$60,000 in PTA Grants Awarded to Support School Meal Improvements

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The Parent Teachers Association (PTA) has geared up to help ensure that students have access to and participate in nutritious school meals.

Laura Bay, president of the National PTA explained in a press release that students learn better when they eat better, and a strong school meal program can help children receive more than half of their daily nutrient needs.

The PTA plans to award over $60,000 in grants to schools and PTAs across the country. Three schools will receive $5000 each, and another 25 PTAs in Alexandria, VA will receive grants of $2000 each.

A collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created the Kid’s Safe and Healthful Food Project which helps fund in part The Healthy School Meals grants.

The PTA also plans to help school teachers, families, school food service professionals, and leaders work towards school meal improvement efforts with their newly released School Meals Leader’s guide. The guide gives direction to anyone interested in making a difference for health and better foods in their school an easy step by step in how to make sure sustainable changes will happen to improve school food options.

The School Meals Leader guide also gives tips on measuring progress goals and how to encourage healthy fundraising policies within a school or district.

Studies show that Latino-majority schools need healthy school meal policies that may help ensure students grow up to be a healthy weight.

To learn more about the importance of healthy school meals and policies for Latino kids, click here.