Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on October 14, 2014
In celebration of Farm to School Month, the First Lady invited students from the STAR School in Flagstaff, Arizona; Willow Cove Elementary School in Pittsburg, California; and Greenview Upper Elementary School in Lyndhurst, Ohio to participate in the fall harvest of the White House Kitchen Garden this year. These schools all participate in farm to school programs that incorporate fresh, local food into their school meals and teach students about healthy eating through hands-on experience in their own school gardens as well as nutrition education in the classroom. Each school received support from USDA’s Farm to School Program, created as part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, to execute their efforts. Students from Harriet Tubman Elementary and Bancroft Elementary in Washington, DC, who regularly help in the Kitchen Garden, also joined the First Lady at the harvest today.
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on October 14, 2014
Chef Thomas Ciszak joined the First Lady today for the Fall White House Kitchen Garden Harvest along with a few of this year’s Kids’ State Dinner winners and students from schools across the country participating in farm to school programs. Chef Thomas and his team of student helpers prepared Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup with Cinnamon Glazed Carrots for everyone to enjoy.
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on October 14, 2014
Chef Geoff Tracy joined the First Lady today for the Fall White House Kitchen Garden Harvest along with a few of this year’s Kids’ State Dinner winners and students from schools across the country participating in farm to school programs. Chef Geoff and his team of student helpers prepared Maple Glazed Chicken with Sautéed Kale, Sweet Potatoes, and Cranberries for everyone to enjoy.
Posted by Kelly Miterko, Deputy Associate Director, Let's Move! on October 14, 2014
Chef Curtis Aikens joined the First Lady today for the Fall White House Kitchen Garden Harvest along with a few of this year’s Kids’ State Dinner winners and students from schools across the country participating in farm to school programs. Chef Curtis and his team of student helpers prepared Ratatouille for everyone to enjoy.
Posted by Victoria Wittrock, Food Service Supervisor, West Central School District, South Dakota on October 14, 2014
I’ve seen a lot of great changes come about in the West Central School District since the implementation of the new school meal pattern in 2012, and I’m very grateful for the process we’ve gone through.
The changes in the younger kids have been the most noticeable. Exposing them to more fruits and vegetables has been really exciting. When we first began introducing new fruits and vegetables, I was surprised that some kids had never had cantaloupe or honeydew melons. Now, I go to the local market and I see students there pointing out fruits and vegetables and telling their parents, “Mom, Dad, you’ve got to try this!” The younger kids now ask me about proteins, grains, and what other types of nutrients they need.
Posted by Bea Zuluaga, Food and Nutrition Director, CentroNía/DC Bilingual Public Charter School, Washington, DC on October 13, 2014
Children living in Washington, D.C., and across the country spend a large part of their day in school and rely heavily on their educational institutions for nourishment. As educators, it is imperative that we expose children to a variety of healthy, nutrient-rich foods early on in their development, and CentroNía does just that! We prepare various meals and snacks to support children’s learning thanks to programs such as the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010.
Posted by Kirby Bumpus, Associate Director fo Policy, Let's Move! on October 13, 2014
For so many kids, the school cafeteria is the only place where they can rely on a healthy and balanced meal. This week, nearly 70 years ago the National School Lunch Program was established to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent hunger for millions of children every school day. Every child deserves to have the proper nutrition to perform well throughout the day, both in and outside of the classroom.
Posted by Kori Schulman, Director of Online Engagement for the Office of Digital Strategy, White House on October 10, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of whitehouse.gov. You can find the original post here.
Next week, the First Lady will welcome students and chefs from the around the country to the White House for the annual fall Kitchen Garden harvest. The White House garden was planted in 2009 and inspired the First Lady's Let’s Move! initiative to help kids and families lead healthier lives.
Posted by Diane Harris, PhD MPH Health Scientist, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on October 10, 2014
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is celebrating National Farm to School Month in October. Since its launch in 2010, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools has delivered more than 3,500 salad bars to schools. School districts all over the country use salad bars to showcase locally grown, farm-fresh produce as part of farm to school programs. Schools often find that students choose more fruits and vegetables when products are fresh, locally grown, and picked at the peak of their flavor. Kids’ choices are reinforced with educational activities in the cafeteria, classroom, and community. A beautifully stocked salad bar with a rainbow of local fruits and vegetables highlighting farmers and the farms where the products are grown adds to students’ enthusiasm to make healthier choices.
Posted by Dominique Dawes, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Co-Chair on October 9, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of fitness.gov. You can find the original post here.
On February 28, 2013, First Lady Michelle Obama launched Let’s Move! Active Schools, a solution to ensure that 60 minutes of physical activity is the norm in schools across America. As co-chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, I am excited to share that just one school year later, Let’s Move! Active Schools is celebrating the milestone of reaching over 10,000 schools across 50 states and impacting more than 5 million students.
Posted by Dr. Jayne Greenberg, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition on October 7, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of fitness.gov. You can find the original post here.
Many people don’t really focus on inclusion, and how such a simple word can make all the difference in the lives of millions of Americans. As a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN), I believe that all people should have access to daily physical activity and be able to live a healthy lifestyle across their lifespan. As the District Director of Physical Education and Health Literacy for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, I think about inclusion every day.
Posted by Tracy Wiedt, Let's Move! Cities, Towns and Counties Project Manager, National League of Cities on October 7, 2014
Thirty nine percent of children ages 2 to 19 are either overweight or obese and more than one-in-ten children becomes obese as early as ages 2 to 5. These health conditions not only impact a child’s growth, development, and self-esteem, but often being overweight or obese at a young age places adults at a greater risk for developing serious chronic diseases that impact them over the course of a lifetime.
The poor health of children and adults across the country has significant implications beyond an individual’s immediate family, affecting the vitality of entire communities, their local economies, and overall quality of life.
Posted by Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, USDA on October 2, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from the blog of USDA.gov. You can find the original post here.
This October, just like every other month during the school year, school menus will feature an array of products from local and regional farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. Kids of all ages will dig up lessons in school gardens, visit farms, harvest pumpkins, and don hair nets for tours of processing facilities. Science teachers – and English, math, and social studies instructors, too – will use food and agriculture as a tool in their classrooms, so that lessons about the importance of healthy eating permeate the school learning environment.
Posted by Caitlin Cahow, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition member and Two-time Olympian, U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey on October 1, 2014
Ed. Note: This is a cross post from fitness.gov. You can find the original post here.
According to the latest research, healthy students are better learners. Across America, schools play an important role in shaping students’ attitudes about healthy eating and physical activity.
As a member of the President’s Council, I see a great opportunity to help our nation’s schools prioritize student health and well-being by weaving it into the fabric of the educational experience. Now, of course, that is easier said than done. Last week, my fellow Council members and I met with national youth ambassadors, superintendents and chancellors, as well as leading researchers at the White House to discuss ways to inspire school administrators, parents and students to take action.
Posted by Alan Shannon, Public Affairs Director, Midwest Region, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, and Katherine Elmer-Dewitt, Academy for Global Citizenship on September 30, 2014
As we approach the five-year anniversary of the passage of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, it’s worthwhile to revisit some of the schools that were at the cutting edge of creating healthier school meals. Chicago’s Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) has been a pioneer in serving healthy, delicious school meals that exceed USDA school meals standards. Just as important, students love them! Integral to AGC’s success is a belief in not only serving positive foods but also in creating a culture that supports wellness. The school’s holistic approach relies on parent engagement, physical education, nutrition education, gardening, and more.
