Nestlé Waters North America and Nestlé® Pure Life® have become the National PTA's newest Proud National Sponsor. Through a healthy hydration program developed by the alliance, grants, recycling bins and thousands of bottles of water will be awarded to PTAs across the country. The goal of the program is to help families live healthier lives by encouraging them to choose water. The announcement was made during the association's 2019 Convention & Expo in Columbus, Ohio.

"PTA is committed to making a difference for the health and well-being of children and families," said Jim Accomando, president of National PTA. "Drinking water is a fundamental part of living a healthy lifestyle, and we are excited to join forces with Nestlé Waters North America and Nestlé Pure Life® to help make that choice easier for families."

As part of the healthy hydration program, an initial 25 PTAs will be selected to each receive a $1,000 grant and Nestlé Pure Life bottled water. With the help of the funding and water, PTAs will host healthy hydration events in their communities to encourage families to choose water, show the important role water plays in an overall healthy lifestyle and engage them in hands-on activities to make drinking water fun. Each event will also include education about the importance of recycling and how to recycle properly. The application for the grants is now open.

"At Nestlé Waters North America, we want to educate and provide families with positive, practical ways to incorporate more water throughout the day," said Tara Carraro, chief corporate affairs officer, Nestlé Waters North America. "With this program, we are truly partners in purpose with National PTA. Together, we can help families lead healthier lives."

The healthy hydration program is part of National PTA's Healthy Lifestyles initiative. The initiative provides PTAs with education, tools and resources to partner with schools and advocate for healthy changes in nutrition and physical activity. In a healthy school:

• All beverages, foods and snacks sold or served meet National School Nutrition Standards.
• All students have opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis.
• All students have access to regular physical education.

District-wide wellness policies are developed, implemented and evaluated with input from students, parents, staff and interested community members.