Children in elementary schools all over the nation are following a 3rd to 5th-grade health curriculum called, Energy Balance 101, part of Together Counts, funded by Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. The Healthy Weight Foundation has some very familiar CEO's funding the program from companies including PepsiCo, Kellogg, Hershey, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Smucker and General Mills. Questions about the curriculum have come up in a recent article, as the educational materials do not point out the need to eat healthy foods, but instead encourages kids that they can eat whatever they like, as long as they "balance" their food choices with exercise. Unfortunately, many Latino kids are already dealing with obesity and possible health risks like pre-diabetes. Kids need information ...
Tom Vilsack announced on November 17, 2015, that $4.8 million dollars would go towards grants for states needing support for child nutrition programs that include local farmers and ranchers through Farm to School programs. The grants will provide over 5,211 schools projects that include various initiatives to connect farmers and ranchers to schools and support school nutrition with fresh produce. The 2016 Farm to School Grants summary page includes lists of all the projects that will be funded through the grant, working in states across the country that are mainly schools eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Projects include, connecting local farmers with schools, culinary trainings, harvesting projects, food hubs, training of best practices, local food processing kitchens, and ...
This year in July, the bill for the farm to school program passed in Hawai'i, allowing funding for a farm to school program coordinator and also bringing more awareness to the state with support from local politicians and community members. School advocates visited the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in 2014 in Austin, Texas and learned about legislation and how they can put healthier food policy into practice. Needing funding for an official state Farm to School Coordinator, the efforts for policy change began. After defining the policy goal in mind, the National Farm to School Network worked with Hawai'i leaders, giving them resources and fact sheets to raise awareness of farm to school activities and getting more supporters on board. The bill was approved after the farm to ...
Did you know that only six percent of schools sell fruits and vegetables in vending machines, school stores or snack bars? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has produced new tips for parents to get more involved in their child's school health initiatives. These set of resources, called, Parents for Healthy Schools, helps schools and school group associations, engage parents in creating and sustaining healthy school environments. The resources within CDC's toolkit give helpful ideas and tips for parents to see how to get active in schools by helping kids have: Healthier School Snacks
Healthy School Fundraisers
Available Drinking Water
Healthy Student Rewards More facts are also available on the site, showing parents that 74% of schools sell soft drinks ...
School gardens are not new, according to researcher Suzanne Teghtmeyer. School gardening within the United States started as early as the 19th century and is still thriving today. But how are school gardens growing and changing students' health and education today? Helping school gardens grow through network opportunities, online tools, and resources, is a new network called The Edible Schoolyard Project. Founded by Alice Walters, their mission is to create and build a national edible education curriculum that runs from pre-k education through high school. Thier efforts support a network of current school gardens with a map showing all the new school gardens growing around the nation and the world. They also provide stories and resources like math and science ...
How can one family have an impact on reducing obesity in their school and beyond? Just look at the Surani sisters of Corpus Christi, Texas. After learning that their city had been named the fattest in the nation and how obesity is a huge health threat among children, the three girls wanted to take action They, with the help of their parents and others, created several programs to improve children’s health, including the iConquer program to help kids beat obesity by achieving healthy lifestyles starting from the early ages of 3 to 6 years old.
Sister History of Health
Fifteen-year-old Zoya Surani, along with sisters Sara (19) and Saherish (16), grew up in a household where healthy choices were commonplace. Their father, a pulmonologist, and mother, a respiratory therapist, ...
In 2010, the predominantly Latino city of Corpus Christi, Texas, was labeled the “fattest city in the nation” by Men’s Health magazine. A group of local middle school students were not happy about this designation and wanted to do something about it. After speaking to friends and teachers, the students reached out to influential community members to develop interest and support for a health program for elementary students called “Mission FitPossible.” Three years later, the students were high school students and they would wake up an hour early to bring Mission FitPossible to nearby elementary students.
Next Generation to Inherit Fattest City in Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas (59.7% Latino), was labeled the “fattest city in the nation” in 2010. Sarita Damaraju and Doug ...
The new results are out for the 2013-2014 years within the National Secondary School Survey Results. This survey shows the School Policies and Practices to Improve Health and Prevent Obesity findings since the 2007 studies began. Surveys from school administrators, mostly principals, were taken to measure the success and areas in need for progress in regards to diet and physical activity in schools. The major findings revealed that schools have been making noticeable efforts in offering students healthier foods and beverages for lunch, however, many students still have easy access to sugary beverages and junk foods. Very little progress was reported for increasing physical activity among students during or after school times. In fact, physical education requirements for high school ...
Chicago, Illinois ( 28.9% Latino) is growing towards healthy connections for students by helping them connect to farmers and healthy foods through their classrooms. More and more schools in the area are allowing students to visit local farms, write to farmers, and learn what it takes to grow and harvest healthy foods as farm to school grows in Illinois. Programs like Adopt a Farmer, or free curriculums like Seven Generations Ahead are helping students understand the importance of where their food comes from, and what it takes to grow healthy foods. Field trips taken to farms like Angelic Organics Learning Farm, or Windy City Harvest Youth Farm are helping students become the next generation of food leaders. Farm to School in Illinois is taking off with urban farms and community ...
