Healthy Schools Campaign

Mary Richardson-Lowry of Chicago Public Schools at Go for the Gold Launch: 'The Foundation for Success is Set'

Mary Richardson-Lowry addresses the crowd at the Go for the Gold launch.

At the August 17 launch of the Go for the Gold Campaign, several key leaders helped us kick off  this new initiative. We're proud to work with such tremendous supporters, including Mary Richardson-Lowry, President of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. HSC greatly appreciates the district’s commitment to promoting student health and improving nutritional standards for schools meals.

---

An excerpt of remarks from Mary Richardson-Lowry:

---

We are here for a very important cause -- the health and well-being of our students.

CPS is committed to providing a world-class education for the students of Chicago and we know that there is a strong connection between healthful school food, physical activity and a student’s ability to learn and succeed in school.

In a school district where 86 percent of students are low-income and many young people receive the majority of their daily food intake at school, it is especially important for us to provide students with healthful meals.

Many of our students face the dual challenge of food insecurity and childhood obesity. We see a strong school nutrition program as a way of positively impacting both those conditions.

We are proud that one of our most famous alums, First Lady Michele Obama, is taking the lead on fighting childhood obesity through the her Let’s Move initiative.

But even before the First Lady championed this cause, CPS was at the forefront of bringing healthier foods to our schools. I am very pleased to announce that for the 2011 school year, we have significantly raised the nutrition standards for school food and developed the healthful, delicious recipes that you sampled for lunch today.

To develop the new standards, we convened a group of dietitians, school food operational experts and community partners. This group adopted the philosophy that the menu improvements needed to be far-reaching and sustainable. . .  sustainable so that they would be affordable and pleasing improvements for our students that we could continue to offer for many years to come.

Some of the highlights of the new standards include:

• While vegetables are already offered daily, CPS will now offer a different vegetable every day, and increase dark green and orange and dark vegetables and limit starchy vegetables.
• Where occasional whole grains are offered, there will now be a whole grain offering at lunch each day.
• All menus contain zero trans fats.
• No donuts or breakfast pastries will be on the menu and there is a prescribed standard for cereal that limits the amount of sugar it contains.

Healthy Schools Campaign was one of our key community partners in developing these new nutritional standards.

I am very pleased today to announce Go for the Gold, a new partnership between Chicago Public Schools, Healthy Schools Campaign, the USDA Midwest Office and Illinois State Board of Education.

Go for the Gold builds on the major advancements we made with our new nutrition standards and is a citywide partnership that will challenge and support Chicago public schools to meet the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge.

This challenge is one of the pillars of the First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign and recognizes schools that make improvements to school food and nutrition education, and increase opportunities for physical activity and recess.

We support all of these changes and see them as key to creating an educational environment that promotes success and academic achievement. We also support the First Lady’s goal of reversing the childhood obesity epidemic that threatens so many children and adults in Chicago.

Go for the Gold also provides us the opportunity to highlight the individual success of schools that are already committed to health and wellness. Two years ago, Principal Jorge A. Ruiz became the new administrator for Eli Whitney Elementary School, and he quickly became a champion for making schools healthier places.

The dedicated parents who were already involved in school wellness initiatives welcomed his arrival. The school’s active wellness team, composed mostly of parents, researched wellness practices other schools were implementing and compiled a wish list and a set of reasons why their school should implement these practices.

Their list included: increasing breakfast consumption, creating an in-school daily exercise for all students, and increasing opportunities for the surrounding community to learn about being healthy.

Eli Whitney School is a great candidate to be a Go for the Gold school because it promotes student meal participation during the school day, promotes opportunities for physical activity for all students, and reinforces nutrition and health messages through multiple channels of communication.

The school wellness team and the principal worked hand in hand to accomplish these goals. Here are some examples of that:

• The school implemented Breakfast in the Classroom, a program that provides a healthy in-classroom breakfast. Principal Ruiz noticed positive changes immediately after the program was implemented. Not only did school attendance increase, but so did students’ readiness to learn.
• And Breakfast in the Classroom also took away the stigma many students felt in receiving free lunch. Teachers greatly applaud the program and say that taking those ten minutes to eat breakfast are well worth it because students behave better and are more alert to learn.
• Every morning at 9 a.m. and in the afternoon as well, time for yoga is announced over the PA system. Students and teachers clear a space for themselves in the classroom and follow the yoga moves spoken over the PA system. For about a year now, yoga has become a daily ritual for students and staff, and the program has been very well received. Students and teachers are refocused and reenergized, making the school day a very productive one.
• Eli Whitney has also found great community partners that strengthen the work the school is doing around health and wellness. The school helps organize health festivals where various community organizations promote their services and also celebrate healthy lifestyles. For example, many parents and community members began to attend St. Anthony Hospital’s healthy cooking classes and now regularly go to their workshop series on wellness.

Our wellness policy supports all of the components of Go for the Gold. Chicago Public Schools knows that physical activity during the school day increases the likelihood for children to be successful in school and strongly encourages schools to incorporate recess on a regular basis as part of the instructional day.

The district also makes available to all schools a robust health curriculum which includes nutrition education. The foundation for success is set.

Go for the Gold will engage the entire school community – from parents to teachers, students, principals, nonprofit organizations, businesses and the culinary community. CPS is committed to this partnership at every level of the organization and we are energized and excited to work with all of you to make it a reality.

We treasure all of our students and want them to lead long, healthy, and active lives.

--

Thank you to President Richardson-Lowry for taking part in this exciting launch!

To check out more photos from the launch event, click here.

Healthy Schools Campaign Announces Launch of Go for the Gold Campaign with Chicago Public Schools

HSC board member Sheelah Muhammad samples healthy school food items that will be served in Chicago public schools this year at the Go for the Gold launch luncheon on Aug. 17

Chicago responds to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Challenge to Reverse Trend in Childhood Obesity

Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) is pleased to announce the launch of the Go for the Gold campaign, a partnership of HSC, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the USDA Midwest and the Illinois State Board of Education Department of Nutrition. Go for the Gold will support Chicago public schools in meeting the high standards for food, fitness and nutrition education set by the HealthierUS School Challenge, the program First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting in the effort to reverse the trend in childhood obesity.

“It’s exciting to see parents, business leaders, chefs, school nurses and so many others from across the city come together in this effort to provide healthy school environments for Chicago’s children,” said HSC founding executive director Rochelle Davis.

The campaign builds on the new nutrition standards for school food that CPS announced in April 2010. The new standards meet and in many cases exceed the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge. The challenge includes standards for school food, physical activity, physical education and nutrition education. Go for the Gold will connect schools with community resources to assist them in providing nutrition education and opportunities for physical activity.

“We recognize the vital connection between health and learning,” said Chicago Board of Education President Mary Richardson-Lowry. “The new school menus being offered this school year represent a huge step forward in providing our students with healthy and nutritious meals. The Go for the Gold campaign is exciting for our entire CPS community and extends our commitment to student wellness.”

 HSC and CPS have established a civic and business advisory committee to support Go for the Gold. This committee creates an opportunity to bring together a group of talented, committed leaders and create the space to make new connections, formulate innovative ideas and strategies, and encourage the emergence of city-wide support for a school environment that promotes healthy eating and physical activity for all children.

The Go for the Gold civic and business advisory committee will be led by founding co-chairs Karen Atwood, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and Terry Mazany, President/CEO of The Chicago Community Trust.

“In order for Go for the Gold to succeed, schools will need support from everyone in our community, including our philanthropic community and corporations,” said Atwood. “It’s an honor to lend our support to this city-wide effort for our children’s health.”

“Chicago is responding in powerful way to First Lady Michelle Obama’s call for action for our nation’s children,” said Mazany. “This effort will have an immediate impact on students across the city and will bring benefits that can last a lifetime.”

The HealthierUS School Challenge is a program of the USDA. To date, only three schools in Illinois and 773 schools nationwide have met the HealthierUS School Challenge.

“The ambition and dedication behind Go for the Gold are truly remarkable,” said Ollice Holden, Midwest Regional Administrator, USDA/FNS. “This is truly the on-the-ground embodiment of the First Lady’s vision for our children’s future.”

To learn more about the Go for the Gold campaign, visit www.goforthegoldCPS.org.

Academy for Global Citzenship Among First to Officially 'Go for the Gold!' in Food & Fitness

by Rosa Ramirez, Go for the Gold Campaign Manager

 

Lunchtime at AGC

Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is a pioneer school in many ways. Not only is it one of the first Chicago elementary schools to implement the challenging International Baccalaureate (IB) program, it is also one of the few IB schools located in a low-income and minority community: Archer Heights on the southwest side of Chicago. And recently AGC became one of the first Chicago schools to apply for the HealthierUS School Challenge Gold with Distinction award as part of the city-wide Go for the Gold campaign to help schools meet the HealthierUS School Challenge. (Go for the Gold is a partnership of HSC, Chicago Public Schools, and the USDA Midwest. You can learn more here.)

When First Lady Michelle Obama introduced Let’s Move, incorporating the HealthierUS School Challenge into her campaign to raise a healthier generation of kids, only about 600 schools nationwide had met the program criteria and received an award. Chicago has yet to have a school meet the First Lady’s Challenge. But that may be changing very soon, as many Chicago schools are stepping up to participate in the Go for the Gold campaign. And AGC is leading the way.

In March of 2010, AGC submitted their HealthierUS School Challenge application documenting school practices that include serving healthful foods, providing students with nutrition education, and providing students with a variety of daily physical education and physical activity opportunities, all while engaging their families in the process.

Healthy food, positive nutrition and physical activity have become so central to the educational and lifestyle philosophy at AGC that it "just made sense" to meet the First Lady's challenge and demonstrate it can be achieved in Chicago, said Ippel. She is committed to the idea that "everybody can start somewhere." She hopes that what her school is doing in the areas of food and fitness will become the norm for all schools.

Ippel explained that she sometimes encounters the perception that the wellness practices at AGC are not attainable for other schools -- but when people look closely, they see practices that can be incorporated anywhere.

"Yes, we are in a unique position in that these components have been integrated as a core part of our mission from day one," she said. "But there are a myriad of examples at AGC of new innovative programs and practices that are a result of an impassioned teacher taking an initiative -- it truly starts with a single step. There are great lessons here: mainly, everybody can start somewhere, and that’s the message we want to get across."

Do you know a school working toward the HealthierUS School Challenge that we should spotlight? Let us know!

Relying on Healthy School Food All Summer

By Cassie Yarbrough, HSC policy intern

School is out for the summer, and while children enjoy long, sunny days without class, many parents, caregivers, and educators worry that children will go hungry without access to a free or reduced-price lunch during the day. While nearly 19 million children depend on free and reduced-price school meals for nine months out of the year, only 2.3 million children participate in the Summer Food Service Program. 

As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said on a recent trip to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, “Too many kids in our country go hungry over the summer months.” That's why countless schools throughout the country are providing free lunches to children under the age of 18 throughout the summer months. In Chicago, the Food Depository distributes food to more than 40 federally funded after-school Summer Food Service Program sites, providing Chicago’s children with healthy and nutritious meals even when school is not in session.

Utah’s Ogden School District takes summer food service one step further, providing free hot lunches during the work week at nine schools. Alicia Brisceno, a 13-year-old student of the Ogden School District, says, “It’s good food and it’s free. I think it’s good because a lot of parents work, and this is a good way for kids to get lunch every day.” The Ogden School District Program, as well as similar programs in 101,000 schools and day care facilities throughout the country, is federally funded under the same standards as regular school meals provided under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Last summer, 31.2 million children throughout the United States took advantage of summer lunches, and participation in these programs is expected to grow. The summer school lunch program under NSLP provides an excellent opportunity to continue to improve nutrition standards in federally subsidized meals.

Research shows that many young people develop unhealthy eating habits during the summer break and also suffer learning setbacks. For example, children can lose more than two months’ progress in reading achievement over the summer, and inactivity during the summer months can cause children to gain weight three times faster than during the school year. Michelle Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service are launching the United We Serve: Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative to change that.

To learn more about the expanding opportunities to engage young people in summer reading and physical activity, and to learn more about increasing kids' access to healthy, affordable food in the summer, click here.

Parent Summit: Celebrating Parent Leadership, Creating Healthier Schools

By Guillermo Gomez

Recently, Parents United for Healthy Schools held its 4th Annual Parent Summit, "Creating Healthier Schools Through Parent Leadership in Chicago Public Schools." More than 200 parents representing 40 school-based wellness teams from across the city participated. The summit was a reflection of the positive changes that are taking place in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) through school wellness teams and parent involvement.

This year’s summit was a celebration filled with sones jarochos music and dancing along with parent testimonials that highlighted the rewards of long years of work developing school wellness teams.  We recognized two young students, now in high school, who demonstrated feisty leadership while in grammar school by advocating for recess at their schools. Six parents from Little Village Academy were recognized for winning their local school council elections on a wellness platform. And two schools, McCormick and Lowell Elementary, were recognized for their school wellness team’s incorporation of recess as a SIPAAA goal.
 

Parents also celebrated two major accomplishments:

After years of parent advocacy for recess, the CPS central office sent a letter in March 2010 to all principals in support of recess and its positive benefits, strongly encouraging all principals to include recess as a SIPAAA goal.

CPS also announced new nutrition standards for school food beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, providing healthier meals to all students. Under the new standards, school meals will meet or exceed the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge that First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging schools to take on.

Parents also announced the Go for the Gold Campaign as a goal for next year. The Go for the Gold campaign is an initiative to improve school food and fitness in Chicago by supporting school efforts to meet the HealthierUS School Challenge.  This program will improve student access to healthy meals, nutrition education and physical activity.

HSC is thrilled to support and celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of these parents, students, and school wellness teams. Stay posted for more updates!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

School Nurses Face New Challenges & Find New Opportunities in Promoting Student Wellness

Interviews By Cynthia San Miguel, HSC intern

Now that winter has set in, school nurses are as busy as ever caring for students with colds or flu. But, year-round, school nursing is so much more -- nurses care for students with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma, as well as students with disabilities. They’re also leading the way in making health-promoting changes throughout the school.

With today's expanded role, school nurses face new challenges. Many challenges are related to the increase of children’s health needs which include diabetes, asthma and mental health, says Edmonds School District #15 school nurse Katie Johnson.  “More children are being identified with mental health conditions. There are more children who are able to be in school now because of more sophisticated health care -- students who were preemies, students who have received chemotherapy, students who wouldn’t have survived their condition years ago are now in school but need support to participate,” Johnson says. “The biggest challenge I deal with is a disparity between the resources I have available and the needs of the students.”

And students’ needs are great -– a lack of access to health care may mean that “for a number of families and students the school nurse is the only health care provider,” said Donna Mazyck, past president of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN).

HSC’s developed its School Nurse Leadership Program to address the changing reality and increasing workload that school nurses tackle on a daily basis. The program uses curriculum written by nurses to prepare school nurses to assume leadership roles to promote wellness or environmental health in their schools. In three days, the school nurses learn about their leadership style, evidence-based research, meeting conduct, media relations and advocacy. School nurses create and deliver a presentation that is tailored to their schools’ needs. And school nurses learn from each other.

Kathleen Barta, associate professor of nursing at University of Arkansas says that when school nurses show leadership to promote wellness, they support health, safety, and policy development.  “The key is the principal and superintendent… the school nurse must develop those relationships. Data is a powerful tool for school nurses to keep track of the number of children, what the nurse is seeing and the pattern. All of these help the administrators see what is happening.”

Nurses may also lead by spearheading a school or district wellness committee, for example, or speaking up about the ways that a school’s indoor air quality has an impact on student health. For Johnson, even though her time is always stretched thin, she says she makes it a priority "to contribute a Note from the Nurse on various health topics to the monthly parent newsletter to teach parents about health, build awareness of my role as a nurse and availability as a resource for health questions.” 

Mazyck says: “School nurses are in the unique position to serve as liaisons with students, parents, school staff, community members, health care professionals, state and local government to promote student health and support student success… School nurses are the champion of healthy eating and health education.”

Top Blog Entries from 2009!

It's been a great year for the HSC blog, and we're proud that our readers have continued to visit day after day for fresh content, lively discussion and valuable information on ensuring a healthy future for all children. To ring in the new year, we've compiled a list of our most popular blog entries from 2009. (Drum roll...)

10. More Reasons for Recess

9. Good Luck to Cooking up Change Students From White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass

8. Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization - Let's Do it Right

7. New White House Chef Support Healthy School Lunches

6. Do Healthy Eating Habits Start at Home?

5. Kids May Go Hungry to Avoid Stigma of Free Meals

4. The Lunch That's Changing the Future of School Food

3. Secretary Vilsack Connects Healthy Eating and Reduction in Health Care Costs

2. A Parents Perspective on Asthma: Talking with Michelle Obama

-And #1-

1. Students Bring Healthy School Lunch to DC and Cook with White House Chef Sam Kass

Honorable mentions:

• This is Not Your Father's School Nurse
• My First Garden Meal of the Summer
• H1N1 and Green Cleaning in Schools

Happy New Year from all of us at HSC -- We look forward to seeing you again in 2010!

Be Well: Parents United for Healthy Schools Leaders Spotlighted in Book & National Campaign

Two leaders from HSC’s Parents United for Healthy Schools – HSC project coordinator Jovita Flores and parent leader Rosa Guzman – are in the spotlight as their inspirational stories of personal healthy change have been featured in the book Be Well.

Rosa Guzman

The book and accompanying campaign, presented by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, shares "messages from moms on living healthier lives" by profiling 15 inspirational women around the nation whose remarkable stories include lessons and tips for parents everywhere.

See Rosa’s story »

See Jovita’s story »

Read about more parents making change in Chicago's Latino communities »

Jovita and Rosa are leaders in the effort to bring increased physical activity and healthy food to schools in Chicago’s Latino and African-American communities.

Jovita Flores

Jovita, who taught the neighborhood nutrition class that first inspired Rosa to begin making healthy changes, provides the training and ongoing guidance that helps parents create effective school wellness teams and begin making changes such as offering walking school buses, food education or after-school physical activity programs. She also works closely on a city-wide effort to bring back recess to Chicago Public Schools.

Rosa, whose story of personal transformation has inspired parents throughout her neighborhood and beyond to make changes and become advocates for wellness at school, continues to speak up for healthy food and physical activity at school and in the community. She provides guidance to neighbors and other parents seeking to make change, offering her tips for modifying traditional recipes or fitting exercise (often walking or dancing) into a busy schedule.

"We’re thrilled to congratulate Jovita and Rosa on the recognition they’ve received as part of this national project," said HSC executive director Rochelle Davis. "Their work is truly an inspiration and has made a tremendous impact on parents, children and schools across Chicago. We’re so pleased that their stories can now offer inspiration to more parents across the country."

Read more about the Be Well book »

Plus: Jovita and Rosa were both recently quoted in a Chicago Tribune story on mothers who champion health

Have you and your families made healthy changes? What mothers inspire you? We'd love to hear your stories!

Raising My Hand for School Health (AKA Chocolate Milk in a Land of Wellness)

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

As Deputy Director of the Healthy Schools Campaign and father of a 3 1/2 year old boy, I am both personally and professionally conflicted with the stir that has been caused by chocolate milk recently, but mostly I look at this issue and hope we aren't losing focus on the big picture.

Recently the milk industry has begun serving slick ads encouraging the consumption of chocolate milk ("raise your hand for chocolate milk") and in response, those on the other side of the debate have felt forced to draw a line in the sand saying absolutely no to flavored milk.

So the question is: when it comes to flavored milk, do the health benefits (vitamins and minerals) outweigh the negatives (added sugar)? Or is flavored milk an absolutely unhealthful option? The reality is that it's unclear and has been for years. Even the recent IOM report on school meals did not distinguish between flavored and regular milk in their recommendations. So in my mind, flavored milk becomes one of those "sometimes" foods, which is how I treat it at home. In other words: it's not perfect, it's not the worst option out there, and I don't believe it should take attention away from the bigger issue of ensuring that our schools support wellness in a comprehensive and meaningful way. 

As a school health advocate, I want to focus our attention on developing and implementing common-sense nutrition standards, increasing nutrition education and increasing funding for better school food. I hope we don't become sidetracked by efforts to get any single item banned from school menus.

A recent Chicago Tribune story highlighted the challenges of eliminating flavored milk in a school, and also highlighted a school district that displayed what I felt was a supportive and rational decision-making process. According to the story, a school wellness committee in Barrington, IL decided to remove flavored milk from the lunch offerings, at which point other parents raised complaints and concerns. And then:

...three students came by his [the superintendent's] office over the summer with some evidence and a request... a trial: The schools would serve flavored milk on Fridays and figure out how that affected consumption... and now the schools compare how much milk is tossed out on white-milk-only days and flavor Fridays... The study will run through January, when the district will decide the future of flavored milk.

To me this represents a nearly-ideal response to this controvery because ultimately, it allowed the voices of the parents and the students to be heard. The superintendent decided to gather data before making a decision instead of basing a decision only on input from either side of the heated debate. And it set up a decision-making plan that can bring community members together to learn about the issues.

When my son Henry goes off to school in a year or two, I hope his school doesn't serve chocolate milk in the cafeteria. But more than that, I hope his school makes wellness a priority throughout the day and across the building: I hope the school serves wholesome meals, provides fresh vegetables, limits access to unhealthy treats, provides nutrition education and offers Henry and his future classmates that chance to run and play, both in PE and recess. In the context of this type of healthy environment, the truth is that I'm not overly concerned by any single less-healthy food option.

And the reality is that most schools today do not provide this comprehensive approach to wellness in a health-supporting environment. I hope that we can focus our energy on that struggle, speaking up for better school food funding and policies that support physical activity and food education. 

So I won't be raising my hand for chocolate milk. But I will be speaking up for policies that put the flavored milk decision in the context of a healthful school environment for all the students.

Study Shows Overwhelming Parent Support for Healthier Schools

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

The recent survey by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation confirms our experience: that parents understand the connection between learning, health and the school environment, and they want schools to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Among the key findings from the online survey of 600 parents with children in grades K-12:

• Parents nearly unanimously agree (98 percent) that their child’s school should offer opportunities for physical activity throughout the day, whether through P.E., activity breaks or recess and after school programs.

• Almost as many parents (96 percent) agree that their child’s school should limit access to unhealthy snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages.

• About two-thirds of parents (63 percent) believe schools play a major role in instilling healthy habits in students.

• Four-fifths of parents have undertaken one or more health-related activities or advocacy efforts in their local schools. Those include bringing nutritious foods to school parties or other events and pushing for healthier lunch menus or expanded health education for students.

Healthy Schools Campaign’s Parents United for Healthy Schools has hundreds of parents involved in organizing wellness teams and working to promote healthy eating and physical activity. In fact, two parent leaders, Jovita Flores and Rosa Guzman, have been recognized by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation for their outstanding leadership and are featured in its new book, Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives. Congratulations to Jovita and Rosa!  And many congratulations and thanks to all the parents across the country who are working to promote health and wellness in schools.

Parents try out a healthy physical activity break at a Parents United for Healthy Schools summit

Recess in Schools Means Active Playtime for the Kids Who Need It

By Amanda Chablani, HSC Policy Specialist

As Rochelle recently witnessed, kids (and first ladies) love to run around and be active;  we were glad to see the White House providing such a great, green space where so many young people could play.  While we all need regular exercise, kids especially need dedicated time for unstructured play -– that’s why we think it’s vital that schools schedule daily recess in addition to physical education.

Last October, the first set of federal guidelines on physical activity was released by Health and Human Services.  These guidelines, in addition to setting forth recommendations for daily exercise based on age and ability, provide helpful tips on incorporating exercise into our daily routine.

And for kids, school is a huge part of daily routine.  That’s why the guidelines recommend that schools and communities “provide time for both structured and unstructured physical activity during school and outside of school. Children need time for active play. Through recess, physical activity breaks, physical education classes, after-school programs, and active time with family and friends, youth can learn about physical activity and spend time doing it.”

While it seems obvious that kids need to run around every day, it has become very difficult for many kids to do so. As I learned on a trip to Springfield last spring, recess is no longer available to many kids. But parents here in Chicago are taking action –- Parents United for Healthy Schools collected almost 4,000 signatures in support of re-instituting recess in Chicago Public Schools. And at a federal level, we’re also seeing some movement. Senator Harkin and Congressman Gordon introduced legislation (S.1810 and HR. 3851 respectively) to make sure the HHS guidelines are regularly updated and made available. 

Let’s hope school districts around the country respond by bringing back recess.  

To support this legislation, visit the American College of Sports Medicine’s website.

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.