PTA believes that health is based on the quality of life of the whole child -- emotional, mental, physical, and social. PTA recommends all elements be considered before optimum health can exist.

Therefore, PTA supports public policies and legislation to develop and fund programs that improve children, youth, and family health, including school-based health centers and providing equitable access to quality, affordable health care for all children, youth, and families.

PTA supports efforts to ensure that all children and youth in our nation can start school ready to learn and receive the nutrition and health care needed to arrive at school with healthy minds and bodies.

As the reform of our nation's healthcare system is being debated and planned by the nation's policymakers and legislators, PTA urges policymakers to put the needs of children, youth, and families first. Not all children or youth have health insurance and millions more have inadequate insurance that does not cover preventative care such as immunization and basic health services. For many years, PTA has supported health services, care, and research that are preventative and primary in nature, and our association recommends that policies and legislation focus on the following principles: 

• It is essential that health reform eliminate barriers to health care and provide universal, affordable health coverage on a mandatory basis to all, regardless of income, age, geographic residence, health status, legal status or education. PTA recommends that pre-existing condition exclusions and waiting periods be prohibited, and continuous portable coverage be provided. PTA supports the establishment of a minimum health care financing mechanism, guaranteeing that all children, youth, and families have either a public or private insurance that adequately covers basic needs. PTA supports efforts to ensure that families below the poverty level are entitled to Medicaid. PTA supports policies that protect access to programs like the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, such that all families, children, and youth can receive the care they need to thrive.
• Universal coverage will not mean universal access to care unless health reform also includes clear steps to eliminate non-financial barriers to care such as language, culture, geography, housing insecurity, and health conditions. PTA supports policies and programs that strengthen the pipeline and workforce of medical professionals, especially family physicians, school nurses, dentists, and pediatricians, such that all children, youth, and families can access the care they need, including in traditionally underserved communities. PTA also supports efforts to ensure that families with low incomes and other identified needs have coverage for and full access to services that may not be included in a basic benefit plan, such as outreach, case management, transportation, home visits, and child care. To foster complete access to care for all children and youth, PTA recommends that school districts provide vision, dental, and other basic physical and mental health screenings and services at no cost to families within the school environment during the school year (for e.g. through school-based health centers or community partnerships). Our association encourages participation in all essential physical and mental health screenings provided by the school and urges schools to notify parents of all planned screenings at the beginning of the school year, including an explanation of each screening’s value and purpose.
• Ensuring access to comprehensive pediatric care for all children and youth is of the utmost importance. This includes ensuring access to routine childhood vaccinations to immunize infants, children, and youth to protect them from preventable diseases and serious illnesses, that could potentially result in disabilities and/or death. PTA supports efforts to address barriers to comprehensive pediatric care, including addressing medical misinformation and promoting evidence-based approaches recommended by licensed and/or board-certified medical professionals. Further, PTA encourages each SEA (State Education Agency) to require certification of immunizations to prevent communicable diseases as a condition of entry into schools, preschools, and childcare facilities, in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations. We recognize the need to make provisions for exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
• PTA supports efforts to ensure that all children and youth have access to child nutrition and other feeding programs, such as access to the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Our association supports eliminating barriers to child nutrition and food assistance programs, including opposing efforts to restrict eligibility for these programs, such that all children, youth, and families who need it can access these vital programs.
• Every child deserves the opportunity to grow into a happy and healthy adult, which includes mental, physical and overall well-being. PTA supports robust federal, state and local policies that provide mental health services to all children, youth, and their families so every child can reach their fullest potential. This includes but is not limited to supporting efforts to establish comprehensive school mental health programs that include adequate access to school psychologists, school counselors and school social workers, as well as supporting efforts to address family and student mental health following natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other tragedies or traumatic events within the community. PTA supports efforts to ensure that public and private insurance plans include coverage of mental health services and include access to school-based mental health, working with families and covering the gap in services available so every child gets continued, comprehensive, wraparound care.
• Promoting maternal health and paternal health is vital for the well-being of the entire family. PTA supports policies and programs that address the high maternal mortality rate in the United States and that make improvements upon maternal health and paternal health, especially during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
• PTA recognizes that oral health is an integral part of the overall health of children, and chronic dental disease has significant short and long term consequences and is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in the United States. PTA recognizes that dental care access is lower for children with public insurance and that significant disparities exist in the receipt of childhood preventative dental care, specifically within historically underserved communities. PTA supports measures that include but are not limited to increasing access to oral health service for all children and especially for those with public insurance. These measures include expanding the oral health workforce, including supporting the reauthorization of the Action for Dental Health (ADH) Act; increasing dental health protections under Medicaid and CHIP; and supporting the Give Kids a Smile Campaign which educates parents and caregivers on the importance of oral health.

PTA recommends that agencies responsible for education, health, and welfare services be equipped with adequate funding, staffing, and infrastructure to effectively implement legislation and meet the needs of children, youth, and families. This includes ensuring equitable support for school and community-based services in areas under federal jurisdiction. PTA advocates for health plans that promote access to high-quality, affordable care by ensuring fair provider reimbursement rates, particularly for primary care services in underserved communities. PTA supports efforts to ensure that health system reforms not shift financial burdens onto families—especially those with low incomes—and prioritize cost containment across all sectors. Simplified administrative procedures are essential to improving access and efficiency. PTA opposes funding mechanisms that place additional cost burdens on employees or organizations, such as taxing health benefit premiums.

PTA supports partnerships between schools, families, and community agencies in efforts to improve children, youth, and family health, and believes that the family voice is critical and must be included in all decision making around such efforts. PTA encourages policymakers and decisionmakers within the school system to continue to seek input from parents and families to better understand what public health measures would work best for their children and communities. Our association encourages ongoing research into public health issues impacting children, youth, and families, and supports funding, policies, and programs that offer educational resources and engagement opportunities that empower students and families to make better-informed health decisions.

Adopted:         by the 1990 Convention Delegates
Reviewed:         by the 1993 and 1999 Convention Resolutions Committee
Amended:         by the 1994, 2002, and 2025 Board of Directors

Per the National PTA Governance Policy Manual, this position statement will be reviewed in 2030.