PTA History
For more than 100 years, PTAs have advocated for the health, safety, welfare, and education of all children and youth and provided support to members so that they can speak with a powerful voice.
WHS PTSA continues this legacy and elevates the voices in our community on behalf of all children.
WHS PTA attends Washington State PTA's (WSPTA) Legislative Assembly to help determine our collective legislative priorities with the aim of positively impacting public education and improving outcomes for all students.
Founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, National PTA (www.pta.org) is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education.
As the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the nation, National PTA is the conscience of the country for children and youth issues. Through advocacy, as well as family and community education, National PTA has established programs and called for legislation that improves our children’s lives, such as:
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Creation of kindergarten classes
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Child labor laws
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Public health service
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Hot and healthy lunch programs
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Juvenile justice system
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Mandatory immunization
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Arts in education
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School safety
Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst founded the organization when women did not have the right to vote and social activism was not popular. However, they believed mothers would support their mission to eliminate threats that endangered children, and in early 1897, they started a nationwide campaign.
On February 17, 1897, more than 2,000 people—mostly mothers, but also fathers, teachers, laborers and legislators—attended the first convocation of the National Congress of Mothers in Washington, D.C. Twenty years later, 37 chartered state congresses existed.
In 1970, National PTA and the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT) — founded by Selena Sloan Butler in Atlanta, Ga.—merged to serve all children.
WA State PTA Vision & Mission
Founded in 1905, the Washington Congress of Parents and Teachers, now known as the Washington State Parent Teacher Association (WSPTA), is the largest non-profit, volunteer organization in Washington. As the premier parent organization, with over 80,000 members in more than 830 local PTAs, the association is an innovative, forward-thinking, and effective advocate for children.
Vision: “Every child’s potential becomes a reality.”
Mission:
- A powerful voice for children
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A relevant resource for families, schools, and communities
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A strong advocate for the well-being and education of all children
WSPTA works to support children in all aspects of their lives—educational, emotional, and social—while building strong connections between families, schools, and communities.
When you join WHS PTSA, you become part of our state association and the larger National PTA. Your voice joins tens of thousands across Washington and millions across the United States, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe and Puerto Rico, as advocates for children.