There are many varities of actions you can utilize in organizaing a "Healthy Meals for Healthy Kids" Initiative. Some are listed here.
Work With The PTA
Your local PTA (it may also be know as a PTO or PTSA) is an important vehicle for mobilizing parent support. They have been a key ally for many healthy school lunch and nutrition efforts; including state-wide endorsements and active support of both the Hawaii and California Healthy School Meal InitiativesPTA Parent presentation
Very Important! Schedule a presentation with your local PTA officers. The presentation should include: 1) Parent brochure and handout (available from CHOICE), 2) Powerpoint presentation of essential information (available from CHOICE), 3) Guest speaker.
The guest speaker should be a person of influence who would give a brief presentation, for example: the school principle or PTA chairperson could introduce you (for the Powerpoint presentation). A well-liked teacher could offer an endorsement for the effort, siting the importance of good nutrition education and a healthier school lunch. A doctor could discuss the importance of a plant-based diet.
Your presentation goals include: 1) Knowledgable support of your effort from the PTA officers and general body, 2) The formation of a nutrition committee, of which you would like to be the chair, 3) Consent to send informational notices and announcements home, 4) PTA support for building relations with other school officials (administrators, teachers, food service, and students), 5) PTA support for additional actions. And, 6) PTA support for state liasion relations.
You may wish to conduct a survey of students to establish the following:
1. Whether the children in your school are eating healthy meals (How many pieces of fruit do they eat a day, vegetables, etc. Do their parents want them to eat healthier meals)
2. How many children have special dietary needs (low-fat diet, ethnic background, vegan / vegetarian preferences) and how many children would like to try eating healthier meals.
Accumulate and organize this data, then utilize and disperse it to appropriate parties.
To offset the misconception that plant-based diets equate with eliminating foods, rather than improving the taste and variety of a person's diet, you may wish to offer one of more of the following taste-testing opportunities:
1. A taste-testing table in the cafeteria. Serve simple foods that can easily be duplicated by food service (rather than more expensive foods like fake meats). You may choose to serve several at one sitting, or go periodically, say once a month, with different selections. Ask the student's to rate the selections so you can let food service know what are their favorites.
2. Samples for food service personnel. People generally cook what they like to eat. One way to get food service to try new dishes is to bring samples to food service officials. When you find something they really like, bring it more often (once a month or so) until they agree to prepare it for the children.
3. Offer to bring taste-testing samples as part of a nutrition education lesson or party. Coordinate with teachers to include taste-testing as part of their CHOICE or other nutrition education program.
4. Provide veggie treats at your PTA presentation.
5. Host a taste-testing fest. Coordinate with several schools to hold a Healthy Meals for Healthy Kids festival. Contact manufacturers and distributors to bring or send samples. And coordinate with parents and local organizations to present a variety of tasty edibles. You may consider having a few short presentations (a principle, superintendant, food service director, doctor, local celebrity, etc) and include some fun healthy eating awareness activities for the children. Contact CHOICE for further information or assistance in acquiring samples and celebrity speakers.
1. Provide CHOICE lesson plans
2. Make a presentation or invite a guest speaker (CHOICE can send presentation guidelines and / or a presentation outline)
3. Help organize a field trip to a farm (for picking), a grocery store (for selecting and preparing), a health food store (for sampling new foods), etc.
4. Engage elementary children to make snacks from fruit or shapes with vegetables.
5. Coordinate between teachers and food service for 'healthy meal' days in the cafeteria during special teaching units, or healthy ethnic foods on world holidays.(CHOICE has recipes and marketing materials you can utilize).
6. Help teachers plant a garden.
Sit down and talk with your local Food Service Director / Coordinator. Your approach should be inquisitive and supportive. Assume that they want to serve healthy meals, and ask what is needed and what you can do to help make this happen. Show you are serious and dedicated. Make suggestions of things you can do to help.
Ask for gradual change. Emphasize quality over quantity. When introducing new foods, it's more important to make the first new selection(s) a success than to convince food service to try lot's of new options all at once. Carefully select items that you can be confident will succeed with the stated goal of working towards one plant-based alternative entree and 2 side vegetables, nicely cooked, daily. That way you can gage what is working, and what is not, when you need more advertising, student feedback, etc.
Provide Recipes.
Provide Marketing Materials. When asked what is needed to introduce healthier and vegetarian options in schools, representatives from the National Office of AFSFA (American Food Service Association) had several suggestions, topmost of which was a request for marketing materials. Presentation is essential in food choices. To gain the interest of students for new foods, you would do well to provide a series of marketing materials, they definatively stated. Contact CHOICE for posters, samples menus, recipe cards, placemats, and more.
Approach Food Service from as Many Directions as Possible. Food Service personnel should not think you are the only person interested in healthy meals. The more parents, teachers, administrators, and perhaps most importantly students, who contact them and request healthier, plant-based additions, the better.
Develop a trusting relationship and work closely with School Food Service. Every school is different in their set up. And every school will differ in their receptivity to your efforts. When you have a receptive food service department, don't underestimate the value of that relationship. Take the time to cultivate an on-going exchange by bringing samples, asking how things are going, and providing interesting materials to food service. If you make someone feel special and take a personal interest, you stand a much better chance of getting your messages across.
Some ideas may include:
Special after-school activities like field trips or social events where healthy plant-based foods are served.
The formation of a student action committee (where student's lead efforts for change).
Getting healthy snacks into school vending machines.
You will find crucial allies working in programs like 5 a Day. Many states have libraries with materials that are distributed by mail to individual food service. You will want to ensure that select materials are included within these libraries. Contact your State Department of Education and speak with representatives there to find out what efforts are being make to include more plant-based meals (healthy or vegetarian) on the school lunch menu and make contact.
You may also wish to duplicate legislation such as that passed in Hawaii or upcoming in California requesting that plant-based options be available with every meal served. Contact Project Healthy Beginnings or Soy Happy for further information.
Or you may be inclined to work on federal legislation, such as the Soy milk initiative. Contact PCRM for further information on federal legislation.
Please send in descriptions of actions that have been successful. We would like to provide insight and additional actions for others, so that each local effort stands the best chance of success.Remember, by helping to provide plant based alternatives for children at school you will be:
While there are many ways you can achieve these goals, working to improve the school nutrition and lunch program is unique in its long-term benefit and impact upon the consciousness of our youth. By changing the eating habits of our youth, their future and the future of the entire planet is improved.
Additional Resources:
Get Growing From the Ground Up: A fantastic guide to use as a prototype for elements of your local campaign. Includes info on working with community resourses, publicizing events, organizing food festivals, and developing a garden at school.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Adolescent & School Health How You Can Help The NCC's comprehensive to do list for those who want to improve children's nutrition in schools, especially students, parents, teachers, food service and administrators.
Effecting Change
Overview | Getting Started | Know Your Audience
Build A Team | Actions | Support
