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? Maximum state and local control should be ensured by provisions included in all federal legislation relative to health, education, and welfare of children and youth.
Advocacy can be broken down into basic parts – the advocate, the issue, the act and the decision maker. Only public boards, departments, and agencies should use federal funds appropriated for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. Federal funds to states should be channeled through the federal agencies most directly concerned with the legislative enactment involved and should be administered by the comparable state and local agencies.
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, faxing or e-mailing. The purpose of the communication can be to inform, educate, persuade, or increase the level of awareness about the issue. Use the CapWiz link here, or on the right-hand side of this page, to contact decision makers!
The decision maker is any individual or body that has the power to address the issue or solve the problem. Decision makers include elected and appointed officials, legislative bodies, school boards, county commissioners, and judges.
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 develop and communicate the message. The process is not always easy; however, dedication and perseverance are usually required.
Advocacy Policies
General 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.
Basic Policies
Tennessee PTA maintains that:
Local communities should finance education, health and welfare services for children and youth fully of their ability, with the state giving its best support toward equalizing opportunities in these areas.
