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What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is the active support of an idea or a cause. In order to operate effectively and advance its mission, a nonprofit should advocate on behalf of the people it serves, its organization, and the common interests of the nonprofit sector.

Every year, Colorado PTA plays an active role in advocating for our children statewide. To allow every child to reach his/her potential, Colorado PTA has set goals to realize a fully-funded, quality education system for all children; updated school nutritional standards; school and internet safety; quality and affordable after-school programs; better access to and preparation for college; small class sizes and more. Contact our Public Policy Director or your local PTA Advocacy Liaison for more information!

Purpose and Mission

The purpose and mission of PTA is child advocacy. An essential member of your unit’s Board of Directors is the Advocacy Liaison. The role of your Advocacy Liaison is to communicate and connect the business of Colorado PTA to the local unit (your PTA) and notify your members of opportunities to become engaged and involved in advocacy efforts. Please ensure that your Advocacy Liaison presents this information to your membership at your PTA meetings and/or via email, to enable every member of PTA to be educated and involved in this effort.

Advocacy Training

Colorado PTA’s Century of Advocacy Highlights:

  • Establishing a Better Babies Movement, focused on promoting infant care (1914)
  • Initiating an Act to create and establish a Child Welfare Bureau in the State of Colorado (1919)
  • Supporting public education in rural communities in Colorado (1922)
  • Fighting for an increase in public school funding (1937)
  • Promoting inclusiveness by establishing the first Spanish-speaking PTA in Colorado (1937)
  • Establishing a Girls Loan Fund for advanced education (1946)
  • Recruiting over 126,000 members (1953)
  • Promoting first Project Head Start program (1967)
  • Establishing the Reflections Art program, which was adopted by national PTA (1969)
  • Spreading awareness about the link between good nutrition and learning (1970)
  • Advocating for seat-belt safety (1982)
  • Serving as an ambassador for drug/alcohol awareness initiatives (1988)
  • Opposing school vouchers as a violation of Colorado’s Constitution which resulted in the victorious 2003 lawsuit, Colorado PTA v. Owens (1993)
  • Declaring an anti-discrimination clause including LGBT community (1994)
  • Fighting for releasing volunteer crossing guards from civil liability (1996)
  • Championing Amendment 23, which requires an annual increase in K-12 funding (inc. special education and transportation) by inflation +1 percent through 2010 and inflation thereafter (2000)

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