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Setting Nutrition Education Goals

This portion of our site will be updated soon. In the meantime, the materials provided here may still be used by local educational agencies in building on their existing local wellness policies.

The primary goal of nutrition education is to influence students' eating behaviors. Building nutrition knowledge and skills helps children make healthy eating and physical activity choices. To make a difference, school districts should provide nutrition education that is appropriate for students' ages; reflects students' cultures; is integrated into subjects such as math and reading; and provides opportunities for students to practice skills and have fun. School districts should also choose nutrition education curricula that are easy to teach and foster lifelong healthy eating.

Sample Policy Language

The following are examples of policy language for school districts to consider while drafting policy for nutrition education. They are adapted from USDA's Changing the Scene. Each can be used as an item in a wellness policy or to help you as you think about policy language for developing your own policy. Feel free to expand them and make them more specific, quantifiable, and/or stringent to meet your district's needs.

• Students in grades pre-K-12 receive nutrition education that is interactive and teaches the skills they need to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
• Nutrition education is offered in the school dining room as well as in the classroom, with coordination between the foodservice staff and teachers.
• Students receive consistent nutrition messages throughout schools, classrooms, cafeterias, homes, community and media
• District health education curriculum standards and guidelines include both nutrition and physical education.
• Nutrition is integrated into the health education or core curricula (e.g., math, science, language arts).
• Schools link nutrition education activities with the coordinated school health program.
• Staff who provide nutrition education have appropriate training.
• Schools are enrolled as Team Nutrition Schools, and they conduct nutrition education activities and promotions that involve parents, students, and the community.

Example of Existing State and School District Policies Regarding Nutrition Education

• Michigan State Board of Education's Model Local Wellness Policy template

Resources and Implementation Tools

The following links are resources, programs, and curricula related to nutrition education.

- Resources from Government Agencies

USDA
• Nutrition Education Resources for Children and Parents and for Educators.

• Changing the Scene: Improving the School Nutrition Environment is designed to assist parents, school administrators, teachers, school foodservice employees, and other concerned members of the community examine their school's nutrition environment, develop a plan for improvement, and put the plan into action.

• Steps to a Healthier You provides information on healthy eating, including personalized diet planning and nutrition education.

• Eat Smart. Play Hard.™  nutrition education and promotional materials are designed to convey science-based, behavior-focused and motivational messages about healthy eating and physical activity.  The campaign uses Power Panther™ as the primary communication vehicle for delivering the messages to children and their caregivers.  

National Agriculture Library
• The Healthy Meals Resource System website houses various nutrition education materials and curriculum developed by State Agencies. Also, check out the National Agriculture Library's general website.

State Agencies
• Fuel Up with 5 (New Jersey)

• K - 6 Integrated Nutrition Education Curriculum: Eat Smart, Play Hard (South Dakota)

• Nutrition Across the Curriculum (Louisiana)

• Policy in Action: A Guide to Implementing Your Local Wellness Policies - CA

• Nifty Nutrition with skills integration activities (Arkansas)

- Resources from non-governmental organizations

Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK)
• Resources to Improve Schools, a database maintained by AFHK, gives information on specific nutrition education programs and their implementation.