Advocacy

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Raise your voice!

As the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation, PTA provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child.

Advocacy is at the heart of the PTA mission! The role of advocacy within Cedar Wood PTA is ensuring that our children’s needs are being met by our systems. Did you know that the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was formed on the basis of Advocacy?

The National PTA, Washington State PTA (WSPTA), and Cedar Wood Elementary PTA have been a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Advocacy is our most significant opportunity to positively impact our community and its future. To create a better world for our children, have a seat at the table where decisions about children and youth are being made, and support those students who need someone to speak for them.

Advocacy takes place every day, from the legislative level down to individual conversations PTA members have at their school. Examples of PTA legislative advocacy at the national level through the years include universal Kindergarten, hot lunches, and seatbelt laws. At the state level, we have supported newborn screening, daily recess in elementary school and a ban on texting while driving. All of these things have a direct or indirect impact on the health, safety and education of our children.

Advocacy is…

…helping a child find their voice when they are afraid to tell their teacher that a child in their class is bothering them.

…helping a child find the right words to ask their teacher about something they don’t understand in class.

…finding a translator to speak to a non-English speaking parent who shows up at a PTA event because she isn’t sure where else to go to find help for her child.

…working with a school district to update communications to make sure they are providing the best and more clear message to parents.

…speaking up as a minority parent voice in a group of state education leaders, letting them know how their policies are impacting children.

…mobilizing parents across the state or the nation to provide a unified voice to legislators about what’s important to our kids.

YOU are an advocate. We are all advocates. Our voices are important. We are creating change. Never forget the impact you are having on children as a PTA advocate!

Top 5 WSPTA Legislative Priorities for 2025-26

The WSPTA 2025-2026 Legislative Priorities are a two-year platform to mirror the Washington state legislative cycle. In October of even-numbered years, all new legislative issues are adopted by delegates at the legislative assembly. Delegates also vote on their top five issues, which become WSPTA’s primary focus when advocating throughout the next two years. The other issues are placed on an “also supported” list.