Healthy Schools Campaign

More Than Just a Meal: Principals’ Breakfast Has Been A Catalyst For Change

By Guillermo Gomez

On Thursday morning, more than 150 parents and principals will come together for our 7th annual Principals’ Breakfast for Healthy Schools. At the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, they will sit down over a wonderful healthy breakfast, but the morning meal is hardly the only point. Since its inception, the Principals’ Breakfast has provided an important avenue for dialogue, networking, synergy for changing policies, a way to celebrate the accomplishments of parents and principals working together, from bringing recess back to elementary schools to providing a shining national example of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign with Go for the Gold, and a way to create a road map to an even brighter future.

Early on in our development of Parents United for Healthy Schools, we were making connections that would help implement new policies. At the time, however, there were no forums for parents and principals to exchange ideas and information. We all felt as though creating dialogue with principals would be an effective way to figure out how new models and policies were going to work.

Connecting Parents & Principals

We held the first Principals’ Breakfast in 2007, as Chicago Public Schools were rolling out new wellness policies. There was no real mechanism for making an announcement and informing parents about what these policies were, why they were important and what role they could play in implementation. We used the morning as an opportunity to introduce mechanisms for the new policy and discuss nutrition. Ever since, parents have had a major role in exchanging ideas with principals, holding schools accountable and leading the way in making sure wellness policies are implemented.

The following year, attendees of the Principals’ Breakfast championed breakfast in another venue: classrooms. From the models presented and perspective of parents, principals saw the importance of Breakfast in the Classroom and went back to their schools with the pilot program model developed by Parents United and Chicago Public Schools. By the following Principals’ Breakfast, 200 schools had Breakfast in the Classroom. The event has also helped lay the groundwork for bringing back recess to all CPS elementary schools, creating healthier school lunch menus and developing a groundswell for people to embrace wellness teams and positive changes.

Going for the Gold

One of our proudest accomplishments to date kicked off at the 2010 Breakfast, where we announced the Go for the Gold initiative in partnership with the HealthierUS Schools Challenge. We committed 25 schools to apply. Go for the Gold is the Chicago-based incarnation of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. Go for the Gold has been a stellar example of what the national campaign can do locally, on the ground, and provides a model to the nation. Now, more than 71 schools have completed Go for the Gold and been awarded by the HealthierUS Schools Challenge, and 60 more are applying.

The Breakfast has also served as a forum for principals and parents to network with one another. Principals provide models for how these changes have worked in their schools, not only just for other principals, but for the parents. Parents can take these models back to their school administrators and apply them to their school communities. It’s a way of saying, “If this school is doing it, we can do it too.”

Sparking Dialogue for Change

Even more voices have come into the space of the Breakfast. We’ve had state and local politicians, officials, administrators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Chicago Public Schools administrators present, to name a few, but the most fundamental piece is still the catalyst conversations from our parents and principals and the actions they take together.

Every year, the enthusiasm and drive for change that surrounds the Principals’ Breakfast grows ever larger. This small but committed group has grown to more than 200 people, and between 50 and 60 principals, all of them committed to healthier schools, healthier students and a meaningful exchange of ideas that will start them on that path. Chicago is ready for change, and we hope the Principals’ Breakfast sparks even more important reforms for our schools, communities and our children in the years to come.

More Than 100 Parents Join Together to Make New Strides that Improve Student Wellness

At HSC, we’re thrilled to see parents joining together to improve the health and wellness of their school communities. Earlier this month, Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables brought more than 100 parents from across the city to the National Museum of Mexican Art. Many attending parents have already organized school wellness teams, others attended for the first time after seeing the positive effects of parents coming together and engaging with their schools.

Over a healthy breakfast (prepared by parent member and chef Hilda Cazares), we made some new strides:

• PUHS leaders presented members with key information about new wellness policies in Chicago schools, among them the new Snack and Beverage Policy.
• Healthy Schools Campaign Vice President of Urban Affairs Guillermo Gomez encouraged parents to take leadership at their schools by bringing together principals, wellness team champions and other parents to ensure that these new wellness policies are implemented successfully.
• We empowered  parents to be reinforcers of new wellness policies, including advocacy for healthy school fundraisers, quality recess and physical activity programs, and healthier school meals.

We were excited to see all participants, including local school council member Jose Hernandez, a parent who previously served on a Chicago Public Schools recess task force; Raquel Reyes, a local school council member from Daley Academy; and wellness team member and Liliana Hernandez, a local school council member at Eli Whitney Elementary and wellness team parent leader.

We at Healthy Schools Campaign look forward to the great things that parent leaders will accomplish in 2013!

Learn more: Read our recap of the tremendous progress that Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables made in 2012.

PUHS Chef Hilda Cazares Serves Up Change, With Fresh Fruit on the Side

Parent Hilda Cazares, a vital member of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

As parents file in to the Parents United for Healthy Schools meeting, they are greeted with an enticing breakfast featuring a rainbow of fresh fruits, roasted peppers, a vegetable-egg casserole and much more. Standing behind the trays and heaters is the chef at work, Hilda Cazares, greeting the familiar faces and assuring them that all the ingredients are natural. She’s trying out a new recipe, an oatmeal cake with a mixed berry sauce, which the parents at the meeting eagerly take back to their tables to sample. 

Hilda is a passionate and involved organizer and advocate -- you may have seen her share her story on our blog. She found out about Healthy Schools Campaign while serving on the local school council and the Parent Advisory Council in her community. At the meetings, meeting organizers would bring in coffee and sugary pastries, and Hilda saw an opportunity for parents to set the example for how they wanted their children to live.

“It started with my family,” Hilda says. “My mom is in her eighties. She was obese and suffering from epilepsy; my son was overweight and my daughter was overweight. I needed to learn how to make changes. I started doing this with my family and wanted to share with other parents. When you’re involved with schools, you want to bring something good and different for everyone.”

Hilda was interested in cooking, and she found an opportunity in her meetings with the parent-group clusters, where she found breakfast fare to be sugary pastries. She suggested a change, and others suggested she take the reins. With the support of her family, including her husband, a fellow chef (which creates an interesting competitive dynamic, she noted), she applied for a cooking course through Chicago Community Kitchens and after the full-time, four-month program developed a passion for creating fresh, healthy recipes.

“What motivates me is that the parents are happy,” she says. “That keeps you moving, because cooking has a lot of challenges and is a lot of work. You have to find good products. You have to find something the parents will like. I overheard one lady say, ‘You know, I don’t really like eggs, but these are good!’ This motivates me.”

But the real transformations happened at home. When Hilda cooks for her family now, she cooks using more fruits and vegetables and has gotten her family interested in healthier eating. Fast food is no longer a staple, and her parents and children are healthier. “My family started changing, especially my mom. She’s healthier, no diabetes, her epilepsy is very rare, and my daughter, son and I lost weight, too."

Hilda advises her fellow parents and community members to educate themselves about healthy foods and begin gradually changing bad habits while encouraging their children and family members to do the same. She says cooking healthy food together is a great way not only to learn positive lifestyle changes, but to spend some quality time together and learn from one another. “My grandson is going to be three years old, and he will pull a chair to get closer to the kitchen so he can check on the food,” she says with a laugh. “I told my husband, ‘We have a future chef over here.’"

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Watch the video below to hear more of Hilda's story!

When Parents Unite, Great Things Happen

As the new year gets underway, parents across Chicago are coming together and developing plans for another great year of making changes to support healthy eating and physical activity in schools.

Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables is HSC's coalition that brings together parents and community members to create healthy school environments for the city’s children. This coalition held one of its quarterly meetings today, looking ahead to the coming months. 

Last year was a big year for Parents United. 

• Jovita Flores, manager of Parents United, was honored by the White House;
• Wellness teams across the city made new strides in their schools;
• The Cook County board formally recognized Parents United;
• Parent leaders discovered new strengths and talents through Parents United
• ... and much more. Read a full list of past blog posts here!

Of course, as Guillermo Gomez, HSC's vice president of urban affairs, said last year in an interview on the accomplishments of Parents United, "The formation of Parents United is still our biggest accomplishment! To bring together a group of parents who became leaders around wellness, to propose change to healthy food at the district level and then see the food change."

Today, as Parent United members gather and look ahead, HSC honors all the dedicated parent leaders who contribute their time and talents to making positive change in our schools. 

Listen to parent leader Karina Macedo tell her story, below:

 

Plus: Read the full interview with Jovita Flores and Guillermo Gomez about the founding of Parents United for Healthy Schools. 

Working Together to Give Children a Healthy Start: Jovita Flores' White House Champions of Change Blog

Yesterday we spotlighted the news that Jovita Flores, a longtime advocate for healthy schools and HSC's manager of Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables, has been recognzied by the White House as a Champion of Change. Jovita is one of 11 individuals to receive this honor, which recognizes sustainable innovation and leadership, in the area of strengthening food security. Today we are sharing a blog post from Jovita about her roots as a changemaker and about the future of food in America. This post originally appeared on the White House's Champions of Change website.

By Jovita Flores

As a mother, I know that healthy children are better prepared to learn and succeed in school. As a neighbor, I know that we can only change our community by working together. These two simple lessons have helped me connect with parents to make sure that our children have the healthy food they need to succeed at school. I’m honored to be recognized as a White House Champion of Change for this work, and I want to recognize all the mothers and fathers of Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables who have raised their voices and worked together for our children’s health.

I got involved in this work because of my own worries about my family -- I have a history of diabetes in my family and was concerned about my kids’ health. So I started asking other moms: are you concerned too? I was surprised when I heard nearly every mom tell me she was worried about the same thing. When I looked around, I realized that childhood obesity is a real problem in our community, more than in some others. At the same time, I saw the economic crisis hit our neighborhood hard. We have a lot of low-income families, and it was hard for people to put food on the table every day. But we have to do more than give our kids food -- we need to make sure it’s healthy food and that it gives them the energy they need to run around and to focus in school. We all want a bright future for our children, and it starts with making sure they are healthy and have the nutrition and energy to succeed.

So I started getting together with other moms and started a nutrition class that is also a leadership class and quite different from a typical nutrition course. The moms in the class bring a traditional recipe and work together to make a healthy new version. Those in the class started talking to other moms, and we started doing more. We planted gardens so we have fresh vegetables and talked to the restaurants in our neighborhood about how we want healthy options. We formed wellness teams at our kids’ schools and talked to the principals about why we need healthy food. Children spend so many hours in school -- we need the food they eat at school to reinforce the healthy changes we’re making at home. Around this time, the school district made significant changes to the school food program and started offering healthier food for breakfast and lunch.

Soon after seeing these improvements to the breakfast and lunch, I learned that they were piloting a Breakfast in the Classroom program that would let all children pick up a healthy breakfast when they got to school and eat it at their desk. I knew from talking to moms that many kids were going to school without breakfast, so I talked to the wellness team at our school to make sure we could pilot the program. It was a huge success -- kids love eating a healthy breakfast together, parents love knowing their kids are getting a nutritious start to the day, and teachers love that kids now have the energy to focus and learn. We started working with parents across the city to bring this program to their schools. When the district decided to bring Breakfast in the Classroom to every elementary school in the district, we heard that some were questioning the program’s value. So we worked together and gathered 5,000 petitions from parents supporting Breakfast in the Classroom.

Now, I’m happy to know that children across Chicago are starting their day with a healthy meal. As parents, we’re continuing our effort to make sure that our schools and neighborhoods are healthy places for our kids. We need to make sure that our children aren’t hungry, and also that the food they’re eating is healthy and gives them energy to learn. Today’s young students are the future of our country -- we’re working to make sure they have healthy food that will fuel their success for a lifetime.

Read more about Jovita Flores on the White House Champions of Change site. 

Plus: Read an interview with Jovita Flores and Guillermo Gomez about the founding of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

Empowering Families and Communities: The White House Recognizes HSC's Jovita Flores

Jovita Flores and USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, with Champions of Change award.

Today we are thrilled to highlight the tremendous work of Jovita Flores, who serves as manager of Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables at HSC. As the new year begins, and we think about all the individuals who've inspired us in the past year, it's hard not think of Jovita.

This fall the White House highlighted her as one of 11 Champions of Change -- leaders who hailed from around the country and are at the forefront of erasing hunger and increasing wellness. 

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan commended Jovita and her fellow Champions of Change, saying: 

Today’s champions are examples of the groundbreaking work being done to tackle hunger at home and abroad. These individuals are making improved access to healthy food a reality for millions of individuals in need... We applaud the champions for their efforts to empower families and communities and to reduce the depth and severity of hunger around the world.

Back in Chicago, Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, personally recognized Jovita for her powerful work to address both child hunger and obesity through her efforts in the community and in school.

Jovita's remarkable personal vision, energy and dedication have driven her to the incredible work that garnered national recognition. In her nomination for the award, HSC President and CEO Rochelle Davis explained:

Jovita Flores is an inspiration, leader and advocate for healthy living in her community. She is also a friend and cheerleader to countless families seeking to put healthy food on their table each day. Neighbors and parents at local schools describe her as someone who has a way of showing up when they need help, someone who connects them with resources and unfailingly encourages them to make small changes to create healthier lives for themselves and for their families.

Jovita lives in Little Village, a primarily Latino Chicago neighborhood facing significant health disparities and high rates of both obesity and hunger. She is the manager and front-line advocate for Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables, a coalition that brings together parents and community members to create healthy school environments for the city’s children, particularly those in low-income minority communities with tremendous health disparities. In addition to connecting families and schools with the knowledge and resources for healthy eating, Jovita’s leadership has been key in laying the groundwork and maintaining momentum for Chicago’s breakfast in the classroom program, an initiative that ensures all children are able to start their day with a healthy meal.

. . . Jovita’s strategies are unique and innovative in that they are grounded in a recognition of the paradox that children and families who are at risk of hunger are also at great risk of obesity and its related health problems. Jovita focuses not just on connecting families with food, but on ensuring that this food provides the nutritional fuel for learning, growing and living a healthy and active lifestyle.

Jovita very simply embodies the messages she shares so effectively with families about the value of and practical approaches to healthy eating. She has personally embraced a commitment to healthy eating and demonstrates on a daily basis that this is a worthy and attainable effort: she shares her healthy versions of traditional recipes, introduces parents to new knowledge about hunger and childhood obesity, connects schools with resources and challenges everyone she meets to champion healthy eating as a way to create a bright future for children and families in our communities.

With heartfelt admiration and appreciate, HSC salutes Jovita Flores for her nationally acclaimed work. 

Plus: Tomorrow, we will feature the perspective that Jovita shared on the White House Champions of Change blog.

Parent Spotlight: Claudia Muñoz

Claudia Muñoz joined other school wellness advocates at the summer 2012 Parent Leadership Institute.

Today, we are happy to spotlight parent leader Claudia Muñoz, whose efforts as part of Parents United for Healthy Schools have resulted in positive changes for healthy eating and physical activity at her children's school and schools across Chicago -- as well as in her own home. Congratulations to Claudia and all the parent leaders who are making change for kids' health!

by Lanette Garcia

How did you get involved with Parents United for Healthy Schools?
I became involved with the Healthy Schools Campaign because I went to a workshop and from then on, I became aware of this problem. It grabbed my attention because it was about health and also because I know that obesity is much discussed on television and radio these days.

Why are healthy practices and nutrition education important?
Many of us don’t have a healthy diet. We are used to eating fewer vegetables and fruits. But I’ve realized that it’s important because if we do not provide our children with healthy food, they are at a loss.

What is one thing you have personally changed in your lifestyle?
We changed many things. My family was the type to eat out unhealthy foods a lot. And now I realize the importance of eating healthy and exercising -- because we were also people who did not do much exercise. We spent more time working, running from one place to another, and so we left it aside. It is important, both eating healthy and exercise, if we want a good future.

Since putting healthy practices and lessons in place at home, what changes have you seen in your home? In your school community?
I have seen the difference at home. I have a son who was obese as a child, and the doctor said, “Ma’am, if you do not take care of him, he can develop diabetes and other illnesses.” And with Parents United for Healthy Schools, I became more motivated, because I became informed. I have been going to work out, and I have taken him to many programs. This has reinforced for me to continue eating healthy and to exercise. For our school, I promised to pass the word to other parents: it is important to exercise, eat healthy, if we want our children to live longer.

What do parents contribute to healthy school environments?
Parents create an important basis.It is like when we send children to school -- we let teachers teach but we, as parents, also have to start from home. Teach them good manners and also teach them to eat healthy.It is not only about eating pizza and junk food. No. You have to exercise. We also have to start teaching them to cook healthy, involve them and motivate them to exercise, which is very important.

Thanks to Claudia for sharing this insight! Stay posted for more spotlights on parent leaders and updates on Parents United for Healthy Schools.

Parent Spotlight: Lilliana Hernandez

Lilliana joined other parent leaders at this year's four-day Parent Leadership Institute presented by Parents United for Healthy Schools.

Today, we are happy to spotlight parent leader Lilliana Hernandez, whose efforts as part of Parents United for Healthy Schools have resulted in positive changes for school wellness at her children's school and schools across Chicago. Congratulations to Lilliana and all the parent leaders who are making change for kids' health!

by Lanette Garcia

How did you get involved with Parents United for Healthy Schools?
I got involved with Parents United for Healthy Schools when Jovita invited me to a nutrition class. I then realized that it was very important to change our eating habits and above all, support our schools because our children’s schools, specifically their lunches, are not the best, although that has changed a lot. This is also true for us. At home, we should lead by example and make changes for ourselves, so that we can provide our children well-prepared meals that are also nutritionally balanced. Portion sizes are also important. I have enjoyed it a lot because I have learned many things for my home and school.

Why are healthy practices and nutrition education important?
Because our health depends on it -- above all, the health of our children and students. We should include these [healthy practices] as part of our daily routine and nourish ourselves each and every day. At school, the mothers in our community also help out a lot.

What is one thing you have personally changed in your lifestyle?
In my lifestyle and at home, I have changed my use of sugar and flour -- little by little, because it is difficult to stop suddenly. At school, I have helped out the mothers. We have our wellness team and once a week, we have healthy cooking workshops with the mothers, where we change our junk food recipes into something healthier.

Above all, with my children, I have also changed their eating habits. My husband has also changed his eating habits and completely went from negative to positive.

Since putting healthy practice and lessons in place at home, what changes have you seen in your home? In your school community?
There have been many changes at home. My children enjoy, for example, that when we are at home, we eat healthier food. When we go out, it is no longer difficult to give them homemade food or whatever I buy. Before, it was very difficult. “Oh! I don’t want to eat this.” They always wanted junk food. At home, it is much easier to say, “There is this and that.”

I have also changed. Before, I couldn’t live without soda, but I had to realize the damage that I was doing to my body.  Little by little I have taught them. I have to be conscious, first myself, and then I can give that to my children.  

How do parents contribute to healthy school environments?
Parents contribute a lot in healthy schools [by] bringing in wellness teams, leading discussions with other parents, and making healthy food. Parents also bring in help. We got the University of Illinois to being educational workshops on health for parents, children and the community, and to make us aware of the reality of what we experience. . . so that they can motivate us, and above all, promote our health. Health is very important.

Thanks to Lilliana for sharing this insight! Stay posted for more spotlights on parent leaders and updates on Parents United for Healthy Schools.

 

A Fun, Healthy Idea for the Thanksgiving Table

We're always looking for new, fun ways to celebrate holidays without lots of sweets. And of course, we love when kids get excited about fruits and veggies. Here's one new idea that combines both of these goals into a festive treat. Plus, it's also a craft project and (wait for it) a centerpiece!

Yes, it's a veggie turkey. This idea comes to us from Jovita Flores, manager of Parents United for Healthy Schools. Jovita works with parents all over the city as part of HSC's network of wellness teams, and one group had recently been skewering fruit kabobs into tasty flower-like bouquets. With Thanksgiving coming up, Jovita created a new, delicious (and really nutritious!) kind of turkey for the holiday table.

The body of the turkey is made of a large vegetable or fruit (most likely an eggplant, pineapple or squash). Fruit or veggie kabobs make up the feathers. (We used wooden skewers.) The eyes are cucumbers topped with grapes or prunes on toothpicks, and red and yellow pepper pieces create the beak and mouth. 

It's a great holiday activity for the kids (much healthier than making a gingerbread house!) and the entire thing is edible once the day is over.

Thanks to Jovita, teams of parents across the city are creating these fruit and veggie turkeys at their school wellness team meetings. (One group is even giving a turkey to their principal as a special gift). 

Try it out, and share your creative variations on this fun, edible craft project!

 

Wellness Team Spotlight: Robinson Elementary School

Although he is retired, South side resident and Parents United for Healthy Schools member Lorenzo Young volunteers in his community and also serves as a Local School Council community engagement representative for Jackie Robinson Elementary School. Through his work with the community partner Centers for New Horizons, Young became involved with Parents United for Healthy Schools.

Earlier this summer, the Bronzeville native attended the coalition’s Parent Leadership Summit with fellow parents and Robinson principal Sonja Spiller. There, he expressed his excitement to build a healthy school community.


Robinson Elementary's wellness team plans health-promoting activities throughout the school year. Here, the team is recognized at the annual Parents United for Healthy Schools summit.

Jackie Robinson Elementary School is a K-3 school with about 125 students. The smaller school community allows parents, school administrators, and community partners to have a hands-on approach, he said. Mr. Young serves on the school’s wellness team, which includes three parents as well as the principal, dining manager and teaching staff. The team plans health and wellness activities throughout the school year.

“Health and wellness activities and education are a priority here, because we want our children to live long, healthy lives physically and emotionally,” said Mr. Young. “We are starting now to give them the knowledge to live healthy lifestyles with healthy eating and physical habits which they will demonstrate and share with their families, friends and community.”

The school recently implemented a “No Junk Food” policy to encourage parents and students to seek out healthy options for classroom celebrations. The school also creates workshops to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.

Jackie Robinson Elementary School was one of 37 schools recognized for meeting the high standards of the HealthierUS School Challenge in 2012. Robinson received the Gold award.

Kudos to the Robinson wellness team!

A Conversation with Parents United for Healthy Schools Founding Leaders: “That’s when I knew this would be bigger than we’d realized.”

This week, we’ve shared highlights from recent local and national recognition for Parents United for Healthy Schools and have introduced two of the remarkable parent leaders at the heart of the coalition’s success.

Today, as we wrap up this series, we’ll share a conversation with Guillermo Gomez and Jovita Flores, two of the founding leaders of Parents United in 2006. Today, both Guillermo and Jovita continue to be closely involved with the parent coalition: Guillermo serves as vice president of urban affairs for Healthy Schools Campaign, and Jovita is the manager of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

When you created Parents United for Healthy Schools, what did you hope to accomplish? Did you foresee the impact the coalition would have?

Guillermo: It was a huge challenge then, in 2004, 2005, 2006, to talk about childhood obesity and its impact on Latino and African-American communities. As we were going out there and trying to convey this message, we found that the people we were talking with were not familiar with health disparities, or the impact of healthy eating. There was a whole learning curve of sharing information about health disparities, talking about social justice, connecting the reality of childhood obesity in our communities to solutions both at home and in schools. Once people started seeing different dimensions of the problem and seeing possibilities for addressing it, then they were interested.

At the time, we thought of success as simply being part of the solution. Being at the table with [school] district officials to talk about the wellness policy -- that was success. Talking with parents and learning that they had told other parents about these issues was a success. It was about creating dialogue and prompting discussions in the community and at schools.

We held a rally in 2006, the parents’ rally for healthy schools, that we consider the founding moment of Parents United. We were expecting 200 or maybe 300 parents to attend. More than 700 parents turned out. At that point, we knew we had really struck a nerve. We were there surrounded by parents who showed up to raise their voice for wellness in schools. That’s when I knew this would be bigger than we’d realized.

What are the most significant changes you’ve seen since Parents United was created in 2006?

Jovita: I see parents reaching the point where they want to take action much more quickly now. They are more aware and they are closer to the point where they realize they need to do something to find solutions to childhood obesity in their neighborhoods. Back when we started, I’d talk to moms about nutrition and they’d say “nope, I don’t need nutrition class.” They thought everything was fine. Now there’s more awareness. We talk about disparities, about kids’ health, about what we want for our kids. Now moms are ready to hear that the first time.

I still reach out to them with my personal story -- that hasn’t changed. I tell them that diabetes runs in my family and I don’t want my kids to suffer like I have and like others in my family have. I share with them that we have high rates of diabetes and obesity in our community but I want my kids to be healthy. That story has not changed. The moms hear that and they tell me they see the same things but didn’t know how to make a change. And then we create activities and invite moms to join -- aerobics class, my nutrition class that is more like a leadership class. We give them the tools to talk to their principal and say, “I want recess for my kids. This is why physical activity and nutrition are important.” They have tools and answers to change the trends so their children can be healthier.

Guillermo: We started with small changes -- with serving fruit at breakfast meetings instead of doughnuts. At the time, this was shocking. Nobody could imagine a meeting without doughnuts. Now it’s completely normal. Parents tell me they’re shocked when they go to any meetings and the food isn’t healthy. They’re shocked when their kids are served unhealthy food at school, and they are ready to talk to teachers, other parents, and to the principal to create policies that make healthy snacks or healthy food part of the school’s standards and culture. We’ve seen a gradual but very powerful change in how parents see their own health and are prepared to take charge, for themselves and for their kids.

Parents United has had so many accomplishments over the years. What do you see as the biggest accomplishment?

Guillermo: The formation of Parents United is still our biggest accomplishment! To bring together a group of parents who became leaders around wellness, to propose change to healthy food at the district level and then see the food change. Over time, parents began to see what the wellness policy could do -- or rather, what they could do by leveraging the district wellness policy. This whole concept of conceiving a wellness team that involves parents and getting that written into the district wellness policy was a huge accomplishment that has been the foundation for many of our victories since then. That has positioned Parents United to successfully advocate for the return of recess, for healthier school food and for breakfast in the classroom.

Jovita: When I think back to the accomplishments we’ve had over the years, I think about my own experiences with parents. Each time a parent started to see the connection between nutrition and health, that was an accomplishment. Every time a parent then had a moment when she saw the disconnect between healthy food at home and unhealthy food at school, that’s an accomplishment -- when she said “hey, I serve my kids healthy food, why aren’t you serving them healthy food at school?” Parents have had so many big successes at schools and even across the city. These big successes start with every parent who sees the problem and sees that she can be the one to help make a change.

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Many thanks to Jovita and Guillermo for sharing their reflections. Congratulations to Parents United for Healthy Schools for their recent national recognition and for the daily accomplishments of giving parents the tools to create a healthy future for their children.

Parent Leaders as Pioneers for Children’s Health

by Rochelle Davis, HSC President and CEO

Over the past few months, I have been honored and so proud to see the new level of national recognition that Parents United for Healthy Schools has garnered. At the annual parent summit this summer, I was thrilled to celebrate the news that parents had been honored with a unanimous resolution of the Cook County board. A few weeks later, I saw tears in the eyes of many in the audience when parent leaders Hilda Casarez and Karina Macedo shared their stories and accepted a special recognition for Parents United from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.  And I am moved each time we get a call here at Healthy Schools Campaign from  community leaders in another part of the country who have heard about the model parents have developed in Chicago and want to bring this powerful approach to their community.

For the past six years, I have seen mothers and fathers of Parents United work tirelessly to achieve a simple and powerful goal: healthy school environments for their children. These parents are not only leaders but also pioneers.

It is sometimes hard to remember what it was like six years ago, before childhood obesity and school wellness were regularly in the news and before we had such a strong champion in the White House.  I remember those days when parents first began talking about health and wellness in schools, when many people they spoke with did not recognize the importance of good nutrition and physical activity on student health and learning.

It is amazing to see how Parents United has grown over the years and the power that this parent voice has had in improving the food and fitness environment not only in their children’s schools, but also for all CPS students across the district.

In thinking about this recognition, I think about the 700 parents who participated in a rally for healthy schools in 2006, and the thousands of parents who signed petitions to bring back recess in the years following. These parents were not joining an existing national movement -- they were often the first people in their schools and communities talking about health disparities, about social justice and about their vision that schools can be healthy places for all children.

These parents’ impact has been truly amazing.  Schools with strong parent leaders are making changes at the school level.  There are now over 50 parent led wellness teams in Chicago.  Many of these schools have made so many changes that they qualify for recognition by the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge program.  In the past two years, many schools with parent leaders received this recognition and a number of parents were invited to celebrate this accomplishment at the White House.  What is even more impressive is to consider the fact that more than half of all the schools that have received recognition in Chicago have parents active in Parents United.

Parents’ impact has gone far beyond changes in individual schools.  Parents worked with their schools to pilot Breakfast in the Classroom and then demonstrated strong support for that program to be available to every grammar school student in the district.  Parents brought recess back in their children’s schools and then worked with CPS officials to make sure that recess is part of every grammar school child’s day.  It is remarkable to see parents make change in their own schools and then take the next step of working together to raise a collective voice and make sure that all students have these same opportunities.

Congratulations to the remarkable parent leaders of Parents United for Healthy Schools on the recent recognition they have received. These honors are built on years of work and vision as true pioneers for children’s health.

Parents' Rally for Healthy Schools, 2006

Cook County Board Salutes Parents United for Healthy Schools

by Brittany Wright, HSC media and outreach specialist

Earlier this summer, I was honored to join a small group of committed parents at a Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting. Seventh District Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and Board President Toni Preckwinkle invited Parents United for Healthy Schools to the meeting to be formally recognized in a board resolution.

Parents United for Healthy Schools members with Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (left) and Board President Toni Preckwinkle (right) after receiving recognition through a board resolution

Commissioner Garcia introduced the resolution, co-sponsored by President Preckwinkle, to recognize the parent-led group. He read:

Parents United was formed out of concern for skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity in Chicago and the growing health disparities in our city. They engage parents in training on the knowledge and skills to develop strategies to organize school wellness teams to support health promoting changes in schools. They’ve been active in advocating for recess, speaking up for healthy school food and supporting changes for student health and wellness at individual schools.

They began championing the reinstitution of recess and because of efforts such as theirs, it will now be required in all Chicago Public Schools at the elementary level in 2012. Parents United for Healthy Schools began championing breakfast in the classroom and because of effort such as theirs, it was instituted at Chicago Public Schools at the elementary level in 2011.

Now therefore be it resolved that this board of commissioners does hereby recognize the efforts of Parents United for Healthy Schools in promoting health awareness among parents and school age children.

To our group’s surprise and delight, Commissioner Garcia’s colleague Commissioner Larry Suffredin (13th District), moved to have the entire board co-sponsor the resolution. It passed unanimously.  

Healthy School Campaign vice president of urban affairs Guillermo Gomez spoke on behalf of the Parents United group. “On behalf of the parents who are here this morning, it is a great honor to be here and receive this great acknowledgement," he said. "I would like to thank Commissioner Garcia and President Preckwinkle for sharing this great honor with us. We look forward to continuing to create healthy schools throughout Chicago.”

He added, “It goes back to the parents’ commitment. They’re very committed in not only fighting childhood obesity, but also in just having healthy families and healthy children.”

It is an honor to see these dedicated parents be recognized at the city level and amazing to see the tangible changes parents are creating through collaborative efforts in their schools and communities.

Kudos to Parents United on your extraordinary work! 

Plus: Be sure to check out the new Parents United video! At the end, watch Commissioner Garcia read the resolution.

Parent Leader Karina Macedo: “I didn’t always think I was a leader.”

This summer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognized Parents United for Healthy Schools at its national Food & Community Conference, the first such recognition the foundation has presented.  Earlier this week, we shared video of W.K. Kellogg Foundation President Sterling K. Speirn as he commended parents for their community-level work to transform school environments. Yesterday, we shared the story of parent leader Hilda Casarez. Now, we are honored to spotlight parent leader Karina Macedo, who, along with Hilda, accepted this recognition on behalf of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

In accepting the recognition, Karina talks about the power of working together and of the tremendous victories -- such as changing school food and bringing a healthy breakfast in the classroom to all students -- that Parents United has achieved.

She also expresses a fundamental element of Parents United’s approach: giving parents information, skills and perspective to see their own leadership abilities and create changes they value.

“I’m a leader working hard to create changes with many other parents in Chicago,” she said.  “But I didn’t always think I was a leader. Through Healthy Schools Campaign, I was able to open my eyes, get involved, raise my voice, and make healthy choices in my life, my family, my school and my community.”

You can hear Karina’s story in her own words in the video below:

Kudos to Karina, Hilda and the many parents working together to raise a strong voice for children’s health.

Parent Leader Hilda Casarez: Creating Healthy Options in Schools, Building a New Career

This summer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognized Parents United for Healthy Schools at its national Food & Community Conference, the first such recognition the foundation has presented.  Yesterday, we spotlighted W.K. Kellogg Foundation President Sterling K. Speirn as he commended parents for their community-level work to transform school environments. Now, we are happy to spotlight parent leader Hilda Casarez, who accepted this recognition on behalf of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

In her remarks as she accepts the award, Hilda relates part of her own story. After getting involved in her school wellness team, learning about healthy eating and promoting nutritious food options in school events and city-wide meetings, Hilda decided to turn her new passion for healthy eating into a career. She earned a scholarship, completed culinary training and is now an entrepreneur who provides healthy catering in her community.

Watch the video below to hear Hilda’s story in her own words.

Sincere congratulations to Hilda and all the parent leaders who are making our schools and communities healthier places.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation President Sterling Speirn Commends Parents United for Healthy Schools: “A model for change across the country”

This summer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognized Parents United for Healthy Schools at its national Food & Community Conference, the first such recognition the foundation has presented.  W.K. Kellogg Foundation President Sterling K. Speirn spoke about the impact of parents’ remarkable work and the power of this community-level action to transform school environments.

“When it comes to education and healthy school environments, parents voices matter,” he said. “What’s happening with these parents and in Chicago is a model for change across the country.”

Watch this video to hear about the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s special recognition of Parents United for Healthy Schools:

Check back this week to see video of parent leaders accepting this recognition and to hear more about Parents United for Healthy Schools!

National Recognition for Parents United for Healthy Schools

Parent leadership institute

Six years ago, HSC and a group of parents from Chicago’s Latino and African-American communities founded Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables, a coalition that brings together parents, educators and community leaders out of concern for health disparities and the skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity that children in Chicago’s communities face.

In the years since then, hundreds of parents have made a difference for children’s health by  becoming leaders in the effort to create healthy school environments. Thousands more have lent their support by signing petitions, attending meetings and speaking up for school wellness. Now, Parents United is garnering national recognition for its role in transforming food and fitness in Chicago’s schools.

Physical activity break at annual parent summit

Before school food and fitness were part of the national dialogue and before childhood obesity came into focus for many school leaders, parents engaged friends and neighbors in school wellness by sharing information about health disparities and talking about wellness from a social justice perspective. Parents successfully advocated for a local school wellness policy that created a role for parent involvement in school-based wellness teams in Chicago. Through these wellness teams, parents have led health-promoting change at more than 50 schools, from creating after-school soccer and aerobics clubs to instituting healthy snack policies, bringing back recess and more.

At the same time, parents have been active speaking up for change at the district level. Parent leaders have played a powerful role in successful district-level advocacy for a new school food program, a district-wide breakfast in the classroom program and the recent decision to bring back recess to all Chicago elementary schools.

Parents present petitions in support of recess at a school board meeting

This summer, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognized Parents United for Healthy Schools at its national Food & Community Conference.

“When it comes to education and healthy school environments, parents voices matter,” said Sterling K. Speirn, President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “What’s happening with these parents and in Chicago is a model for change across the country.”

Parents United was recognized this summer by local leaders as well. Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle co-sponsored a resolution honoring Parents United. When they presented the resolution, the board moved to have all members unanimously co-sponsor the resolution in an even stronger show of appreciation for parents’ work.

This week, we will share highlights from these tremendous recognitions, spotlights on parent leaders, reflections from the coalition’s founders and a look at what’s ahead for Parents United for Healthy Schools.

Parent leadership meeting

2012 Parent Leadership Institute!

Parent leaders celebrate their school's achievement of the HealthierUS School Challenge

This week and next week, more than 50 parent leaders from Chicago's Latino and African-American communities are gathering for the sixth annual Parent Leadership Institute from Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables.

The institute, shaped each year by parent voices and the changing landscape of school wellness in Chicago and across the nation, equips parents with the knowledge and skills to make change for wellness in schools. This includes background knowledge about the issues -- such as information about the connection between health and learning, and about health disparities in Chicago communities -- as well as the skills involved in making change. These skills focus on creating and leading wellness teams, which provide a vehicle for parents to have a voice in decisions that shape food and fitness at school. They also focus on school planning and reporting efforts that engage parents and community in setting school priorities -- such as a focus on increasing opportunities for physical activity.

This year, parents are also gaining skills to connect their schools with Go for the Gold, HSC's partnership with Chicago Public Schools to support schools in meeting the HealthierUS School Challenge. To follow up on parent interest in the recent move by CPS to serve chicken raised without antibiotics on Amish farms in nearby Indiana, the 2012 institute also includes conversation about where and how food is grown and raised.

Stay posted for blogs next week focused on the remarkable work of Parents United for Healthy Schools.

In the meantime, check out this short video on why participants get involved with Parents United:

To learn more about Parents United, check out more spotlights on HSC's blog!

What is Parents United for Healthy Schools?

Parents United for Healthy Schools brings together parents in Chicago’s Latino and African-American communities to promote health and wellness in school. With knowledge and skills developed through training and shared experiences, parents form school wellness teams to support healthy changes in their school and champion food and fitness. Last year, 17 of the Chicago schools that were recognized for meeting national HealthierUS School Challenge standards for nutrition and physical activity were supported by Parents United wellness teams.

Karina Macedo, an exemplary parent leader at Greene Elementary, summarizes Parents United’s efforts this way: “We are sharing our experiences, sharing all we know. We can help our families and community. Parents United has all the tools we need to learn and help our kids.”

Check out the video below to hear more from Karina and learn about the achievements of this extraordinary group. 

 

For the latest Parents United for Healthy Schools updates, check out our blog updates.

A Look Inside: A Principal’s Perspective on School Wellness

By Brittany Wright, HSC media + outreach specialist

We’ve recently shared how the wellness team at Nathanael Greene Elementary created an engaging event and serves as a resource for the school community. One aspect of the parent-driven group’s success is their collaboration with the school’s administration.

Principal Michael Heidkamp has a hands-on approach to school wellness. He frequently attends the health and wellness committee meetings and supports parents in bringing resources to Greene Elementary.

The former teacher has served as a Chicago Public School principal for four years. “I’ve never lost the teacher’s perspective, which is having the privilege to go into a classroom every day and be a part of the learning experience and getting to know the students on a level that few people have the opportunity to do over a year,” said Heidkamp.

We spoke with Principal Heidkamp to learn how wellness and parent engagement work at the southwest Chicago school.

What role does wellness play in student success?

One of the things we attempt to do is broaden the conversation about student success beyond just test scores. When you’re talking about student success, you’re really talking about lifestyle choices.

Reading workshops are as much about the disposition of readers as they are about any skill or content knowledge. If you can get the disposition level then you’re talking about something that kids are going to carry with them for the rest of their lives -- not just something unloaded on a particular test. It’s the same thing with health and wellness, this idea of supporting students to really develop a lifestyle that makes living healthy normal and just what you do. Through afterschool programming and the health fair, we’re creating a “new normal” of what they should expect of themselves -- getting them to see beyond the immediate satisfaction of eating fries or chips to broadening that vision beyond the immediate moment. That’s been a big part of our push here. We do afterschool programming, we have yoga , karate, running club, folkloric dance, soccer with [community partners] Urban Initiatives, Girls in the Game, Girls on the Run, and regular seasonal sports programming.

All of that is a part of a bigger integrated and comprehensive approach to really creating a healthy lifestyle for our students.

How did Greene initially take an active role in promoting health and wellness?

It was very parent-driven. Karena Macedo [a parent leader], in conjunction with the previous administration, had worked very hard in getting the school certified by the HealthierUS School Challenge with the Gold of distinction. She actually went to the White House to receive the award for the school.

One of the issues is that as the principal, sometimes you can get very myopic in the sense that you're getting press for test scores and short term gains and short term results. I think it’s nice to have a strong group of parents that are constantly reminding you that their child’s experience is so much more than that.

What we’re about is educating the child to lead a responsible life. Part of that is respecting their intellectual gifts and what they can do as students, but also this other piece of understanding that how you treat yourself and how you view yourself and the choices you make with regard to your health are equally as important and deserve that same level of instruction and support. As a parent, it's great that my kid is doing well on a particular assessment, but what kind of person is my child becoming? What kind of values are they carrying? Those are the kinds of things that are less apparent when you do the number crunching off of the standardized test. It’s been really nice to have our parents out on the forefront saying there are other things we value.

Prinicpal Heidkamp and parents leaders discuss school wellness

How have health and wellness impacted the school community?

In terms of participation -- we’ve got close to 150 students that are involved in some sort of extracurricular sports activity. Last year, there weren’t these offerings. A good 25 percent of our student body is engaged in some sort of exercise in addition to a strong physical education program. The health and wellness committee organized the health night and we had over 300 people attend. That was all organized by the health and wellness committee -- that didn’t exist last year. They really put together a terrific event.

Kids are making the choice to participate, adults are making the choice to participate and parents are making the choice to take on the leadership role in increasing the resources that are available and really challenging the culture.

What can parents do to make health and wellness a priority in school?

You don’t need to wait for everyone to show up to a meeting. You can start a meeting with three people. If you already have a sense of what the needs are, you can send out a survey to parents. Your role and that of the entire of group will increase tremendously. You can start pulling people in to sponsor activities. People will start to come, more and more people are going to want to be a part of that.

In fact, as long as you have a good sense of the community, you can start reaching out for those resources. Build your group and your committee based on the roll-out of those different resources to get your name and mission out there. That is a very powerful way to attract other parents.

Kudos to Nathanael Greene Elementary parents, staff, and administrators on moving school wellness forward! Keep up the great work!