Healthy Schools Campaign

Veggies, Hula Hoops and the Future of School Food: HSC at the White House Healthy Kids Fair

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilege of participating in Healthy Kids Fair at the White House. It was a fun event with an important message and I was thrilled that Healthy Schools Campaign was able to be part of it.

Of course I've been following the First Lady's work promoting healthy food and fitness, especially around the White House Garden and the farmers market. But being able to actually participate in an event at the White House and hear first-hand her comments about promoting healthy eating at home and in schools, seeing her interact with children eating healthy food and engaging in physical activity was a real treat. And yes, she actually did the hula hoop (142 rotations, according to the AP) and jumped rope.  

Amidst her strong message about the need for healthy eating and physical activity, Mrs. Obama’s comments were humorous and filled with practical advice. The event included a policy announcement --  expanding the USDA’s existing Healthier Schools USA program -- that was great though not really game-changing in the movement for healthier school food.

But the First Lady's involvement clearly demonstrates a strong commitment by the Administration to improving school food.  In fact, Secretary of Agriculture Vlisack told the crowd at the fair that when President Obama asked him to become the Secretary of Agriculture, the President told him that improving school food needed to be his top priority.

As I left this event, I couldn't help but think of something that many of us who care about kids' wellness have been saying again and again lately: it really is a new day for school food and fitness.

Seeing this type of enthusiasm for veggies and hula hoops coming from the White House is more than just encouraging and fun: it changes the conversations we have about good food and physical activity by creating a climate in which these things are valued and applauded. 

Fit Kids Scoring on Academics

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

In a study that alters my perception of my childhood, researchers say it seems that physically fit students students post higher academic scores than less-fit peers. Put another way, it's no longer the geek who shall inherit the earth. According to the study:

To examine the correlation between physical fitness and academic performance, researchers reviewed the academic and fitness records of students attending kindergarten through eighth grade in New York City public school who participated in the New York City FITNESSGRAM, a standards-based fitness curriculum and assessment. The researchers found that scores on standardized English language arts and math tests increased accordingly with higher FITNESSGRAM assessment scores for all racial and ethnic groups.

One of the problems that we see in schools is that the current focus on testing has reduced time and resources devoted to non-core school programming. So many important elements of a healthful school environment are cut -- including PE, nutrition programs, maintenance -- and the list goes on.

While it's helpful to have more and more research showing that better health means better education, what would be even more helpful is to start directing resources to expand health promotion programs.We know that healthy kids are better learners. Now it's time to start putting that knowledge into practice.

Maybe what we need is a new learning index that goes beyond just math and English and also includes physical education, nutrition, even the quality of the school building. By looking at developing the whole child, maybe we can then take steps to really improve our academic outcomes.

Changing the Future of School Food: Student Chefs in The Washington Post

by Tara Kennon, HSC communications manager

Great news from Washington! Today, the healthy, tasty school meal designed by high school students from Richards Career Academy for HSC’s Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest was served in cafeterias around the nation and at a nearby briefing – where the students prepared the meal with White House chef Sam Kass.

The tasty meal kicks off a national campaign to change the future of school food and urge our Congressional leaders to support a strong, well-funded reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act that will make this type of healthy lunch a daily reality in our nation’s schools.

Jane Black wrote a great piece for the Washington Post about the student chefs, today’s event, and the campaign to get more money for better food in our nation’s school cafeterias. Explaining that HSC is “bringing good food and cute kids to Washington,” Black writes that:

Today six culinary students from the Richards Career Academy in Chicago will join White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass at Martha's Table, where they will cook their idea of a perfect school lunch. On the menu: carrot quesadillas, chicken-stuffed peppers and a "refrescante" (a.k.a. salsa) salad. The meal also will be served to House members and staffers at the Longworth Cafeteria and to 40,000 students at schools across the country. . . .

The message: Schools need more money to produce healthful meals.

President Obama has made healthful eating in schools a centerpiece of his domestic agenda. In his budget, he called for $1 billion to improve childhood nutrition programs.

Will Congress fork over the funds? That will ultimately be up to Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee. The kids better hope he likes carrot quesadillas.

Click here to check out the full post and leave a comment congratulating the talented student chefs!

We'll post photos and video from the event as they're available -- for now, we have one small (and, sorry, slightly blurry) cell phone photo that a friend sent of the students cooking with Sam Kass while HSC's Rochelle Davis speaks.

May 5: Change the Future of School Food

May 5, 2009 – less than one week from today – is a day that could change the future of school food.

A tasty, healthy school meal designed by high school students in Chicago will be served in the Capitol Hill cafeteria and at a nearby briefing on the future of school food, where the students will prepare the meal with White House chef Sam Kass. The meal, which won first place in HSC’s Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest, will also be served to more than 40,000 students in cities across the U.S. The student-designed menu of carrot quesadillas, stuffed peppers and refrascante salad exceeds the nutrition standards of the National School Lunch Program and highlights the importance of healthy food for the millions of schoolchildren who eat lunch at school every day. 

Please take a moment to urge your elected leaders to eat (school) lunch on May 5 and to support a strong, well-funded reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act that will make this type of healthy meal a daily reality in our nation’s schools.

Now, HSC has limited time to raise funds for the Chicago public high school students who designed the lunch to travel to DC to prepare the meal with White House chef Sam Kass at the Congressional briefing. Can you help make this trip possible by contributing to the students’ travel? Even a small donation will help create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students and send a powerful message to policy-makers about the need for fresh, healthy school food. Click here to make a contribution.

Thank you for joining this effort to change the future of school food. Stay posted for updates as the nationwide events unfold!

Earth Mothers: Parents Share Lessons & Victories in Environmental Justice Project

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Last Monday, I had the privilege of participating in the final event of our EPA Environmental Justice grant with parents from the Austin Wide Parent Network.  For the last two years, 12 parents from this low-income African-American community worked with HSC staff to learn about the connection between learning, health and the school environment and then work together to make improvements in four schools. 
 
After a delicious and healthy meal prepared by Real Men Cook, parents gave personal testimony on what they learned and the changes that they were able to make in their schools. I was very moved by the whole program.  I was so inspired by a poem written by Austin Wide Parent Network organizer Tracy that I wanted to share it with you.  The poem eloquently captures the essence of the work being done.  
 
Earth Mothers
 
When we hear the term earth mother,
Particularly in the black community,
It conjures up images of dreadlocks and fros, breathable fabrics flowing in the wind, composts, organics and canvas bags
 
We think of women who have given up so much,
Sacrificed conveniences and luxuries
To ensure that the earth will survive beyond their lifetimes and into perpetuity
 
But, I know other earth mothers
Who may not be cotton and linen clad every day
But whose existence breathes purpose and commitment
As they ensure that dust bunnies are shooed away and pests eased out, not poisoned out
To clear the air for the babies of Austin
 
I know other earth mothers
Whose hair may not be locked up as they say
But, for whom it is natural to tell school engineers in no uncertain terms to “Get rid of that bleach, Fabuloso and all the other toxic stuff. We’re trying to breathe up in here.”
 
I know other earth mothers
Whose homes may not be lead free
Because the Dollar Store is still the most affordable place in our communities and nobody cares enough to regulate the make-up of the inventory there
But, who are working magic with potions of vinegar, baking soda and water to keep the air in their home toxin free
 
I know other earth mothers
Who may just now be starting to investigate recycling options now that a drop-off center is kind of nearby and the City finally decided to put some blue carts out here
But you better believe they understand reuse
As in “Where are you taking the tablecloth? I’m going to use it for my No Child Left Behind meeting”
Or “You better hand me that foil pan. I’m using that for my family reunion.”
 
These are women whose faith compels them to weed out barriers to clear air in the Edens and Gesthemanes we call our homes and schools
 
These are warrior queens who are fighting to keep Mother Earth and all of her children alive and kicking
 
These are the mothers and grandmothers of the Austin Wide Parent Network.

What Lessons from Chicago will Obama and Arne Duncan Take to DC?

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Chicago has been in the spotlight more than usual for the past few months, as President Barack Obama and new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan transition to DC from careers that began in this city. With HSC’s office in Chicago and some of our key programs focused on healthy change in Chicago Public Schools, we have been giving a great deal of thought to the lessons on health and education that our leaders will bring from Chicago to the national policy dialogue.

It’s with this in mind that HSC is pleased to release our new report, Healthy and Ready to Learn: Lessons from Chicago. This report outlines the five lessons on school health that we’d like to see our leaders bring to DC, along with personal stories and policy recommendations for each.

Why do these Chicago lessons matter? We know that one of the greatest challenges facing our leaders is to provide a good education and a health-promoting environment for students in urban school districts serving low-income communities of color. The Chicago Public Schools system serves more than 400,000 students at more than 650 schools. African-American and Latino students comprise 85 percent of the district’s student population. More than 83 percent of the student population is considered low-income, and the district serves more than 56 million school meals per year.

I can’t imagine a more appropriate place for these lessons to originate: both the challenges and the promise of this system make the lessons learned here valuable for our nation as a whole.

I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the full report and share it with your colleagues. We’d love to hear your feedback and invite you to sign on as a supporter of the policy recommendations. But first, let me share a quick summary of the five lessons:

1. A healthy school environment supports learning.
2. Healthy school meals are critical for student health and learning.
3. Physical activity supports student health and helps students focus on learning.
4. School nurses are important for promoting student health.
5. Parent and stakeholder engagement can be a powerful catalyst for making school-based change.

These are simple, common-sense lessons. Although the related policy changes are not always easy to implement, we hope that our leaders will make it a priority to consider these lessons and the value of healthy schools.  As schoolchildren in Chicago can attest, small changes make a big difference: a healthy meal, a few minutes of physical activity and clean classroom air all go a long way to help children focus and do their best at school.

More Reasons for Recess

By Lindsay Muscato, HSC Writer/Communications Specialist

HSC is happy to see that more new research endorses recess.  A recent New York Times blog points to a study in the journal Pediatrics that linked recess to better classroom behavior.

The lead researcher, Dr. Romina M. Barros, a pediatrician and an assistant clinical professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said the findings were important because many schools did not view recess as essential to education.

“We should understand that kids need that break because the brain needs that break.”

And many children are not getting that break. In the Pediatrics study, 30 percent were found to have little or no daily recess. Another report, from a children’s advocacy group, found that 40 percent of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period.

Also, teachers often punish children by taking away recess privileges. That strikes Dr. Barros as illogical. “Recess should be part of the curriculum,” she said. “You don’t punish a kid by having them miss math class, so kids shouldn’t be punished by not getting recess.”

The blog post also quotes researchers who say that when kids break for recess, they're exercising important social skills and learning to stay fit, in addition to giving their brains a chance to rest before the next lesson.

HSC advocates for recess in every school and believes that recess is part of the healthy lifestyle kids need to in order to learn and succeed throughout their school years and later in life as adults.

Read the full New York Times blog post.

Read a recent blog on recess from HSC's founding executive director, Rochelle Davis.

Happy, Healthy Valentine’s Day -- With a Little Chocolate!

This blog is part of our new Friday-morning series on fun, healthy snacks and recipes.

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and, around the country, classroom celebrations are underway. Teachers and parents are wrestling with the question of how to create a fun celebration that reflects the traditions of Valentine’s Day but also sends the right message to students about making healthy choices.

I’ve learned firsthand that involving teachers, parents and students in planning the event is an important step to creating a celebration that meets everyone’s expectations for a fun Valentine’s Day.

Two years ago I wrote about a Valentine's day that was a little too "sweet," but last year I wrote about how the principal, parents and teachers at my son’s school were able to create healthy celebrations – and by all reports, the Valentine’s Day parties were a huge success with many fewer candies and sweet treats than in previous years.  Be sure to check out HSC’s Quick & Easy Guide to School Wellness for ideas for healthy treats and celebrations.

My son is in middle school now, and I’ve learned that middle-schoolers don’t have Valentine’s Day classroom parties like younger kids do. So at my house, we’re focusing on what we’re going to do at home. Yesterday, my son asked if there was something special I’d like to have on Valentine’s Day, and I have to admit that my mind went straight to chocolate! 

When you decide it’s time for a small chocolate treat, here’s a recipe to help – for a  (slightly!) healthier version of flourless chocolate cakes. They are healthier because the serving size is small and because the fat is reduced by using just egg whites instead of whole eggs. I’ve made these little cakes many times – I  think they a great way to enjoy a chocolate indulgence, with a little fruit on the side.

If you really want to impress your special Valentines, you can decorate the top of the cakes with a heart. To do this, take a piece of paper larger than the cake and cut out a heart shape (making a heart-shaped stencil). Lay the stencil over the cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Carefully remove the stencil. Et voila, a pretty white heart!

Mini flourless chocolate cakes with berry sauce

4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
4 egg whites
4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Heat oven to 400 F. Spray muffin cups with pan spray.

Combine chocolate and butter in  a double boiler and melt. Stir in cocoa powder and salt. Remove from heat. Using mixer,  beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Mix in sugar and continue mixing egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Whisk in ¼ of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites to temper. Fold in remaining chocolate. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake until tops are firm, and centers are soft, about 8 minutes. Remove cakes from muffin cups and serve with berry sauce.

Berry sauce
1 ½ pints mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries). Use frozen if fresh berries are not in season.
3 tablespoons sugar
Juice from half a lemon
Zest from one lemon, chopped finely

Combine berries, sugar, lemon and lemon zest in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until fruit is softened. Remove from heat and puree in food processor. Strain through a sieve and serve over mini chocolate cakes.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kids May Go Hungry to Avoid Stigma of Free Meals

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

Last July, Kate Houston, Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services made a presentation to the House Education and Labor Committee where she stated: “I want to reiterate USDA’s commitment to help ensure that no one in America goes hungry.”

Each day, the USDA's National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) serve more than 31 million school children. But I wonder how well the USDA -- and all of us who work on school food issues -- are doing at ensuring that no child is going hungry at school due to the stigma attached to participating in these free meal programs?

In March of this year, the NY Times reported that, “Free Lunch Isn’t Cool, So Some Students Go Hungry:"

"Lunchtime 'is the best time to impress your peers,' said Lewis Geist, a senior at Balboa and its student body president. Being seen with a subsidized meal, he said, 'lowers your status.'"

The article also stressed that the set-up of the lunch lines is a key part of this issue:

"Many districts have ... one line, in the cafeteria, for government-subsidized meals (also available to students who pay) and another line for mostly snacks and fast food for students with cash, in another room, down the hall and around the corner."

Although school districts have introduced systems using swipe cards or debit cards as a method of payment for meals, to help make it less apparent who’s eligible for the school meal program, high school students know the score. If you’re in the line for a school meal, there’s pretty good chance that you're getting a free lunch.

The unintended consequences of this dual set-up were apparent at the high school profiled in the NY Times article. “A group of classmates who also qualify for federally subsidized lunches sat on a bench," it reported. "One ate a slice of pizza from the line where students pay for food; the rest went without.”

But, this doesn’t have to be the case. In Chicago, more than 4,000 middle and high school students at the Noble Network of Charter Schools or at Perspectives Charter Schools have no idea who’s getting free lunch. There is only one lunch line. At these schools and a growing number of schools around the country, the same food is offered to students who pay and those who receive subsidized meals.

When more students eat the meals served at school, fewer kids will go hungry. More kids will have the food they need to concentrate, study, and succeed at school. And we will really make strides to accomplish the USDA’s goal for the school meals programs, “to strengthen our country by safeguarding the health and well-being of the Nation’s children.”

As members of the Senate and House of Representatives Agriculture committees of Congress begin their work on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, I urge them to consider providing adequate resources for the school meals program that will allow school food service directors to establish programs that encourage every student to eat, without stigma, lunch and breakfast at their schools. (If you'd like to take action on this issue, you can add your name to HSC's petition for a healthy child nutrition act.)

Interested in learning more about this issue and the school meals program? Check out some of these other interesting articles and resources: 

• For the 2007/2008 school year, the USDA spent about $8.3 billion to provide free and reduced-priced lunches for 30.6 million children whose families are at or below 130 percent of the national poverty level, or about $26,845 for a family of four. The program also provides reduced-priced meals for students who are between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level, or $38,203 for a family of four. When student participation in the school meal program increases, the school district also receives more revenue to cover the cost of delivering its meal program. The USDA provides a reimbursement of $0.23 per meal to school districts when students purchase a school meal (in addition to other USDA school meal funding).

• This month, the School Nutrition Association issued a new report, Saved by the Lunch Bell:  As Economy Sinks, School Nutrition Program Participation Rises [PDF]. The SNA’s survey of 137 school districts in 38 states showed that the majority of districts have seen an increase in the number of students applying for participation in the federally funded school meals program. This translates to more than 425,000 meals, compared with the previous school year. Plus these increases come during a slight decline in the number of students enrolled in public schools in the 2008-2009 school year.

• News outlets from ABC’s KOAT in Albuquerque to News Channel 5 in Cleveland have reported recently on increased school meal participation in their states. I wonder how many students eligible to receive free and reduced priced school meals in these states are actually eating the meals they are eligible to receive? 

• HSC has been working hard to ensure that the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act fosters healthy school meal programs.

Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices

by Leena Trivedi-Grenier, HSC social media intern

I am working on a project with Healthy Schools Campaign called “Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices.” The goal is simple. In 2009, the Child Nutrition Act is up for reauthorization, and this act has the potential to create a future for school food in which fresh, healthy meals are the norm. It can also bring more resources to nutrition education and school wellness policies.

We’d like all children to have the opportunity to eat good, healthy food at school – but we need your help to make that happen!

We are presenting a petition to president-elect Obama in Jan. 2009, asking him to make a healthy reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act a priority for his administration.  We’d like everyone who cares about children's health – and about food! – to sign the petition.

To spread the word,  we are contacting bloggers from different genres and asking them all to post blogs relating to school lunches (their most vivid school lunch memories, a healthy school lunch idea, what they pack for their kids. . . ), and have each one link to our petition so that regular blog readers can take action on this important issue.

The blogging event, which takes place on December 10, 2008, is called Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices -- because Healthy Schools Campaign is looking for new people to help speak up about the importance of healthy school food.

Would you like to participate?

If so,  just create a blog post about healthy school lunches and plan to post it on Dec. 10. (Be sure to include a link to the petition -- http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/getinvolved/action/childnutrition/action.php)

Then, send a quick email to leena@healthyschoolscampaign.org. (I can send you images, badges and specific petition text if you’d like!) We’ll link back to you in our Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices blog roundup the next day.

Together, we can spread the word about healthier school lunches for children across the country.

Don’t want to create a blog post? We have badges you can post on your website to remind people to sign the petition. If you have other ideas for spreading the word, let me know! Even simply posting a link to the petition in your Twitter update could bring us one step closer to a healthier school lunch program for  our nation’s schoolchildren.