PTA History

For more than a century, National PTA has provided support, information and resources to families focused on the health and education of children. The organization was founded in 1897 in Washington, DC, as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. If not for these women, their vision and determination, there would not be a PTA-an organization that has been woven into the very fabric of American life.

By whatever name it has been known, National PTA was created to meet a profound challenge: to better the lives of children. And today, it continues to flourish because PTA has never lost sight of its goal: to change the lives of children across our great nation for the better.

Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst founded an organization-a nationwide movement-in a time when social activism was scorned and women did not have the vote. They knew there is no stronger bond than that between mother and child. Therefore, they felt it was up to mothers of this country to eliminate the threats that endangered children. They called for action in 1897 and more than 2,000 people responded-many were mothers, but fathers, teachers, laborers, and legislators also responded –all with commitment to children. From that first meeting in Washington, DC, grew a groundswell of support. Problems were identified and strategies devised to resolve them. Through consistent hard work, sometimes after years of perseverance, the dreams became reality: the creation of kindergarten classes, child labor laws, a public health service, hot lunch programs, a juvenile justice system, and mandatory immunization were accepted as national norms. Between 1897 and 1919, 37 state level congresses were chartered to help carry out the work of the organization.

National PTA’s founders Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney, and the founder of Georgia’s Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Selena Sloan Butler were women of imagination and courage. They understood the power of individual action, worked beyond the accepted barriers of their day, and took action to literally change the world.

They had a simple idea-to improve the lives and futures of all of our children. As much as other conditions in American may have changed, that idea has not. PTA’s keep it alive.

Today, National PTA is largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the nation. Our members represent the ethnic diversity of our nation, and they come from the ranks of traditional families, single parent households, blended families, grandparents, and other caring adults. Together, we continue to serve as the conscience of the country for children and youth.