Creating a Healthy School and Cafeteria Environment: Here's What You Can Do!
Show your concern through your words and deeds: Let staff and parents know that you actively and enthusiastically support efforts for a healthy school and cafeteria environment. Regularly include news about good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle in your school newsletter, menus, and other handouts as well as in presentations made for staff and / or parents.
Form a nutrition team:
Encourage parents, food service providers, educators and students to form a nutrition team. Together, they can investigate successes in other schools, schedule tastetestings, take suggestions for improved menu selection and deliver healthier, low-fat menus.
Use the "Healthy School Nutrition Environment Checklist" published by Team Nutrition. The checklist performs an honest assessment of where things stand in your school and focuses on those tasks which will most improve your school. [This checklist is available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/support.pdf.]
Support teachers in their efforts to improve nutrition education: Encourage education that is hands-on and interactive. School gardens, visits to pick produce and cooking classes not only enhance nutrition lessons, they broaden children's relationship with varieties of foods and subsequently help students shift to a healthier diet and lifestyle.
Spend time in the studen's cafeteria. Encourage faculty to do the same. Is the cafeteria a pleasant place to eat lunch? If not, consider how you can:
· Sound proof the cafeteria
· Make lunch lines shorter
· Offer more comfortable chairs and tables that seat no more than 8 -10 children
· Add plants and artwork
· Make sure students have enough time to eat and socialize comfortably
Educate yourself regarding healthy food selection and preparation.
Establish and enforce policies requiring all foods and beverages available at school to meet the dietary needs of students
Work to build financial and legislative support for school nutrition programs.
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