National PTA Names Recipients of Program Grants

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Dec 18, 2020, 17:44 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National PTA announced today the recipients of over $160,000 in grants for programming during this school year. The funding is part of the association's STEM + Families, PTA Connected, healthy lifestyles and arts education initiatives. The grants are made possible by PTA Proud National Sponsors Bayer Fund, Huntington Ingalls Industries, NortonLifeLock, TikTok and Nestlé Waters North America.

"Our STEM + Families, PTA Connected, healthy lifestyles and arts education initiatives are part of our association's long-standing efforts to make a difference in the health, safety, well-being and long-term success of every child through family and community education," said Leslie Boggs, president of National PTA. "Our mission is more important than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. We are grateful to our sponsors for helping us provide PTAs with the resources to support their work."

Following are the grant recipients:

50 local PTAs have been selected to receive a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by Bayer Fund to engage families in their school communities in science activities as part of National PTA's STEM + Families Science Festivals program. The goal of the program is to make science more accessible and less intimidating to students and their families.

30 local PTAs have been selected to receive a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries to connect families with engaging, hands-on STEM activities through National PTA's new STEM + Families Propelling Our World program. The goal of the program is to inspire students and families to become more interested in STEM, and more specifically in the skilled trades, and eventually consider careers in these fields.

40 local PTAs have been selected to receive a grant of $1,000 each, with 5 grants sponsored by NortonLifeLock and 35 grants sponsored by TikTok, to foster PTA Connected digital safety conversations within their school communities. The Smart Talk is a free, fun, interactive tool created by National PTA and NortonLifeLock that helps families set tech ground rules together.

35 local PTAs have been selected to receive a grant of $1,000 each sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America, together with its national brand Nestlé® Pure Life®, to educate families about the importance of drinking water. 8 local PTAs who participated in National PTA's Healthy Hydration program in the 2019-2020 school year have also been selected to receive a grant of $500 each to advocate for health improvements in their school communities.

2 local PTAs have been selected to receive the 2020-2021 Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant of $1,000 each. The grant is designed to provide PTAs with resources to administer programs that increase access to high quality arts learning experiences, like National PTA's Reflections program. With the grant, special emphasis is placed on increasing access to arts education among at-risk and underserved students.

Along with the distribution of the grants, National PTA has developed at-home models for the programs. The PTA Programs at Home models offer engaging, educational and fun activities for all students and their families—with or without access to technology. The models include Real-Time, At Your Own Pace and Tech-Free. PTAs can use one or a mix of these models with families in their school communities. While grants are being provided to support PTAs in conducting these program models in their school communities, PTA Programs at Home materials will be available to all PTAs in January at PTA.org.

"National PTA developed its PTA Programs at Home models to provide all PTAs the opportunity to offer programming in new, exciting formats that increase accessibility for families—regardless of if their school community is learning from home, in-person in school or a hybrid combination," said Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA Executive Director. "National PTA and PTAs nationwide remain committed to supporting families and school communities, making sure they have what they need during this challenging time and helping all children realize their full potential."

About National PTA
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c) (3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.

SOURCE National PTA