Healthy Class Celebrations

1. Healthy Class Celebrations Christina Ferraiuolo 2012-2013 KSC Dietetic Intern

2. Opportunity • Birthday parties and holiday celebrations at school provide an opportunity to help make healthful eating fun and for children to practice wise food choices. • Schools can take advantage of classroom celebrations to serve food that tastes good, is nutritious, and provides students with an opportunity for a nutrition education experiences.

3. Why is this important? • Children consume an estimated 35 percent to 50 percent of their calories during the school day through school meals, as well as foods and beverages sold through vending machines, school stores, and among other venues. • Children ages 2 to 18 consume nearly 40% of their calories from sugar and added fat. • Children have a perception of perceived healthfulness of foods in relation to taste, color, presentation, etc. • Multi-component strategies that include families are seen as more successful. Story, 2009, Connecticut Dept of Ed, 2011

4. Dietary and physical activity interventions along with a change in policy in schools significantly improve children’s BMI. • Policies related to improving the school environment and children's diets show that eating patterns are more likely to improve when these changes are made with classroom nutrition education. • "The median number of hours per year that schools devote to teaching nutrition education and dietary behavior is 3.4 hours for elementary schools and 5 hours for middle and high schools." (p. 10). Story, 2009

5. Challenges • Staff and family support • Adequate funding • Time • Education and support of policy • Communication • Adequate tools to implement the policy • Impact of policy change in the eyes of the stakeholder • A national research study determined that 75% of stakeholders surveyed believed school wellness policies positively impact:

6. Agron, 2010

7. Schools are taking initiative to promote wellness in schools but more needs to be done outside of gym class and the lunch room. • Limit low nutrient foods • Increase physical activity throughout the day

8. Class Series- class one • Symonds 3rd grade class • Valentine’s party overview with pictures • What makes parties fun? • What healthy foods did you eat? • What unhealthy foods did you eat? • What games did you play? • Why do we like the foods that we do?

9. Class one continued • Taste • Texture • Smell • Sight • How can we use these to make healthier choices? • crunchy, sweet, salty, fizzy, smell, chewy, smooth

10. Class Series- class two • Party Planning • MyPlate • Where foods fit on myplate • Categories • Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods • Where did the Valentine’s party food fit into the categories? • Plan a healthy menu using tools we have learned • If we like fizzy we can… • We tested a game for the party day

11. Goals of the classes • To get children involved in planning a healthy celebration- take ownership • To help children understand why they like different foods • To provide a better understanding of MyPlate • To distinguish what components make foods healthy • To identify less healthful foods and why • To support the concept that less healthful foods should be consumed in moderation

12. Healthy ONES The focus was on changing the organizational policies and practices of nutrition services, school staff, teachers, parents and students to improve the nutrition environment." (p.14). Coleman, 2012.

13. Tool Kit • Provides snack ideas for every holiday • Gives children an opportunity to be involved in the planning • To get parents involved in the healthy party initiative • Policies for a healthier school party

14. Policy Sample • Research indicates that a young child’s food preference patterns are largely influenced by repeated exposure to food, and the social context in which food is offered. Offering any food as a reward to a child tends to make that child want that food above any other. • Food will not be used to punish or reward child • No more than one party per class per month • Limit snacks to one “less healthy food” item per party • Incorporate most/all of the food groups into the menu • To be a learning opportunity to reinforce food groups, healthful foods, and physical activity. Connecticut Dept of Ed., 2011

15. Tool Kit Includes • Sign up sheet for each holiday party with themed foods that represent each food group • Healthy foods to brainstorm with children per holiday • Sample school celebration policy • Parent newsletter • 3rd grade two class series outline

16. Sample Sign Up Sheet

17. Benefits • Encourage social and cognitive development • Obesity intervention • Support healthful eating • Align school health curriculum topics with activities in the classroom • Promote healthy behaviors for all children • Staff modeling opportunity • Parent involvement with healthful eating strategies

18. I would love your feedback! Providing healthy classroom celebrations demonstrates a school commitment to promoting healthy behaviors. It supports the classroom lessons students are learning about health, instead of contradicting them.

19. Resources • Agron, P., Berends, V., Ellis, K., & Gonzalez, M. (2010). School wellness policies: perceptions, barriers, and needs among school leaders and wellness advocates. Journal Of School Health, 80(11), 527-535. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2010.00538.x • Coleman, K. J., Shordon, M., Caparosa, S. L., Pomichowski, M. E., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2012). The healthy options for nutrition environments in schools (Healthy ONES) group randomized trial: using implementation models to change nutrition policy and environments in low income schools. International Journal Of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, 9(1), 80-95. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-80 • Connecticut State Department of Education (20011). Healthy Celebrations. www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&q=322436 • Meininger, J., Reyes, L., Selwyn, B., Upchurch, S., Brosnan, C., Taylor, W., & ... Phillips, M. (2010). A structured, interactive method for youth participation in a school district-university partnership to prevent obesity. Journal Of School Health, 80(10), 493-500. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2010.00533. • Reedy, J., & Krebs-Smith, S.M. (2010). Dietary Sources of Energy, Solid Fats, and Added Sugars among Children and Adolescents in the United States. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(10):1477-1484 • Story, M., Nanney, M. S., & Schwartz, M. B. (2009). Schools and Obesity Prevention: Creating School Environments and Policies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. Milbank Quarterly, 87(1), 71- 100. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00548.x