Mission 

The mission of the California State PTA is to positively impact the lives of all children and families.

Every Child. One Voice.

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National PTA's mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

History

In 1897, Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst founded the National Congress of Parents and Teachers with a mission to better the lives of children in education, health and safety. In 1926, Selena Sloan Butler formed the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers to advocate for children, especially African American children in segregated communities.

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As the United States progressed through the Jim Crow era, the Civil Rights Movement and the eventual desegregation of schools and communities, the two associations fought side by side for every child. Following the Supreme Court decision that ended segregation, the associations held their conventions in conjunction with one another and worked toward merging in all 50 states. On June 22, 1970, the two congresses signed a Declaration of Unification and officially became one association.

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The unification of the two congresses is an important part of National PTA’s history and the association’s continued efforts to serve and make a difference for every child.

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