Karin Wetherill, Wellness Coordinator Promoting Healthy Kids & Healthy Schools Through Good Nutrition & School Meals Programs Karin Wetherill, Wellness Coordinator karin.wetherill@rihsc.org www.rihsc.org

Schools Meals: A Bit of History   The start of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) President Truman began the program in 1946 as a measure of national security for two purposes: To help prevent nutritional deficiencies among lower-income schoolchildren To help dispose of surplus agricultural commodities owned by the government  

Along the way, we got off-track… Highly processed convenience foods Access to low-nutrition competitive foods Shift from serving underweight to overweight children Deteriorating kitchen facilities Lack of staff training for fresh meal prep

Fast forward to today… USDA programs (breakfast, lunch, after-school snack, dinner, summer meals) Stronger state & federal nutrition standards (meals & competitive foods) Reimbursement rates for full pay, reduced & free Role of Food Service Management Companies (FSMC) Commodity Foods (Entitlements)

A district’s school meal program must balance: Fiscal Stability Student Participation Quality/Nutritional Profile of Food Studies have shown a positive relationship between: Nutrition & Academic Performance

What’s working in Rhode Island! Promising approaches to encourage healthful eating Cafeteria design to encourage better choices Comply with competitive food/beverage sales laws Engage students Robust Farm-to-School programs Chefs in the kitchens Kitchen equipment upgrades Healthy food promotion/marketing School Gardens