Programs and Services Offered - Elementary Schools

In the School

What is taught in the classroom needs to be reinforced with a healthy nutrition environment. The following six recommendations will provide opportunities for students to practice what they learn in the classroom about healthy eating.

1. Offer Healthy, Reasonably Priced and Culturally Appropriate Food Choices

Nutrition Standards
Nutrition Services uses the Nutrition Tools for Schools© (NTS) Nutrition Standards to help schools define healthy food and beverages to offer or sell. These Nutrition Standards are adapted from the Ministry of Education's School Food and Beverage Policy (P/PM 150) Nutrition Standards. They include an additional category to identify food and beverages that meet or exceed P/PM 150 and provide maximum nutritional value. By using the NTS Nutrition Standards, schools with be complying with P/PM 150.

Fact Sheets – Healthy Food Choices
Review the following fact sheets to make the case for providing healthy food choices at school:

• Healthy School Fundraising
• Start a School Milk Program
• Milk Matters on Every Menu
• Healthy Choices for Vending Machines
• Healthy School Tuck Shops
• Healthy Catered Lunches
• Healthy Choices for Classroom Rewards
• Healthy Classroom Celebrations
• Healthy Refreshments at School Meetings and Events
• Trans Fat Standards Regulation: Bill 8 Healthy Foods for Healthy Schools Act
• Healthy Pizza Days
• Nutrition, Children and the School Environment

2. Be a Positive Role Model

Are You a Positive Role Model? Research indicates school teachers have a potentially greater influence on a child's health than any other group outside of the home.

3. Ensure Safe Food Practices and an Allergy-safe Environment

Safe and pleasant eating areas at school and handwashing at school ensure the eating environments at school are pleasant and safe, reducing the risk for food-bourne illnesses. A fact sheet on peanut/nut safe environments and a newsletter insert called: Let's work together to ensure our school is peanut/nut safe are available for schools to provide to parents. For more information on allergies, please contact the Allergy Asthma Information Association at 1-888-250-2298.

4. Schedule Appropriate Nutrition Breaks

Appropriate Scheduling of Nutrition Breaks provides guidance on nutrition breaks. Students need a minimum of 20 minutes of eating time for nutrition breaks. Additional time should be provided for washing hands, getting dressed for outside etc. What's in your child's lunch bag for the balanced school day provides information for parents on how to pack healthy snacks for the Balanced School Day.

5. Set Food and Nutrition Policies to Support Healthy Eating

Nutrition Services staff are available to consult with schools around the development and review of school food and nutrition policies. For an example of a whole school food policy, review: Sample Elementary School Food and Nutrition Policy and A 'Whole School' Food and Nutrition Policy

6. Start a Student Nutrition Programs

York Region Food for Learning is a diverse community partnership that supports student nutrition programs to enhance learning and health. York Region Food for Learning provides expertise, funding, and resources to develop and sustain breakfast and snack programs. For more information, review Starting a Student Nutrition Program.

If your school is interested in creating a healthy nutrition environment, public health staff will work with you and provide a copy of Nutrition Tools for Schools©. For more information about this toolkit or to become involved, please call 1-800-735-6625 ext. 4332 or ext. 4335.