Michigan PTA History

The Michigan Parent Teacher Association (Michigan PTA), a chapter of the National PTA, was established in Battle Creek, Michigan May 19, 1918. Since its start, Michigan PTA has been a leading voice in advocacy for children and families in Michigan.

Michigan PTA promotes local, regional and state efforts to focused on the education and well-being of all children in our state by working with families, educators, school boards, statewide associations and non-profit organizations, business and community leaders, the legislature, the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education to ensure child-related concerns are being met.

Michigan PTA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. 

 For more than 100 years, National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA®) 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.

Today’s PTA is a network of millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. 

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 Feb., 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, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers (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.

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:

• Creation of Kindergarten classes
• Child labor laws
• Public health service
• Hot and healthy lunch programs
• Juvenile justice system
• Mandatory immunization
• Arts in Education
• School Safety

PTA Timeline

1897 – National Congress of Mothers was organized on February 17, in Washington DC, and urged action on critical child-related issues such as day care, kindergarten, nutrition and literacy  

1926 – With the encouragement and help of National PTA, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers was founded  

1951 – National PTA called a special conference on narcotics and drug addiction  

1954 – Thousands of PTA volunteers across the country assisted in vaccinating 1.8 million children against polio  

1955 – National PTA supported and endorsed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. Board of Education  

1970 – National PTA and the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers joined forces, as did their identical mission to improve the lives of all children  

1974 – National PTA supported the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that gives parents rights to inspect and challenge children’s school records  

1985 – The Recording Industry Association acted in response to National PTA’s push for labels with “explicit lyrics – parent alert” on music recordings