Nutrition and schools

Resources for improving the school nutrition environment – presented by the Board of Health School Obesity Prevention Committee to help support school wellness policies in King County.

Recess Before Lunch Most schools currently schedule recess after lunch. However, a recent Montana study demonstrates conclusively that a simple change in scheduling offers significant health and learning improvements: Children who ate lunch after being physically active had: a higher nutritional intake improved attention and behavior in the classroom lower disciplinary rates There is even report of fewer afternoon visits to the nurse's office for stomach aches! Learn about implementing Recess Before Lunch in your school.

• Funding a local wellness policy
• Grants for schools

• Nutrition Standards for Schools (CDC):
  • For parents, guardians, teachers, and school staff
  • For school boards, school districts, and other school administrators
  • For school nutrition service personnel
  • Information about nutrition standards for foods in schools and what students can do to support them
• Nutrition Education Materials
• Healthy Schools Washington Listserv -- Receive and share information and resources to support healthy schools in Washington State
• Healthy Schools: Successful Students - Coordinated School Health in Washington State
• Action for Healthy Kids Resources to Improve Schools
• What's Working: Profiles of successful school-based interventions, programs and practices
• Making it Happen! School Nutrition Success Stories
• USDA Team Nutrition Best Practices - Washington State (PDF)
• Recess Before Lunch: A Guide for Success
• Samples of Successful Grant Proposals
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• School Nutrition Association Resource Center
• School Nutrition Marketing and Education Tools
• Nutrition Education in School Food Service Tool Kit
• USDA Toolkit: Expanding Your School Breakfast Program

• Action for Healthy Kids Wellness Policy Tool
• Local Process: How to Create, Implement, and Evaluate a Wellness Policy
• School Health Assessment Tools
• Criteria for Evaluating School-Based Approaches to Increasing Good Nutrition and Physical Activity (PDF)
• School Wellness Policy Evaluation Tool (PDF)
• Other resources for writing, implementing and evaluating school wellness policies

• Parents Advocating for School Wellness Toolkit
• Local and National Organizations that Advocate for Child Nutrition
• 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization:
  • School Nutrition Association Reauthorization Information
  • Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Reauthorization Center
  • California Food Policy Advocates Reauthorization Priorities (PDF)