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National PTA Founder’s Day
February 17, 2020
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 17 of February, repeating indefinitely
Legacy
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.
Related Events
Washington State PTA strives to assure that all meetings and other activities of the Association are available for participation by all of its members, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Washington State Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60).
Individuals requiring special accommodations to attend or participate in WSPTA meetings are requested to contact the office in advance: (253) 214-7410 or email.