During the early years in Washington State, PTAs helped
donate money for electric lights for the schools, focused on the importance of
hand washing before meals, initiated the “Summer Round-Up” to provide health
screening and immunizations for school age children, and coined the term
“preschool” and established pre-school local units to serve mothers of children
not old enough to attend school.
In the post World War I period, problems in public education
emerged including low teacher salaries, and lack of federal funds for
education. As a result, Washington State PTA focused on securing more
cooperation between the public school administrators, and the state and local
PTAs.
Nearly every PTA across the state embarked on programs to
feed and clothe children to keep them healthy and make it possible for them to
stay in school during the Great Depression, establishing the beginning of the
school lunch program that we know today.
Upon the legalization of liquor in 1933, the Washington
State PTA helped establish laws prohibiting the possession and sale of liquor
to minors, limiting the presence of minors in places where liquor was sold, and
supporting tougher laws restricting drinking and driving.
During World War II, PTAs formed war emergency committees
and joined with other civic, state and national groups to provide for common
defense and speed the war effort. The call for women to join the workforce left
many kids without care, so many PTA members volunteered at daycare centers for
children of working mothers. Often PTAs helped establish these daycare centers
in school buildings.
In the 1950s PTAs started hosting family fun nights, talent
shows, carnivals, science fairs, school library projects, and recreational
activities. During this time PTAs also focused on child safety issues, such as
traffic and pedestrian safety.
During the 1960s, public kindergartens were at risk of
elimination due to levy failures in major school districts across our state.
Preschool PTAs pitched in and organized “emergency cooperative kindergartens”
as well as supporting door-to-door campaigns in precincts that were low in
favorable votes at the previous levy election. As a result, legislators passed
into law tax-supported public kindergartens. Also in the 1960s, the Legislature
passed the Driver’s Education Law.
In the 1970s, the WSPTA began supporting statewide advocacy
programs of specific interest to its members. In 1987, three of those programs
won the prestigious Presidential “C-Flag” award, as a recognition of being a
national leader for outstanding contributions to the American spirit of
volunteerism and community action.
More recent accomplishments of the Washington State PTA have
included: passage of anti-bullying law, pesticide notification law, graduated
driver’s license, education restructuring, simple majority for levy elections,
and defining basic education.
As we reflect on what the Washington State PTA has
accomplished over the past 100+ years, we know that we are better off because of
it and we are grateful for the strong leaders who have stood before us, but we
also know our work as child advocates will never be complete. It is our
privilege and responsibility to be strong as we continue to advocate now and in
the future for the funding of public education, and securing laws to protect
the safety and well-being of children. Thank you for your volunteer commitment
to this organization and to the children in Washington State.
