The Healthy Schools Builder® is an easy online tool that helps schools identify their status as a healthy school and to develop customized action plans to make positive and healthy changes. Any school that enrolls in the Healthy Schools Builder® and completes the Builder inventory can apply for the National Recognition Award.
Read More
Starting in December, students at Pulaski Street and three other schools in the district began receiving fresh fruits and vegetable snacks each day in school from a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) grant awarded to the district from the New York State Education Child Nutrition Department. The snack items include items like apples, kiwi, red peppers, broccoli, strawberries, pears, cantaloupe and yellow peppers. All fruits and vegetables must be fresh and raw. In addition to eating a healthy snack each day, the students learn about the fruits and vegetables they are consuming, why they are important and the concepts of good nutrition.
The FFVP is a new program designed to provide fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day and after school, free of charge to all schoolchildren in participating schools. Providing a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable choices supports a healthy school environment. The food items must be fresh, not canned, frozen or mixed with other foods. They also must be served as a snack rather than as part of the regular meal service. An additional criterion is that the items must be domestic, with the exception of bananas. The intent is to increase children's fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, establish healthy snack choices and expand the variety of fruits and vegetables that children experience, in order to positively impact their present and future health.
The grant is for $130,575 and the Riverhead Central School District is the only school district on Long Island to receive the grant. Karen Ball, director of the district's food service program, handles the purchase and distribution of the produce. Ball has encouraged area farmers to contact her with quotes for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Resources & Tools | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Web Linking Policy
© 2010 Alliance for a Healthier Generation