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Schools & Child Care

Promoting healthy eating in schools

Promoting Healthy Eating in Schools

Healthy eating is one of the curriculum-linked, health-related strategies that contributes to creating a healthier school environment. In turn, healthier students are better prepared to learn. What is happening in the school environment should be consistent with the nutrition information being taught in the classroom, to shape and inform lifelong healthy habits in students.

The benefits of a Healthy School Food Culture are endless.

 

The following action plan ideas are provided to help with addressing the topic of healthy eating at school. Include a selection of activities from each of the five sections bellow, or brainstorm ideas of your own:
  • Involve students in creating and maintaining school/community garden or greenhouse.
  • Involve students in school-wide meal programs or Student Nutrition Programs.
  • Engagement students in school-wide campaigns - World School Milk Day, The Great Big Crunch, Can You Feel It?, etc.
  • Organize a theme week during nutrition month (March).
  • Involve student in the use of fresh produce for cafeteria or salad/smoothie bar.
  • Engage students in peer-led social justice initiatives about food industry marketing or household food insecurity.
  • Encourage students to advocate for water promotion in the school and installation of hydration stations.
  • Engage community partners in the development, planning, and implementation of Healthy Schools initiatives. Check out our Community Partnerships page.
  • Share BrightBites as a resource with teachers, students and school council for planning and implementing activities and initiatives to improve the school food culture in your school.
  • Provide parent, student and community education about healthy eating and food safety, e.g. What's for Lunch (PDF).
  • Encourage parents and volunteers to take the You're the Chef leader's training to offer food skills program to students.
  • Share resources with your students and their families to encourage healthy meal and snack choices at school and at home.
  • Encourage parents to bring in fruit trays and themed veggie trays instead of candy and cupcakes for celebrations, or consider whether food is really necessary to celebrate every event.
  • Include non-food activities on school fundraising plans. Examples:  dance-a-thon, poinsettia or magazine sales, or fundraise with healthy options like oranges or grapefruit or Fresh from the
    Farm fundraising.
  • Encourage volunteers to take the certified food handler training certification with the health unit to support the Student Nutrition Program in the school.
  • Offer vegetables and fruit with catered lunch days.
  • Arrange for educational visits to visit local farms, greenhouses, farmers' markets or grocery stores.
  • Arrange for your school to be a Good Food Box drop/pick up site.
  • Involved families and local community in school/community gardens/greenhouses.
  • Consider partnering with local community groups to apply for grants to support healthy eating initiatives in the school.
  • Consider partnering with local community kitchens or Georgian College hospitality program for food skills opportunities.

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