HELPFUL LINKS
Whether you’re simply interested in school nutrition or determined to make change, here are some websites that are worth a click:
Action for Healthy Kids How-to guides, fact sheets and quick tips for creating a healthy school environment and improving school nutrition.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Filled with ideas for healthier school parties, fundraisers, lunches, and much more–courtesy of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.
Bag the Junk An informational website to help parents, school employees and other members of the community act as informed champions for healthy snack foods and beverages in schools.
Center for Science in the Public Interest Policy options (and all-around great suggestions) for improving school food outside of meals.
Cook for America Here you’ll find details on Cook for America’s 5-day Lunch Teachers™ Culinary Boot Camps, designed to provide school food service staff with training in basics such as food safety and sanitation, time management, menu planning, and cooking techniques.
Ellyn Satter Associates A treasure trove of information on best practices for feeding kids—featuring special handouts on school nutrition education and guidelines for school staff.
Farm to School A program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the goal of improving student nutrition and providing experiential learning opportunities through school gardens, farm tours and culinary education.
Fed Up With Lunch Appalled by cafeteria offerings at her Chicago public school, a teacher (aka Mrs. Q) resolves to endure the school lunch every day for a year and write about it anonymously in this blog. Log on to read more about her story, school lunch reform, or steal her healthy lunch ideas.
Food with Kid Appeal Great info on launching a campaign for better school food, from a Houston-based blogger and self-proclaimed “mama, foodie, and vegetable and nutrition enthusiast.”
Healthy Schools Campaign Sign up for a School Food Webinar or download a Guide to School Wellness from this Chicago-based non-profit.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Learn about and join the celebrity chef’s campaign for more nutritious (and tasty!) school food.
Kids’ Safe and Healthful Food Project A non-partisan campaign for better school food and food safety policies, based on hard science.
Let’s Move! Excellent guidance for anyone wanting to join the fight for healthier schools—from the desk of the First Lady.
My Healthy School Sponsored by Kiwi magazine, this helpful website is dedicated to providing teachers, administrators, parents and students with resources on how to improve the health of schools across the country–with action plans for parents, suggested nutrition goals, advice for starting a school garden, and strategies to minimize environmental toxins.
National School Lunch Program An informational Q&A on the federally funded school meal program.
Nurture A non-profit organization dedicated to providing food education to kids and their families through schools and community centers.
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools Apply for a grant to fund a salad bar at your school.
PEACHSF Tons of helpful information and “how to” guides on fixing school food–from a group of parents, teachers, school administrators and healthcare professionals in my favorite city of San Francisco.
Rudd ‘Roots Parents Rudd ‘Roots Parents supports the grassroots efforts of parent advocates by offering valuable information on how to fight for healthy changes in their children’s schools.
Smart Food Initiative A great example of what can happen when a group of frustrated parents takes up the school nutrition cause.
The LunchBox: Healthy Tools to Help All Schools Founded by child nutrition advocate Chef Ann Cooper, this is a good place to go for resources related to school food reform and for lunchroom staff to get kid– and school-tested recipes.
The Lunch Tray Former lawyer and mom of two Bettina Elias Siegel takes on the Houston Independent School District (and pink slime!) in this frank and informative blog.
Tray Talk Info on school meals from the School Nutrition Association, a national non-profit organization.
Turn the Tide Foundation Founded by prominent obesity researcher and nutrition expert David Katz, this organization’s goal is to teach kids about healthy eating in an easy-to-digest way. To that end, Katz has created videos like Nutrition Detectives, in which he explains the “5 clues” for identifying and choosing healthful foods.
Two Angry Moms Ire over unhealthy school food inspired a duo of nutrition-conscious mothers to make this eye-opening documentary. Visit their website to view a 10-minute video clip or host a screening in your community.
Veggiecation An innovative program with hands-on and fun-filled activities designed to help children learn about and discover the truly delicious nature of vegetables.
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