EDUA 5542 Bringing Healthy Food to Schools
FARM TO SCHOOL: BRINGING HEALTHY FOOD TO OUR SCHOOLS
The Farm-to-School movement has a sweeping vision for change: fresh, healthy food for all children as a regular part of their school day. Each year, more schools are replacing pizza, chicken nuggets, and tater tots with fresh local produce and nutrient rich foods, helping students to learn to eat healthier and addressing the obesity epidemic and onslaught of Type-2 diabetes in youth.
In this course the teacher will learn the impact of traditional school lunch programs on the learning, behavior, and health of students. The teacher will explore the problems and unintended consequences of the federal free- and reduced-lunch program and assess the need for Farm to School and similar programs. Further, the teacher will learn how to engage students in growing a school vegetable garden, making curricular connections in the process. Lastly, the teacher will consider how to engage the local community in a Farm-to-School project with the goal of bringing a program to his or her school.