AFTER-SCHOOL FOOD AND ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Food Policy
Adopt a comprehensive food policy that develops nutrition, health, and environmental guidelines for purchasing to ensure meals, snacks and beverages include healthy and sustainable choices
Many children spend their after school hours in a structured setting. After-school programs provide an excellent venue to reach large audiences of children with healthy messages about sustainable food and good nutrition. After-school programs represent an opportunity to integrate fresh and healthy snacks and meals. Nutrition is one element of developing standards for after school program food purchasing, but programs can also establish policies that support foods that have been produced in a sustainable manner. Purchasing sustainable food has multiple health benefits and elements of a policy that supports a sustainable food system includes encouraging or requiring the purchase of local and regional foods, organic food or food produced without pesticides, chemicals and hormones or food that ensure the health and safety of those growing and producing the food. By adopting specific nutrition, health and environmental standards for foods available in after-school settings, after-school programs can ensure that all foods served to students are healthy and tasty. Additionally, after-school programs should establish food purchasing policies and nutrition standards that consider promoting a child’s positive relationship to food by establishing a pleasant eating environment, in addition to specific guidelines around nutrition and portion size.
- Purchase of local/regional foods for after school programs;
- Education of the sustainable food system and nutrition;
- Fresh, healthy, and seasonal fruits and vegetables;
- Organic and/or food produced without pesticides, hormones, or chemicals;
- Support farming of antibiotic-free meat and poultry and humane treatment towards animals;
- Support farms that practice just treatment of farm workers.
Sustainable Table has developed 8 reasons why it’s important to purchase and eat sustainable foods.
Nutrition Tips for After-School Programs
California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit) has developed 10 great tips on having a nutritional after-school program. Additionally, The Afterschool Landscape in California: Opportunities of the After School Education and Safety Program Act resources provides an overview of the importance and how-to extend school wellness polices to after-school programming.
Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department
This article highlights the Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department delivering dozens of the donated squat sweet fruit to children enrolled in the city's summer programs. The donated fruit is part of a partnership with vendors at the Manhattan Beach Farmer's Market.
Building a Successful Local Food Model – Tips for Institutional Buyers
This is a quick guide for food purchasers for larger institutions that would like to start purchasing sustainable foods and establish a sustainable food purchasing policy.
This resource from the USDA focuses on food procurement, types and examples of farm-to-school distribution models, how to find locally-grown food and farmers, menu planning considerations, and strategies for success.
A Guide to Developing a Sustainable Food Purchasing Policy (PDF)
This draft of the guide gives an overview of FAQ on sustainable food purchasing policies.
Model Wellness Policy Guide (PDF)
Developed by The Center for Ecoliteracy in collaboration with Slow Food USA and Chez Panisse Foundation. This guide provides recommendations and model language for development of a comprehensive school Wellness Policy. The Guide is structured in numbered sections that correspond to the minimum requirements of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.
The Afterschool Snack Program by the United States Department of Agriculture provides many resources and tools to provide healthy and nutritional food in afterschool settings.
City of LA Child Nutrition Policy
The Child Nutrition Policy requires City of Los Angeles departments to provide healthy meals and snacks, including fresh fruits and vegetables, at City-funded programs for pre-school and school-aged children.
La Mesa Community Wellness Program
This policy improves access to healthy snack choices at City-sponsored events, recreational programs, snack bars at athletic fields, and in City owned vending machines.
Contra Costa Childhood Obesity Board Order
Directs the Health Services Department to conduct a range of activities to promote healthy eating and activity in schools, child care facilities, after-school programs, restaurants, and park and recreation facilities.
Jovenes SANOS Nutrition Policy
Jovenes SANOS is a youth advocacy project working to increase opportunities for healthy eating and regular physical activity for youth in Watsonville, CA. Jovenes SANOS has its own Nutrition Policy stating that healthy food options will be available at all meetings, special occasions will be celebrated without high-fat, high-calorie foods, and there will be opportunites to be physically active during meetings.
in ENACT Local Policy Database
This organization provides readers with many resources pertaining to equitable and sustainable food. Resources on Farm-to-Cafeteria range from an introduction, to related articles and suggested reading. This resource is specific to cafeterias which can be very valuable to afterschool and childcare programs that work with cafeterias or just wish to adopt some of these tips into the food the program provides.
USDA Afterschool Snack Program
The Afterschool Snack Program by the United States Department of Agriculture provides many resources and tools to provide healthy and nutritional food in afterschool settings.
Project LEAN's mission is “to increase healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the prevalence of chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis and diabetes.”
“This website was designed as a resource for those who wish to create a healthier learning environment for our youth. Despite the lobbying efforts of big soda and junk food companies, a tremendous wave of healthier alternatives in school vending machines and cafeterias is sweeping the nation.”
Positive Link Between Childhood Nutrition and Literacy**
This study found that students who ate an adequate and varied amount of fruit, vegetables, protein, fiber, and other components of a healthy diet were significantly more likely to perform well on literacy tests. Read the press release.
Michelle D. Florence MSc, PDt, Mark Asbridge PhD, Paul J. Veugelers PhD (2008) Diet Quality and Academic Performance, Journal of School Health 78 (4) , 209–215
Creating Healthy Food and Eating Environments: Policy and Environmental Approaches**
This review describes an ecological framework for conceptualizing the many food environments and conditions that influence food choices, with an emphasis on current knowledge regarding the home, child care, school, after-school, work site, retail store, and restaurant settings.
Story M, Kaphingst K, Robinson-O’Brien R, and Glanz K. Creating healthy Food and Eating Environments: Policy and Environmental Approaches. Annual Review of Public Health. 2008. 29: 6.1–6.20
** We can only provide links to the article abstracts and not the full text.
