• Over 125 years, PTA has helped solve some of the biggest issues facing America’s children. Many of the structures all children benefit from today—child labor laws, universal kindergarten, the National School Lunch Program and the juvenile justice system—were accomplished as a result of PTA members’ advocacy.

• It’s not just at the national level. Our state and local PTAs change lives too. Florida PTA members helped to defeat a piece of state legislation that would allow for-profit management companies and other corporate interests to take over public schools, keeping children’s educations from effectively being bought and sold. Washington State PTA worked to secure the passage of several major state education reforms, improving the day-to-day lives of children across the state. The impact of PTA is felt far and wide across our country.

Read more about the historical impact PTA has made in the past 125+ years.

​The cost to start a PTA is $0. - Minnesota PTA doesn't charge you for setting up your 501(c)(3). The state of Minnesota charges $70 for one of the filings your group will need to complete, and there are some annual costs to doing business that you will have to account for, like state and federal filings.

We move at your pace. - Each group will move at their own pace to complete each step to become affiliated as a PTA. Some take as little as three weeks, while others take around three months. We guide you through each step to ensure you are confident in understanding the full process, and administration needs of your nonprofit. 

The basic needs to get started - All nonprofits in Minnesota are required to have no less than three persons on their board (President, Secretary & Treasurer). We encourage not only three, but as many persons as you can recruit to support the work you will undertake in the first three years. 

Your PTA is a Membership organization - Your PTA will also be a membership organization, and will need to gather supporters to get involved as the representative voice for the children in your school. Each PTA needs to start with at least 20 members or 10% of the total student count as your first year membership goal. Members support your PTA year after year, and strengthen the family engagement, and community support your group will have. Members also are the voting body of the PTA. Members help keep funds and objectives on track to best represent student needs, and together can advocate effectively for their children. 

Continual Support and Training - Your PTA will have the support of the Minnesota PTA board and our office staff to ensure your leaders receive any training, resources and tools you need to continue to do the important work for your students. We offer a variety of in-person training, online training, and individualized support. Check out some of our training resources on our website.

Annual Requirements - With any nonprofit group, your PTA is required to complete state and federal reporting on an annual basis. As your central organization, Minnesota PTA requires a few items of Good Standing submitted through our online portal. Reporting takes less than 10 minutes a year, and you have support from us for all your reporting needs at any time. 

Affiliation Requirements - When you become a PTA you are part of a large family, through Minnesota PTA and National PTA. Only PTA affiliates can use our trademarked name of 'PTA' or 'PTSA', so our affiliates get special branding, use of provided program advertising, and the great namesake of our organization. All of the PTAs function under the same mission and values, and must operate in a manner that is not in conflict with National PTA or Minnesota PTA Standards of Affiliation. All members of PTA are supporters of the mission, purpose, and advocacy positions of the National PTA, and cannot act in conflict with Minnesota PTA or National PTA's bylaws, Mission, Advocacy positions, or do harm against the goodwill of the PTA name. 

More Questions? Reach out to our office for answers: mnpta@mnpta.org, 952-767-4909 

These groups are comprised of families focused exclusively on issues at their school and are not part of a larger organized network, so have no way to impact decisions beyond their own schoolyard.

We commend all of the caring adults who join a parent group to support student learning and develop positive partnerships with their school’s officials. PTA believes, however, that the issues that affect our children today extend beyond their individual schools.

As parents, we have a universal desire to make sure our children are healthy and safe. We want to give them the tools and resources they need to grow, learn and thrive. We want them to reach their full potential. That common desire is what gives the Parent Teacher Association its power.

We have been an ardent advocate for bettering the lives of every child because we know we cannot only focus on our own children. We must care for other people’s kids, because the lives of our own children—or grandchildren—will be affected by contact with those other kids. If someday your son needs a critical operation, someone else’s child will be the surgeon. If someday your daughter is the victim of a violent crime, someone else’s child will be the judge.

This is why we work to advocate for every child. When you help one child, you are helping all children in the school community and potentially the nation.

Read More about the Difference between PTAs and unaffiliated Parent Groups.

PTA—Founded in 1897, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a nationwide network of nearly 4 million families, students, educators and community leaders working at the school building, district, state and national levels to improve education, health and safety conditions for our children. National PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. 

Peruse these articles from national, state and local publications to learn about the impact of PTA on communities to make every child’s potential a reality. 

Administrative factors also set PTA apart from other parent groups. PTA offers a national and state infrastructure, with staff and trained volunteer leaders available to assist PTAs in securing nonprofit status, filing government paperwork, creating bylaws, purchasing low-cost insurance and training leaders. These support services are included in PTA membership at no additional cost.

PTA schools have access to experts, resources, trainings and dozens of programs and initiatives to encourage arts education, healthy lifestyles and family reading. Over the years we’ve had a PTA in Georgia sponsor vision clinics for low-income students. And in Detroit, Mich., a PTA runs after-school programs that keep kids off the streets. In California, a PTA created a buddy system between families with limited English proficiency and other bilingual families.

When a school has a PTA, parents are better informed and more engaged, and the learning environment is more supportive for students—plus, the school has a better reputation in its community.

Visit the National PTA website to learn more about programs and family resources.