The California State PTA is a professional, non-profit volunteer organization committed to the well-being of all children. We believe every adult has a responsibility to ensure that all children develop to their full potential. We believe parents are children's first teachers and that parent involvement is essential throughout a child's educational experience. We believe that family is the basic unit of society responsible for the support and nurturing of all children, and we recognize that "the family" may be defined in many ways. We believe our responsibility includes advocating for the safety and welfare of all children and the opportunity for a quality public education for each child.
The National PTA is the oldest and largest volunteer association working exclusively on behalf of all children and youth. For more than 100 years, the National PTA has promoted the education, health, and safety of children, youth, and families. Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney were greatly concerned about the nation's children. The United States was feeling the enormous impact of the Industrial Revolution. An immense wave of immigration was flowing into the country. Children worked in factories, in mines, and in the streets of the cities. Some could not attend school or obtain enough food to eat. What could be done?
