Discussions of nutrition in schools tend to focus on ways to encourage children to be more active, or on the types of foods they are served. While those issues are clearly important, just as important is that the way schools structure lunch time. It can significantly affect children’s eating habits and their performance in the classroom.
Washington's Superintendent of Public Instruction has been concerned about childhood obesity and poor nutrition among elementary school students. We worked with the Superintendent to identify options for a performance audit that could identify meaningful ways schools could address these issues.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and school districts play a key role in lunchtime scheduling practices. We found leading practices and solutions that OSPI can share with schools to help them craft school schedules. The goal is to help children eat more healthfully, a habit that – learned early – can last a lifetime.
Read the two-page summary.
Watch a video about this topic (opens on YouTube).