work is guided by resolutions and position statements created and adopted by our members. When delegates vote at our Annual Meeting, they set the direction for statewide advocacy. This means the issues we champion come directly from families and communities across California—not from any political party or outside agenda.

Using Your Voice at Every Level

How can you use your voice through the PTA? Members have opportunities at every level—from your own school to the halls of Congress.

Individual advocacy begins at home and in the classroom. When you attend a parent-teacher conference, ask questions at a school board meeting, or share concerns with your principal, you’re using your voice for your child. Your personal experience and perspective matter—no one knows your child and community better than you do.

Local PTAs translate individual concerns into collective action that can support all children. Together, members address campus-specific needs: safer drop-off procedures, healthier cafeteria options, and more inclusive programming. Local units, councils, and districts also build relationships with school district officials and city councils, ensuring families have a seat at every table where decisions about children are made.

State advocacy amplifies your voice in Sacramento. California State PTA has championed landmark legislation protecting children and supporting families—from later school start times to safe schools protections. When local PTAs identify patterns affecting students statewide, state advocacy teams work to support laws, regulations, and policies to create impact.

National PTA coordinates advocacy across all fifty states, speaking before Congress and federal agencies on issues like education funding, child nutrition, and school safety. Each year, National PTA publishes policy priorities that guide our collective work, ensuring millions of members speak for every child with one voice.

Your Voice Matters

The beauty of PTA advocacy is that every level strengthens the others. When you mention a concern to your local PTA president, you might spark a statewide initiative. When you sign up for action alerts, your voice joins thousands pressing for change.

You don’t need special training or expertise. You already have everything you need: your experience as a parent, family member, educator, or community member who cares about children.

PTA was founded in 1897 by women who understood the power of individual action to change the world for all children. That legacy continues through you.

Take the Next Step

Ready to use your voice for every child? Join us at California State PTA’s Legislative Conference (LegCon) on February 2-3, 2026 in Sacramento for two transformative days of legislative training and direct advocacy. You’ll learn how the legislative process works, connect with fellow advocates from across the state, and meet with lawmakers who make decisions affecting our children every day.

Can’t make it to Sacramento? Connect with the California State PTA Legislation and Advocacy Team throughout 2026. Sign up for action alerts, attend virtual trainings, and add your voice to campaigns that matter. Visit capta.org/advocacy to learn more.

Speak up. Show up. Use your voice. Because when we work together, every child’s potential becomes reality.