DYK October 10-14 was National School Lunch Week! To celebrate and promote healthy school lunches and healthy schools, we have an amazing reading assignment for the decision makers at your schools. It's full of stories from parents and tips from experts on how to make all schools as healthy as they can be! That includes: healthy lunches and snacks, eliminating junk food marketing in schools, physical education, recess, clean water and SO MUCH MORE!
Check it out and help us share encouragement and resources with schools by delivering a Healthy Schools Storybook to your local school! It takes just a minute.
Sign up to drop off the storybook with your school in person or via email here.
Our voices make a huge difference. Thousands of us have spoken out about the importance of healthy school meals in recent years, and now 98% of schools are meeting the healthy meal standards. The overall nutritional quality of school meals chosen has increased 29%, while calorie content per gram has dropped 13%. And school administrators say that the majority of students like the new healthy meals, too. [1] Wow!
But there’s more to do. Only 1 in 3 kids gets enough exercise each day. [2] Companies still sneak ads into schools through sponsorships, fundraisers and more. And many schools don't test for contaminants like lead in drinking water. Following the news coming out of Flint, MI earlier this year, that’s particularly concerning right? [3]
As parents, we have tremendous power. We know schools are eager for parent support when it comes to building a healthy school day. The storybook contains tips from experts on how to make schools healthy and statements like these, from parents like you:
"Junk food has no place in our schools - we are trying to instill healthy habits in our kids, so they will feel better and do better in school." - Nadya, CA
"Water should be safe anywhere and everywhere, but especially at schools. These children are our future." - Janice, NJ
"As a third grade teacher and a mom, I know how much kids need to MOVE in order to LEARN!" - Caitlin, VY
Inspiring, right? We couldn't agree more. Help us get stories like these, from parents like you, into the hands of as many schools as possible this fall. Sign up to drop off a storybook to your school, in person or by email!
When you sign up, you can indicate whether you’d like to deliver a print or electronic copy of the toolkit. The print copies are colorful and fun to read. The electronic copies are quick and easy to send. Either way, they have a big impact.
Healthy schools are possible. Let's bring that same parent-energy we use to encourage kids to tie their shoes, do their homework, and eat veggies to our schools! Schools really need to hear from us! After all, it takes all of us to build healthy communities for our kids.
Thank you! Together we're a voice for healthy kids and families!
[1] A Healthy New Era for School Meals, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
[2] President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
[3] Check out this compilation of reports of school water contamination from the National Drinking Water Alliance.
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