Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School District Date An Introduction to School Nutrition Add your School District Logo Here

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Agenda The facts about school meals Getting involved © SNA/ Rick Brady

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School Meals – The Facts School Breakfast Program (SBP) – 11.6 million children served daily* – 83,600 schools participate in SBP* Our district’s School Breakfast Program – * USDA

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School Meals – The Facts National School Lunch Program – 31 million children served daily – 96,500 of schools participate in NSLP Our district’s Lunch Program –

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School Meals – The Facts

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School Meals – The Facts School meals are healthier than ever! Fresh fruits and vegetables Whole grains Reduced or zero TransFats Salads and salad bars Lowfat dairy items Baked items rather than fried Healthy cooking/prep techniques

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School meals are balanced and healthy – The National School Lunch Program requires school lunches to meet federal dietary guidelines which dictate: School Meals – The Facts Calorie limits are set by age/grade group School meals must be served in grade/age appropriate portions. Less than 10 % of calories come from saturated fat.

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School Meals – The Facts School Lunches include innovative items: 1.Milk – Lowfat or Nonfat 2.Vegetables – From jicama to fresh carrots 3.Fruit – Everything from kiwi to locally grown apples 4.Grains – More whole grains 5.Protein – lean meats and beans With all of these choices, school meals add up to great value!

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. What about the childhood obesity crisis? – There is no evidence that either the school breakfast or lunch program is contributing to rising rates of childhood obesity. * – Children who eat school lunch are more likely to consume milk, fruit & veggies and less likely to consume desserts and snack items than children who do not. * – Students are less likely to gain weight during the school year when in school than during the summer when school is out. ** – Students only eat 17% of their meals each year in schools *Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, February 2009 **Source: American Journal of Public Health, April 2007 School Meals – The Facts Addressing childhood obesity is a community-wide effort.

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School meals help students to do better in school – Research has shown that students who eat school meals perform their best academically. – Students who eat school breakfast have greater gains in standardized test scores and show improvements in math, reading and vocabulary scores.* – Healthy eating correlates with less trips to the school nurse and less absenteeism. – Providing nutritious school breakfast on testing days – and every school day - leads to improved test scores. *Source: Classroom Breakfast Scores High in Maryland, Maryland Meals for Achievement. October 2001 School Meals – The Facts

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. School meals are safe – School nutrition professionals have rigorous training in food safety and have implemented a HACCP Plan. – School kitchens are subject to two health inspections annually conducted by the local health department. – According to the CDC, school kitchens maintain exceptional food safety records. Schools account for only 4 % of foodborne-disease outbreaks. (Food prepared at home – 20 %, Restaurant fare – 50 %) School Meals – The Facts

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. How You Can Get Involved © SNA/ Rick Brady

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Visit the cafeteria during lunch or breakfast. Join students for lunch or breakfast. Encourage the school nutrition director to make presentations to parents about the benefits of school meals and a healthy lifestyle at PTA meetings and in the classroom. How You Can Get Involved

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Make time for school breakfast even if it’s in the classroom or on the go. Get involved in your local school wellness policy implementation. Encourage the school nutrition team to be well- trained with certification and credentialing programs from the School Nutrition Association. How You Can Get Involved

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Value nutrition education as highly as the traditional core curricula: combine nutrition education with other subjects like math, science and social studies. Create a healthy school environment focused on nutrition education AND physical activity. Ensure there is enough time for recess, for physical education and for lunch! How You Can Get Involved

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved.

Visit A national resource to learn the fact about school meals and share their ideas School district administrators can submit school nutrition success stories Sign up for quarterly s to learn the latest news & trends in school meals

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Visit Check out the ‘Get Involved Section’ – Help make our program shine by submitting a school nutrition success story from our school/district – Provide feedback about school meals in the feedback section – Download banners and badges

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Healthy meals & food preparation Farm to school/Locally produced Nutrition education Cooking with kids/School gardens Ethnic foods Vegetarian Healthy school environments Eco friendly practices Other (other ideas are welcome – really!) Submit a school nutrition success story About any of the following:

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Submit your success stories online at Don’t forget a photo! You can also include other elements (audio, PPT presentation) Not all submissions will be published on the website- but they may be used in other SNA published materials Submit a school nutrition success story

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Questions? © SNA/ Rick Brady Questions?

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. Thank you!