Regional School Team

Creating opportunities for food and fitness in schools

By taking a school-based approach, our work will include all children and families, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or age. But we will begin our school-related work in school districts where children are most vulnerable, striving to change and strengthen the systems that affect them. Our initial efforts will include the vulnerable communities of Oelwein, Postville, Elma, and Waukon where poverty rates are higher and 50 to 80 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch (as compared to the regional average of 33 percent.

School districts in the four communities named above and two other districts have been selected for the first year of the Farm-to-School program, our most intensive work, based on student vulnerability in grades K-3 and where districts show readiness. We will work to build institutional capacity to provide local foods, nutrition education, and increased options for physical activity.

During the first phase of our work, high school students formed school Food & Fitness Youth Teams where they are learning leadership, communication and advocacy skills around system and policy change.  Sixteen teams are guided by FFI's Youth Coordinator. They will be instrumental in driving systems change and engaging K-3 students.

At the same time, six additional school districts are targeted for Safe Routes to Schools, which will require fewer resources, but will both build their capacity and help us judge their readiness to join the Farm to School program in Year 2 or Year 3.  We will launch the Safe Routes to Schools program in Fall 2009, with active living champion Mark Fenton giving a regional workshop on walkable and bikeable communities.

School Districts with FFI Youth Teams
Clayton Ridge Community Schools
N. Winneshiek Schools   District page on Home Grown School Lunch
N. Fayette Community Schools
West Central Community Schools

Also Safe Routes to School Pilots
Central Community Schools     District FFI webpage
New Hampton Community Schools
Allamakee Community Schools
S. Winneshiek Community Schools   District FFI webpage
Valley Community Schools
Riceville Community Schools

Also Farm to School Pilots
Postville Community Schools
Decorah Community Schools
Oelwein Community Schools
Howard-Winneshiek Community Schools
Starmont Community Schools
Turkey Valley Community Schools


Strategy A:    Ensure that school district policies & practices support healthy living of children, families and community members.
 
Tactics:

• Supports a regional learning community that nurtures quality relationships, leads to policy successes, and advances the Food and Fitness vision.
• Farm to School:  Grow a Farm-to-School program incorporating healthy local foods into school food programs while teaching people about nutrition and the local food system.
• Provide opportunity for a variety of physical activity options before, during and after school time.
• Food policy:  Regionally develop a comprehensive school food and beverage policy that sets guidelines to ensure school food includes healthy, especially local choices.
• Food Policy:  Regionally develop a comprehensive school food and beverage policy that sets guidelines to ensure snacks, concessions, fundraisers, vending machines and a la carte items include healthy, and especially local, choices.  
  

• Procurement Policy allows for geographical preference of local foods in schools
• Activities to support change in target:
• Farm To School program in 6 target pilot schools
• Home Grown Lunch Week
• Food Service Workshops
• Producers Contracts
• K-3 Curriculum taught by H.S. Students
• School Gardens