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| PTA HISTORY --- |
Established in 1897, PTA is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States. Since its founding, the National PTA and its state branches, districts, councils and local units have played an integral role in establishing, maintaining and safeguarding programs and policies that promote the health, safety, nutrition, welfare, protection and education of children.
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PTA Structure and Organization National: The organization now known as the National PTA was founded on February 17, 1897, in Washington, D.C., as the National Congress of Mothers. Fathers and teachers joined in increasing numbers, so the name was changed in 1925 to the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst are recognized as the co-founders of the National PTA.
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State: The Georgia Congress of Parents and Teachers, along with other state branches, is an integral part of the National PTA, serving as a connecting link between the national organization and membership within the state. The unit of membership of the Georgia Congress of Parents and Teachers is not the local association but the individual member of the local association. The membership of the National PTA then, is the sum of the memberships in the various state branches. A person who joins a local PTA unit automatically becomes a member of the National PTA and the Georgia PTA.
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District: Districts are geographical divisions of the state designated by the Georgia PTA to carry on state work effectively. The district PTA helps to integrate council and local unit work with state and national plans and activities. SHE PTA is currently a member of District 10.
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Council: A council of PTAs is a group of three or more local unit PTAs in a town, village, city, county, or other designated area, organized by authorization of the Georgia PTA. Its purpose is to promote conferences, leadership training, and coordination of efforts of the local PTAs in its membership. A council is governed by its bylaws and elected officers.
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Local Unit: The local unit is the most important division of PTA. All other divisions exist to serve the local unit PTA. The local unit PTA is organized and chartered by the Georgia PTA in accordance with authority granted to the Georgia PTA by National PTA Bylaws. The procedures and requirements for the organization of a local unit are set forth in the Georgia PTA Bylaws, and it is a self-governing body. The local unit PTA plans its programs and activities to meet the needs of children and youth in its own school and community.
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