Nutrition Services staff is available to consult with both elementary and secondary schools about how to create a healthy school food culture and supportive environment that encourages healthy eating.  We can work with your healthy school committee, parent council and/or student councils to help identify ways to improve the school nutrition culture. We strive to use a youth engagement approach by involving students in the planning, implementation and evaluation of health promotion programs. 

We can also consult with you on the Ontario Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act  and ensure that foods being offered and sold meet or exceed the Ministry of Education’s Ontario School Food and Beverage Policy (PPM 150). Food that may be affected by this policy include food being sold for fundraising, catered lunches and food offered at classroom celebrations.

For more information or to request a school souncil presentation to highlight the importance of creating a healthy school food culture, contact us at Nutrition.Services@york.ca.

“It is important for teachers to establish a healthy eating environment in the classroom by ensuring that the topics taught, approaches taken and environments, in which students learn, are supportive of healthy eating“. (Ontario Ministry of Education, Elementary Teacher Resource Guide)

Elementary School Teachers

Nutrition Services and Resources includes descriptions of two workshops offered to teachers in schools that are part of York Region Public Health’s Healthy Schools Program.  It also includes brief descriptions of websites and programs that have credible information to teach healthy eating expectations in the classroom.

Secondary School Teachers

Curriculum Support Resources for Nutrition is appropriate for teachers who teach Geography, Family Studies, Hospitality and Physical Health Education courses. It includes resources and links on body image and self-esteem, body weight and obesity, food insecurity, comprehensive school nutrition, Canadian Agriculture, Canada’s Food Guide and The School Food and Beverage Policy (PPM 150). There are also links to fact sheets on various nutrition topics relevant to teens.

This family studies curriculum support resource is intended to support teachers in teaching the healthy eating expectations in the Foods and Nutrition courses HFN10/20 and HFA4U. Developed by Registered Dietitians throughout Ontario, it provides reliable and credible references/links to teach the various expectations related to healthy eating, food and nutrition.

For more information, contact us at Nutrition.Services@york.ca.

Are you ready for the Challenge? Pack a healthy litterless lunch every day!

Registration for the 2019-2020 Challenge is now open! My Healthy Lunch Challenge week will run from January 20 to 24, 2020!

All classes in elementary schools in York Region are invited to participate. Register your class today! Registration closes December 13, 2019.

The Challenge for students and families is to pack healthy, litterless lunches based on Canada’s Food Guide, every day during Challenge week. This year, we are introducing the new Canada’s Food Guide to the program for the first time, making it a wonderful opportunity to promote and educate students and their families about its important messaging.

The program supports teachers in teaching about healthy eating, while helping students and families learn about packing healthy, litter less lunches.

Participating classes will receive supporting materials for the Challenge, including a poster for the classroom, and suggested lesson plans and activities to help teachers link the campaign to curriculum requirements.

All classes that participate are eligible to win a healthy lunch party, courtesy of York Region Public Health.

For more information, contact us at Nutrition.Services@york.ca

Fact sheets and Additional Resources for Parents and Students

• Canada's Food Guide
• Packing Healthy Lunches and Snacks Factsheet
• Healthy Beverages for Children and Adults
• Packing Healthy Lunches and Snacks (unlockfood.ca)
• Packing School Lunches (Government of Canada)

Videos:

Healthy School Lunch Video (Government of Canada)
Building a Healthy Shopping List
Packing a Healthy School Lunch
How Do I Manage Picky Eaters?

BrightBites.ca | #YRBrightBites

BrightBites is a website that awards schools with badges for activities that promote healthy eating and improve the school’s food culture. BrightBites makes improving school nutrition fun, easy and rewarding! Win badges, receive recognition, and watch your school transform — one bite at time.

BrightBites topics include food for celebrations, catered lunches, packed lunches, curriculum connections and more! You can share your success story to receive a digital badge that will appear on the BrightBites website. You can even share this badge on social media and on your school’s website!

Need more information? A Registered Dietitian from York Region Public Health can provide a short presentation on how BrightBites can transform your school – one bite at a time!  For more information, contact Nutrition.Services@york.ca

York Region Food for Learning  is a community partnership that supports breakfast and snack programs for elementary and secondary schools. The partnership provides expertise, funding and resources to develop and sustain student nutrition programs.

For more information, visit York Region Food for Learning

Elementary Schools

You’re the Chef

You’re the Chef is a cooking program with a focus on fruits and vegetables for children in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. The elementary school program runs once a week for five weeks. Students make two recipes each week and learn:

• Safe-handling and basic kitchen safety
• Food skills by preparing healthy recipes
• Different ways to include vegetables and fruit in meals and snacks
• About healthy food choices

The program is run by volunteers. Volunteers must attend a four hour training session led by York Region Public Health. Training is offered four times a year, twice in October and twice in February. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no training sessions in October. The following material will be covered in the workshop:

• Cooking program set-up
• Food safety
• Required equipment
• Selecting recipes and menu planning
• Food skill demonstrations and practice
• Cooking recipes
• Enjoying and sharing prepared recipes together
• An understanding of how to teach and guide others to prepare and cook simple, enjoyable and affordable meals

Once trained, volunteers can run the program at their school at any time. Registration is now closed.

To receive the most current program resources, schools must complete the Program Information Form each time they run You’re the Chef and submit this form to York Region Community and Health Services.

Note: The program is provided at no cost for York Region elementary schools. However, schools are responsible for purchasing their own ingredients. Basic cooking equipment is also required.

To learn more, speak to your school’s public health nurse or call 1-877-464-9675 ext 74335.

Nutrition Activity Ideas for High Schools

This resource includes nutrition activities that have already been done in schools throughout Ontario. They are linked with the Ministry of Education’s Foundations for a Healthy School.

For more information, contact us at Nutrition.Services@york.ca