EDUCATION

Parents, educators and health professionals all agree that offering nutrition in school is beneficial. But how to begin? Once we’d secured our principal’s support, our next move was to meet with a dietitian from the local public health unit to determine the best foods for our menu. Our dietitian, Mary Ellen Deane, stressed offering fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, milk alternatives (cheese, yogurt) and whole grains. These are the foods most children are lacking in their diet.

Deane sees the role of nutrition programs as much more than feeding the hungry. She talks about achieving a “culture of nutrition” in schools. “Here we have a golden opportunity to allow students to actively participate in the lessons they’ve learned about nutritional eating.”

Then we had to find some money. A Toronto Public Health report suggests that elementary school programs need to be funded per child per day at $1.21 for breakfast, $1.09 for snack and $1.83 for lunch. Each year requires fresh sourcing of funds, through applications for grants and appeals for donations. This year, we will receive funds from the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Break-fast for Learning and the Trillium Lakelands School Board. We have also found money from local service groups and parents through in-school fundraising. Local grocery stores grant us discounts and our shoppers look for weekly specials. Money is tight, but we get by.

Originally published in Today's Parent, February 2008