Healthy Schools Campaign

What Henry Eats: Spinach Tacos

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

This post is part of our new Friday-morning series on the fun, healthy snacks that kids love.

 

In my house, these are called Spinach Tacos.

Take one piece of fresh spinach, add a blob of hummus, and then let the kid drop a few raisins in the middle.

It’s a delicious snack. And it’s sure to make your heart swell with pride and you see your kid pounding fresh spinach with this kind of enthusiasm.

What healthy snacks are a hit with your kids?

A “New Day” for School Food: Talking with Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

The USDA plays a major role in shaping our nation’s school food, so I was happy to see this recent Washington Post interview with Tom Vilsack, the new Secretary of Agriculture. In the interview, Secretary Vilsack declares that “there’s a new day here” and that he is committed to pursuing policies that support healthful eating – including healthy food at school.

Vilsack discusses his own struggle with weight as a child and says that “there are ways in which we can partner with local school districts and states to do a better job to provide nutrition options at school.”

When asked about his specific ideas for improving school lunches, he says:

Part of my responsibility is to find people who share my concern and have more expertise than I do. People we nominate will be people who understand this issue and have the desire to effect change. The specifics of how we can do this will come from the experts. My job is to listen to the president, who is the ultimate vision maker, articulate his vision to the people who work in this department and add my two cents' worth. The vision is, he wants more nutritious food in schools.

You can read the full interview here.

I am encouraged by Vilsack’s discussion of these issues and look forward to working with his administration and advocates around the country to reach a truly healthful “new day” in our nation’s school kitchens and cafeterias.

Kitchens, Funding & Fresh Meals: Alice Waters Discusses School Food Reform

by Jean Saunders, HSC School Wellness Director

In a New York Times editorial on Friday, Alice Waters, renowned chef and president of the Chez Panisse Foundation, reminds us that, “Every public school child in America deserves a healthful and delicious lunch that is prepared with fresh ingredients.”

Waters calls for a major overhaul of the National School Lunch Program so that all schools can serve meals that are cooked from scratch in a well-designed and fully functioning kitchen. (Today, many schools have kitchens that are equipped only for re-heating rather than scratch cooking.) Waters describes programs around the country that have made great strides in this direction.

Currently, considerable outside funding would be required to operate programs like these – much more than schools currently receive from the federal government. Waters estimates that about $5 per meal (or $27 billion per year) plus an additional one-time investment in kitchen upgrades would sufficiently fund programs like these for the whole nation.

The current funding provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each lunch served by school ($2.57 for free lunches, $2.17 for reduced-priced lunches and $0.24 for paid lunches) is widely acknowledged as inadequate to cover the costs of preparing and serving lunch to students. Even without increasing the amount of fresh cooking that goes into meals, schools need more funding to cover the basic costs of serving nutritious meals. This is confirmed in the School Nutrition Association’s Sept. 2008 white paper, “Heats On:  School Meals Under Financial Pressure” [pdf] which reports that 79 percent of school districts indicated that the reimbursement they receive from the federal government is insufficient to cover the costs of producing the school meals they serve.  A full 98 percent of programs generate additional revenue through a la carte sales. 

In this context, I was pleased to see that the stimulus bill [pdf] signed last week reflects a commitment from Congress and the Obama administration to address child health through school nutrition; the bill includes approximately $100 million in funding to improve school kitchen facilities around the country. This funding can help take many schools a step closer to the ability to cook from scratch, an important foundation for the type of fresh meals that Waters describes.

We applaud Waters for taking a strong position on this important issue and for helping raise awareness of the many issues involved with feeding children good, fresh food.

Alice Waters is one of the best-known and most influential American chefs since the 1970s, often credited with single-handedly creating a culinary revolution in the U.S. It is when Alice and others like her speak out about the importance thinking differently about our food – and in this case, the programs that deliver food to children – that people around the country begin to listen and think about the importance of the issues.

Next week, congressional briefings about child nutrition will take place in Washington. The central theme in these briefings will be the important contribution that school meals make to children’s health and education. At HSC, we believe that healthy students are better learners and that healthy school food is an important part of kids’ education.

One of the most concrete and time-sensitive ways that we can all raise our voices for healthy school food in the coming months is through support of a strong, robust reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. To learn more about HSC’s policy recommendations and sign a petition in support of healthy school meals, click here.

What Impact Will the Stimulus Bill Have on School Health?

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

On Tuesday, President Obama signed the stimulus bill, also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,  and we’ve been working through the details. [This link is to the full bill, a 13MB, 407-page PDF -- consider yourself warned.]  

It seems that what we heard about the compromise language earlier was all pretty accurate – there was additional money added to the state fiscal stabilization fund which, while not directly marked for school renovation and modernization, may be used for that purpose (per page 165 of the bill). However, decisions about how this money is distributed at the state level will be made on a state-by-state basis, highlighting the importance of advocacy to help state leaders understand the need for funding to support school repair and modernization.  

In addition to approximately $53 billion earmarked for education, the Act authorizes tax credits for a total of $22 billion of school construction bonds (p. 242). The bill includes several additional items of note for school health advocates:

• $100 million for school food service grants for “equipment assistance” (p. 5)
• $3.2 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (p. 24)
• $3.1 billion for state energy programs for renewable energy (p. 24)
• $1.6 billion for Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (p. 208)
• $3.2 billion for qualified energy conservation bonds (p. 208)

This is by no means a complete list. Much of this funding is for energy-efficiency and green infrastructure development, something that schools may take advantage of even though the funding is not specifically earmarked for educational buildings.

What we do know is that the stimulus bill will provide a quick influx of money into all states, and schools now have an opportunity to access resources not only to cover their budgets, but to invest in the next generation of energy efficient, healthy schools. In the case of school food service grants, each state will have a very short window of time to define “equipment assistance” and provide guidance for school food programs. And in the case of school food service grants, there is a very short window where each state will have to define “equipment assistance” and provide guidance for school food programs.

HSC will be monitoring the progress of state-level decisions on how stimulus spending will affect school health. Please check back for updates as we continue to learn more about the impact of the stimulus bill on schools.  

What Henry Cooks: Healthy Valentine Muffins

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

This blog is part of our new Friday-morning series on the fun, healthy snacks that kids love.

It’s always a special treat when my two-year-old son Henry and I get to cook together. Last week we made a special (healthy-ish) Valentines’ treat for my wife.

My take-aways from the experience are:

1. Beets do a great job of turning your frosting pink.
2. A heart-shaped pan makes everything more festive. (The next morning I made heart-shaped spinach and eggs!)
3. Healthy muffins are pretty good, but adding cream cheese frosting makes them even better.

Check out the video of Henry cooking:

The healthy muffin recipe we used is here, but the star of this muffin was the slightly pink frosting. The pink frosting that we made – free of artificial dyes! – included: 1 package of cream cheese, 4 Tbs of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and a small cube of a roasted beet (which, yes, I happened to find in my fridge at the time). Blend it all together and you’ll have a delicious pink cream cheese frosting, perfect for muffins or other Valentine treats.

Stay tuned for a future installment where Henry shows his love of beets!

And if you are interested - some of spinach & egg hearts...

USDA Assessment Highlights Need for School Food Reform

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Last month, the USDA released the results of their most recent comprehensive assessment of school food programs.  These findings demonstrate how great the need for reform is in our school food system. Below is a summary of some of the key findings in the survey:

1. The widespread presence and consumption of  unhealthy snacks and a la cart items continues to be a problem in schools.  Specifically, the study found that 73 percent of elementary schools, 97 percent of middle schools and 100 percent of high schools offer “competitive foods” (the lingo for food offered in addition to the USDA school meal – often snack food sold in vending machines, school stores, or a la carte lines).  Over 40 percent of students consumed one or more competitive food daily with consumption increasing with grade level.  These foods continue to be low-nutrient, energy-dense food and beverages. 
2. The study also found a relationship between the food offered and the weight status of students. Participants in school breakfast had a lower likelihood of overweight and obesity than non-participants.  Elementary students in food programs that offered French fries or dessert more than once a week were more likely to be overweight.  Students in food program that offered fresh fruits and raw vegetables consumed significantly fewer calories from low-nutrient, energy dense food.
3. Schools were still struggling to meet federal standards. Fewer than one-third of public schools offered lunches that met the standard for total fat or saturated fat although 85 percent met standards for protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron.  Although schools are not required to offer meals that are consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, the study found that only 8 percent of the schools met the standard for fiber and none met the recommendation for sodium.

Additional insights into the study can be found in this report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [pdf], which offers charts and other study highlights.  

The February 2009 supplement to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, titled The School Food Environment, Children's Diets, and Obesity: Findings from the Third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, presents a comprehensive analysis of data and is available to subscribers at http://www.adajournal.org.

These findings certainly underscore the need for improvements to the school food program. Click here to see HSC’s recommendations, sign a petition in support of these recommendations and join our growing network of activists working to change the future of school food.

Missouri Releases Green Clean Guidelines for Schools

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

We were excited to learn that in January, the state of Missouri joined states around the nation in encouraging green cleaning in schools by releasing specific green cleaning guidelines for schools. 
 
HSC is proud to have played a role in creating the Missouri legislation that called for the state to create guidelines. And we'd like to thank one of our sponsors, Magic Touch Cleaning, who initiated the efforts to promote green cleaning legislation in Missouri.

As I review the Missouri guidelines, I see that Missouri leaders based their work closely on the efforts that HSC and our allies made to develop guidelines for the state of Illinois when a law was passed requiring green cleaning in all Illinois schools.
 
The Missouri and Illinois guidelines are very similar, with the bulk of the recommendations including existing third-party programs such as Green Seal, EcoLogo and Design for the Environment. Changes that the Missouri task force did make are reflected in the way they treat powered cleaning equipment -- these changes were made to reflect a marketplace where more energy- and water-efficient equipment is being introduced.
 
And of course, the biggest difference is that the Missouri guidelines are recommendations rather than requirements.
 
Congratulations, Missouri. We hope that the Show Me state can show the other 46 states out there how green cleaning can be done.
 
If you want to learn more about green cleaning, check out HSC's Green Clean Schools web site, where you can also find our free guide, The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

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!

Economic Stimulus Compromise Includes Some Good News for Schools

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

We are glad to see that the compromise version of the economic stimulus bill reached by House and Senate leaders seems, for schools, to have more good news than not. While details are still emerging, the compromise seems to have added an additional $10 billion for schools in the state fiscal stabilization fund. So while these funds are not directly marked for school renovation and modernization, they may be used for that purpose.

If this is correct, it will be important for us all to help state leaders recognize the major role that school repair and modernization play in providing healthier school environments for American schoolchildren -- especially as half of this money will need to be allocated this fiscal year. 

Many thanks to the advocates around the U.S. who sent letters and made phone calls letting our elected leaders know that school repair is an important part of economic recovery and a strong, sustainable future for our nation.

In a related note, the economic stimulus deal also includes $25 billion in school construction bonds for new construction.

We’ll continue to share updates as we learn more of the details about what the economic stimulus bill will mean for schools.

EPA to Explore Possibility of Third-Party Certification for Disinfectants

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

I am not one to get overly excited about technical and bureaucratic developments, but I was pleased to see that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that they will conduct an “internal pilot” in conjunction with the agency’s Design for the Environment formulator program (DfE) to explore a policy change that would allow claims of environmental preferability in regard to disinfectants and sanitizers used on nonporous hard surfaces. 

According to a press release from The Ashkin Group, LLC:

The purpose of the internal pilot program is to increase the understanding between EPA’s DfE scientists and the pesticide registration review staff as to what a review for environmental preferability entails and how that might interface with the pesticide registration process. Note: By law, disinfectants are regulated as “pesticides.”

There has been much confusion in the marketplace in recent years over the proper way to
articulate the environmental attributes of disinfectants. This announcement is a great step toward clearing up that confusion. 

At the Healthy Schools Campaign, we are strong supporters of third party certification programs that allow purchasers to make better, more informed decisions.  As more schools move toward green cleaning and have questions about which disinfectants and sanitizers are preferable for health and the environment, this type of third-party certification in increasingly important.

I will be following the development of the pilot project closely and am hoping that a clear and understandable resolution is reached.

To learn more about third-party certifications for green cleaning, visit greencleanschools.org.

School Buildings Suffering Without Proper Funds

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

The American Society of Civil Engineers just released their periodic report on the nation’s infrastructure and it’s not a pretty picture. They scored our overall infrastructure a “D," and schools were right in line, getting a “D” too – no change from their 2005 report:

Spending on the nation's schools grew from $17 billion in 1998 to a peak of $29 billion in 2004. However, by 2007 spending fell to $20.28 billion. No comprehensive, authoritative nationwide data on the condition of America's school buildings has been collected in a decade. The National Education Association's best estimate to bring the nation's schools into good repair is $322 billion.

This is consistent with what we, at HSC, are hearing and seeing.

While we were initially encouraged that the federal stimulus bill included funding for school repair and modernization, we’re now concerned that this funding has been eliminated from the Senate version of the stimulus bill.

Now, Senators and Representatives tasked with developing a compromise between the Senate and House versions of the bill will have the opportunity to restore the school funding that the Senate version eliminated. You can help by sending a letter to let our elected leaders know that funding to repair our ailing school infrastructure is a vital part of the economic stimulus plan.

Still, we need a comprehensive and long-term approach to maintaining our existing school infrastructure. The stimulus bill can be an important step, but it’s only getting us to the starting line, not carrying us through the finish.
 
Some schools are already setting an example for the rest of the nation. Click here to read about the Tarkington School of Excellence, the first LEED-built green school in Chicago, where good air quality, natural lighting and rooftop gardens are an everyday reality.

Chicago Public Schools In the Spotlight for Environmental Action Plan

The Chicago Public Schools system (CPS) has recently been highlighted by the American School Board Journal for its environmentally friendly action plan that sets a green example for the rest of the nation. According to the article:

In recent years the district has worked to restore many of its historic school buildings, and while adaptive reuse is a hallmark of the green movement, it’s sometimes hard to incorporate sustainable features into existing buildings. Nevertheless, Chicago has made good strides, maximizing the potential for daylighting and energy efficiency, two hallmarks of sustainable designs.

The district is now focusing on ways to conserve energy, such as showing teachers and students how small changes can add up to big savings. It’s also undertaken a comprehensive recycling program.

One of the areas Chicago schools have targeted is the cafeteria, where food and product waste can really accumulate. District officials are working with food-service vendor Chartwells to find ways to recycle food containers and also cut down on food waste. . . .

Some schools also are planting gardens to not only improve their landscapes but also use as a teaching tool and help students better appreciate nature.

Under the leadership of environmental program manager Suzanne Carlson, CPS has begun a 26-part plan that aims to reduce waste, conserve energy, and lead the way in implementing Illinois' requirements for green cleaning.

CPS is the first major school district in the country to develop such a plan, and HSC has been honored to support CPS in this important initiative.

Learn more at the American School Board Journal's blog.

Stimulating Schools

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

When the House passed their version of the stimulus package, I was thrilled to see that the package included huge infrastructure investments for school construction and school food programs – with a large percentage tied to sustainable practices. However, this weekend it seemed to have turned around completely.

Yesterday an agreement had been reached by Senate moderates on the stimulus legislation that would cut over $80 billion including more than $20 billion in school infrastructure (including zeroing out the construction and food systems money) in favor of programs such as $30 billion in tax rebates for people who buy homes and cars. Tim Fernholz writes that the “former option is more stimulative to the overall economy and targets needed investments, while the latter has a small stimluative value, is regressive and would be a step towards puffing the housing bubble up again.”

This drives me crazy. The school infrastructure investment was not a controversial part of the bill; in fact, it was supposed to be baseball and apple pie stuff. Invest in infrastructure, help ailing schools, support education – it's all good. I don’t understand how a group of moderates can choose to completely slash education funding as a “compromise.” Noam Scheiber says it well: “What a relief that those fat-cats in bankrupt states and crumbling schools won't be shaking the rest of us down – not this time.”

If there is a time to get in the ear of your legislators, this is it. We need these programs directed back toward our schools!

What Henry Eats: (Healthy) Ice Cream

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

This blog is the first in our new Friday-morning series on the fun, healthy snacks that kids love.

My wife and I love feeding our son Henry a healthy kid-version of ice cream: frozen fruit blended with unsweetened yogurt and cinnamon. And as much as we love feeding it to him, Henry loves eating it.

The basic idea is this: when you have over-ripe fruit, cut it up and toss it in the freezer rather than let it rot. Then when you want a treat, blend the frozen fruit with some yogurt to make a thick, creamy frozen snack.

It’s not that my wife and I are opposed to traditional ice cream – we do let Henry have 'real' ice cream at times – but there’s no need to give a kid the not-so-healthy stuff all the time. For a day-to-day tasty treat, some frozen fruit in a cone makes everyone happy.

The video below can attest to that. This wasn’t the first time Henry tried his healthy ice cream, but it was the first time he had it in an actual ice cream cone.

What kind of healthy snacks do you love?

On the Wish List: More Funds for School Food

By Lindsay Muscato, HSC Writer/Communications Specialist

HSC was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune, where founding executive director Rochelle Davis urged more funding for school food programs:

"This includes increasing the federal reimbursement rate to $3.50 for lunch [it currently is $2.59], providing grants to schools for kitchen facilities that allow the preparation of healthful meals, grants for training of school-food workers, a commodity food program that supports health and support for farm-to-school programs that bring the freshest, healthiest produce to schools."

The full article highlights other Chicago-area experts' food-related hopes for the Obama administration, including improved food labeling policies and support for family farms and urban agriculture.

“The best food can be the most healthy:” Students Design Healthy School Lunch

by Sara Klinzing, Manager of External Affairs

Last week, we had the honor of eating lunch with culinary students at Richards High School on the day that the healthy school lunch they designed was served to more than 20,000 students in 90 Chicago public high schools. (The students won this honor when their team placed first in HSC’s Cooking up Change Healthy Cooking Contest.) The student-designed meal, inspired by Hispanic Heritage Month, included:

• Carrotquedilla – a healthy quesadilla filled with shredded carrots
• Chorizo Relleno – a tasty stuffed pepper with turkey chorizo
• Refrescante – a fresh salad with cucumbers, citrus, apples and cilantro

The meal met nutrition requirements for school meals and was created on a budget comparable to that available to school food service directors, about a dollar per meal for ingredients.

 It was a tasty, hearty reminder of the power of student engagement, and we were all excited to know that so many thousands of students around the city were enjoying a meal that their peers designed.

Check out some of the comments that the student chefs on the winning team shared:

 “Our teachers and our school supported us and we were all working together as a team.”
~ Alvaro Aguilar

“We were able to do better than we expected. Healthy food can be good.”
~ Emmanuel Sandoval

“Healthy eating is not just something you have to do but a way of living.”
~ Jose Tena

“The best food can be the most healthy.”
~ Mike Martinez

 “I like to invent my own recipe --  or change  recipe, to make it my own.”
~ Rafael Ruiz

“I learn new skills that will help me in the culinary arts industry and the value of team work, which is the key term to success.”
~ Marquice Kent

 Now, we are working on plans to serve the school meal to others who care about children’s nutrition at school. Stay posted for more details!

Take Action on School Siting

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

As the Senate debates the economic stimulus bill, we have an opportunity to make real change in the way schools are constructed and maintained. The current House bill requires that at least 25 percent of the money allocated for schools go toward sustainable construction.

However, the bill doesn’t address the needs of siting. Check out our recent blog entry to learn more about this issue and why it’s so critical.

Our partner, The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), has launched a campaign to raise awareness of this issue. You can learn more and take action at the CHEJ website. 

New Study Validates Common-Sense Approach to Snacks at School

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

Over the past few years, a debate has been raging about the type of snacks that should be made available to students in a school environment.  This debate has taken place at the federal level, in state capitols around the country, and at many school board meetings. 
 
In the midst of this debate, it was reassuring to see that a common-sense approach to creating a school environment that promotes healthy eating has in fact been validated again.  A new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, documented that restricting the availability of unhealthy snacks in schools does lead to a small increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among fifth-graders. 
 
According to one of the researchers, “When school policies limit the availability of high-fat and high-sugar snack foods, even a small percentage increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among fifth-graders means the policy may affect a fairly large number of children throughout the school.”

Learn more about this study here.

HSC works to promote high standards for school nutrition in Chicago and nationwide. Learn more about our initiatives related to the re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act.