We're Delivering Back to School Storybooks! Some tips...
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who's signed up to deliver a Back to School Storybook to your local school this month! We're eager to remind school administrators that moms are excited about the new nutritional standards for school lunches! Thank you so much for helping with this effort!
Interested in delivering a storybook, but haven't signed up yet? Say no more - we need you! Click here to join us! And click here to check out the storybook!
Below are some tips for making your delivery a success!
First, a reminder of what this is all about!
We're know you're a superhero! Put those powers to good use! Help us amplify the mom voice around healthy school foods this month!Schools across America are meeting new national standards for school lunches this year, established by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 - the first major change to school meals in more than a decade. The changes include more fruits, vegetables and whole grain-rich foods; only fat-free or low-fat milk; "right-sizes" meals with portions designed for a child's age; and less saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. As parents, we know these changes will result in some exciting changes for our kids, helping ensure that their school day is a healthy one!
Our goal with the deliveries is to amplify the mom voice in support of the new standards. While many are enthusiastic about the new standards, a very vocal minority has been pushing back on them. Our goal is remind schools that we're excited for these changes, and ready to help make them a success!
To that end, we're delivering a "storybook" containing:
- testimonials from parents about the importance of healthy school foods
- examples of schools that have successfully implemented the standards
- tipsheets for school personnel on meeting the new guidelines
We're planning on over 100 deliveries across the country, and will be sharing this content with organizations and decision-makers at the national level too. Our goal is to deliver these during National School Lunch Week – Oct 14-18. So you're a big part of this momentum!
TIPS FOR YOUR DELIVERY
1. Scheduling the delivery.
Call or stop by the principal / administrator's office to schedule a time to come by to discuss school foods. You'll probably only need 5-10 minutes. Be friendly and excited! Remember: as a parent / member of the community, you're a part of the school. You have every right to ask for time to discuss school policies.
2. Preparing for the delivery.
Take a minute to read the cover letter, and be familiar with what's in the packet. We're delivering three things: 1) testimonials for parents about the importance of healthy school foods, 2) examples of schools that have successfully implemented the standards, and 3) tipsheets for school personnel on meeting the new guidelines.
It's great if you're prepared to speak about why this issue is important to you! Your story is perhaps the most important aspect of the meeting! Please also plan to take a photo of yourself with the storybook, either outside the school or with the principal. We’d love to share these on our social media pages! (They’ll be really inspiring to others doing deliveries!)
3. The meeting itself.
Your goal is to 1) share your story, 2) find out what the school is doing, and 3) offer tips and resources contained in the storybook. Here's some sample language for what you might say during the meeting itself. Please personalize / expand on this however you like - it should sound like it's coming from you! (That being said, it's fine to read from notes if you're more comfortable doing that).
SAMPLE SCRIPT
Introductions:
Hello! Thank you so much for meeting with me today. I'm sure you're quite busy! I really appreciate having a few minutes of your time.
Share your story:
My name is [YOUR NAME], and I'm a parent of [child/grade]. (Alternate: I'm [NAME] and I live in this community / work with kids / have grandchildren in your school, etc.]. I've asked to speak with you to discuss healthy school foods. I have a son in the fourth grade (example), and as you can imagine I'm eager to ensure he's eating right throughout the school day. We try to make the right choices at home, and it's really helpful when schools also offer healthy choices too. I’ve been really please that the school switched to non-fat milk [this is an example of a positive change you might cite. You could also mention a concern you have with meals…Insert something appropriate for your school.] – that makes a huge difference.
Find out what your school is doing:
Can you tell me more? I'd love to learn more about what we're doing here at [YOUR SCHOOL] to implement the new national meal standards. [Pause to let them share]
Offer resources:
That’s great – thank you. I’m really glad to know what we’re doing here at [YOUR SCHOOL]. I'm also excited to deliver some testimonials from moms like me, who are interested in making the school day healthy. I've brought a packet of stories from moms across the country, which also contains examples of schools that have succeeded in implementing the standards, and tipsheets for parents, school business officers and teachers. You’re clearly already thinking about these issues, and I hope these are helpful for you.
Thank you / Closing: [Adapt this to reflect your ability to stay involved! Maybe you can’t offer additional time, and just want to thank them for meeting today. That’s fine – remember, this is just sample language]
As a concerned parent, I’m also happy to stay involved in this conversation! I know it takes a community to make change happen. Thank you so much for what you’re doing, and for your time today!
4. Follow up
You’ve done it! Congratulations. We’re excited to share your work with the broader MomsRising community.
Please take a minute to SNAP A PHOTO of you delivering the storybook, either outside the school or with the principal, and send to us at Karen@momsrising.org or share on the MomsRising Facebook Page wall (https://www.facebook.com/MomsRising.org) We’d also love a quick update on how things went, in particular if your school asked for more information, there were questions you couldn’t answer, etc. We’ll be sure to get you all of that asap!
A final thought:
- If a question comes up you can’t answer, offer to get more information and get back to him/her. Then send us an email and we’ll help you find what you need.
THANK YOU for keeping the MOMentum going around this important issue!
Please contact us at Karen@momsrising.org with questions at any time! We’re so excited to hear how things go next week!!
Check out the storybook here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.momsrising.org/images/School_Food_Book.pdf
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.
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