USDA developed this kit of materials to help you take action to improve your school nutrition environment. A Guide to Local Action [PDF] is the centerpiece. The kit
Gives you general guidelines for establishing your team and planning for change
Explains each of the six components of a healthy school nutrition environment
Provides criteria for determining success
Offers ideas for getting activities started
Presents guidelines for identifying, contacting, and working with all the groups you want actively involved on your team
Provides tips for attracting media attention and working effectively with the media
Improvement checklist to help you determine how your school nutrition environment measures up
Handouts - fact sheets and other educational tools
Samples of the kinds of materials you may want to develop
Other Resources
Video - to help you educate audiences about a healthy school nutrition environment and focus their attention on the issue
PowerPoint presentation - to use when talking to groups and urging them to join your team in improving the nutrition environment in your school. A set of transparencies [PDF] of the PowerPoint slides and a hard copy of the presentation script [PDF] are provided for those who prefer this method of presentation.
The School Environment, Helping Students Learn to Eat Healthy - explains why it is important to create a school environment that supports healthy eating—50 copies of the brochure, plus a black and white and a color master for reproducing
CD-ROM - includes the PowerPoint presentation; a small utility program you can use to pull up the presentation in case you don't have PowerPoint; a script for the presentation; a set of transparencies; the various support materials which can be modified to fit your local situation and reprinted; and The School Environment, Helping Students Learn to Eat Healthy brochure for copying on specialty paper, as well as a copy suitable for professional printing (with the printing specifications)
Call to Action [PDF] - joint statement from five national medical associations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that explains the importance of healthy eating to children's long-term health and well-being
Chapter E, "Healthy Eating" - reprint from the National Association of State Boards of Education school health policy guide, Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn. This chapter discusses establishing school policies to support a healthy school nutrition environment
Infobrief: Commercialism in Schools - reprint of an information brief of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development that discusses commercialism in schools
CDC Flyer [PDF]– a free copy of the "School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide" is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
You and your team can use and modify the materials to meet your goals and the needs of your community. Getting started is the key. The steps you take—small, medium, or giant—will go a long way toward improving the health and education of America's children.
To order the kit, you can print and submit this order form (PDF) to:
USDA's Team Nutrition
3101 Park Center Dr, Room 632
Alexandria, VA 22302
