Connecting What A Young Child Eats To Their Health .

1. University of Texas Elementary School Connecting What A Young Child Eats To Their Health. It’s Time School Summit June 25, 2013 P: 512.782.4355 F: 877.585.6513 3710 Cedar #228, Austin, TX 78705 | www.healthstartfoundation.org

2. Connecting What A Young Child Eats To Their Health.

3. A Little About Us • Robin Herskowitz, Founder & ED • Public Health and Public Education Background • Committed to improving the health of our communities by teaching young children good health basics before they are old enough to develop habits that lead to poor health • Mario Alvarado, Classically Trained Chef • Father of 4 Little Longhorns • Committed to feeding UT Elementary school students tasty, kid-friendly, nutritious and, when possible, locally grown foods • Rebecca Vore, Wellness/Ecology Instructor • Master Gardener – Developed Health and Nutrition Curriculum for Junior Master Gardener • Trainer TX Regional Science Collaborative and REAL School Gardens

4. UTES Healthy Families Initiative

5. UTES Philosophy: A Healthy Body = A Healthy Mind • Focus on a healthy body results in students who: (source: Science Daily March 2008 and Rueters 2008) • Pay attention more in class • Perform better academically Miss fewer days of school • St. David’s Edukitchen • 2012-13 1st year • Functions as learning lab AND place to eat

6. Making Physical Activity A Priority: • Increases test scores • Reduces behavior problems • Physical Activity at UTES is: • Integrated into school day and campus design • Part of school planning

7. The Gardens At UTES Provide: • Applied knowledge • Kinesthetic acquisition of information • Reinforcement of systems and cycles • Meaning to learning • Increased parental involvement at school

8. HealthStart’s Approach to Child Health

9. Health Education For Youngsters! (HEY!) 12 Central Texas Pre & Elementary Schools Piloting HEY! in 2012-13

10. Billy & Betty Goat: The HealthStart Kids Betty • Betty & Billy go home with Journal • Reinforces the lessons • Parents learn with kids • Students share their Billy & Betty adventures during “show & tell” or circle time Billy

11. Nutrition Model

12. CASE STUDY: UTES & HealthStart Partnership For Health

13. UTES Menus &“What Are You Feeding?” Information HS takes the daily menus and identifies the body system each dish nourishes.

14. Case Study: UTES & HealthStart Categorized nutritional information appears above the serving line at breakfast and lunch and on a large screen in the dining hall.

15. UTES/HealthStart Dining Hall Partnership Results • Direct, concrete connection between food and health • Teachable moments for teachers, kitchen staff, and students • Information kids can apply outside of school • NEXT STEP • Take the “What Are You Feeding” concept to the garden

16. Ideas for Connecting Kids’Food Choices with Their Health

17. Three Ways To Connect What Kids Eat With Their Health - GARDENS • Plant a school garden • Use the produce in the dining hall or classroom tastings • After school program • RESOURCES: Junior Master Gardener, Roots to Shoots, National Wildlife Federation • Enlist classroom teachers • Demonstrate how the can build on existing lessons/requirements

18. Three Ways To Connect What Kids Eat With Their Health – DINING HALL • Take it to the dining hall • Label dishes by body part fed • “What Are You Feeding Fridays” • Identification of nutrients cafeteria dishes can be part of science curriculum • Garden & dining connected • Rebecca (Wellness Instructor) sends students to ask Chef(Mario) what’s needed from garden, kids collect and deliver

19. One HS school involved parents in stocking a “brain food” store One class had a bone food science lesson with a “bone” food tasting. Use the school garden as a natural tasting center “TRY IT TUESDAY” to introduce new veggies Hold an international food day in the dining hall Anyone Can Do One! Classroom Tastings

20. Ideas For Your School?

21. Key Considerations

22. Scope A Health Project • Know Your School • Start Small • Word of the day, ex. “protein” • Make a chart on an easel for dinning hall • Specific Body System • Make It Broad • Enlist Everyone • Administration, Teachers, Parents, Students, Food Service Staff, Maintenance Staff • Be A Champion/Find A Champion

23. Getting Buy-In • Have a “champion” • Can be teacher, staff, parent • Enlist the principal • Have a clear vision for what you want to accomplish • Put it in writing, say it out loud • Make your goal part of the conversation • Be a “broken record”

24. Key Considerations • Staff Resources • Who’s your champion? • Available Funds • Budget for wellness? • Grant funding? • Parent Involvement • Active PTA/Parents group • SHAC

25. Conclusions • Have a vision • Make a plan • Start small • Be patient • It takes a village • You need champion and buy-In • Celebrate your successes • Even the small ones

26. Want To Know More? Contact: Robin Herskowitz, Founder HealthStart Foundation 512-496-2106 robin@healthstartfoundation.org Mario Alvarado, Executive Chef UT Elementary School 512-495-3300 x 306 mario.alvarado@austin.utexas.edu Rebecca Vore, Wellness/Ecology Instructor UT Elementary School 512-495-3300 x 339 rvore@austin.utexas.edu | P: 512.782.4355 F: 877.585.6513 3710 Cedar St. #228, Austin, TX 78705 www.healthstartfoundation.org

27. QUESTIONS??