Wherever there is a child, there is a need for Advocacy.
Wherever there is a PTA member, there is an advocate.
Wherever there is a PTA, there is Advocacy.
Wherever there is Advocacy, there is the potential for change.
Since 1897, PTA has worked to improve the lives of children and their families. For over 100 years, PTA volunteers have used their time, energy, experience and knowledge to bring about changes in laws, policies and programs for the benefit of children.
PTA is a non-profit, non-commercial, non-sectarian and non-partisan organization whose members speak out on behalf of children’s rights to secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
What is advocacy?
Anyone who speaks for another is an advocate. PTA members are advocates for children and their parents.
PTA members advocate on a wide variety of child-related issues: education, health, nutrition, safety, juvenile protection, welfare reform, parent and family life, and drug abuse prevention to name a few. The act of advocacy is simply communicating about the issue by speaking, writing, phoning, or e-mailing. The purpose of the communication can be to inform, educate, persuade, or increase the level of awareness about the issue.
Every PTA member can be an effective advocate. The process is always the same: identify research and understand the issue; identify research and understand the decision maker; and communicate the message.
Advocacy Policy
Tennessee PTA is concerned with enactment, implementation, and enforcement of legislation to improve the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. We recognize that these services are shared by local, state, and federal governments and that their respective responsibilities should be clearly defined.
Founders Day
Another great way to advocate is to celebrate Founders Day!Founders Day is a perfect time to renew the dedication to the Purposes of the PTA that were defined by PTA’s founders more than a century ago. For more than 100 years, National Parent Teacher Association has worked toward bettering the lives of every child in education, health and safety. Founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, National PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Through special programs and events, PTA also attempts to increase the awareness of its members and the community by highlighting achievements, activities, projects and goals.This is also a great opportunity to bestow a Tennessee PTA Lifetime Achievement Award!
Here is a video from National PTA about Founders Day.
Public education is the cornerstone of American democracy. Each and every child is entitled to a thriving public school. Diverting public money to private education starves public schools of vital resources.