National PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts Reflections Program. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to create and submit works of art in six areas: literature, musical composition, photography, visual arts (which includes art forms such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage), dance/choreography and video/film production. In its more than 30-year history, the program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to create works of art. Then Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson started the Reflections Program in 1969.

Each year, the Reflections Program challenges students to create art that supports a specific theme. Themes are selected from thousands of ideas submitted by students to the National PTA's Reflections Program Theme Search Contest. This contest is separate from the Reflections arts area program. Past themes have included "Dare to Discover...," "If I Could Give the World a Gift...," "Imagine That...," and "Exploring New Beginnings..."

Students participate in the Reflections Program by submitting entries to their local PTA or PTSA. Any PTA/PTSA in good standing is eligible to sponsor a Reflections Program.

The Wake County PTA Council supports the Reflections Program by training PTA units on the program at its Parent Leadership Conference.  Detailed information about this year’s program, the theme, and associated deadlines will be available and updated on the Reflections link. The WCPTA Council Reflections Entry Deadline will always be the 2nd Tuesday in January. The pick up of entries that were not council winners will always be the 4th Tuesday in January.

Please write this down in your Reflections Procedure manuals in order to prepare for local unit deadlines.