Step 4: Take Action
This section encourages you and your advocacy group to move into identifying exactly how you want to change your school’s environment. You’ll find ideas and resources for programs and an example outline of bite-sized steps so that you can create opportunities for shared responsibility among members of your group and ensure completion.
The School Food Advocacy Toolkit covers: Get Educated, Get Organized, Get Support, Take Action (current page).
Step 4: Take Action
This section encourages you and your advocacy group to move into identifying exactly how you want to change your school’s environment. You’ll find ideas and resources for programs and an example outline of bite-sized steps so that you can create opportunities for shared responsibility among members of your group and ensure completion.
The School Food Advocacy Toolkit covers: Get Educated, Get Organized, Get Support, Take Action (current page).
Salad Bars to Schools
School administration applies for funding to provide salad bars in their school. Salad bars can be utilized as a reimbursable meal or as part of a reimbursable meal. The salad bar toolkit is specifically designed for families who want to support the program, complete with a sample letter to the school district. Once your school receives a salad bar, there is a wealth of information to support its implementation in the cafeteria on The Lunch Box.
Get Schools Cooking
School administration applies to receive support for their food services program for three years. This program provides a deep dive into school food reform that helps motivated school districts transition to scratch-cook operations. This technical assistance program includes a workshop, onsite assessment and strategic planning, peer-to-peer collaboration, technical assistance, and potential equipment grants.
Garden Grant Program
The Whole Kids Foundation runs a grant program that provides funds for schools to support new or existing edible gardens. Their program is meant to support students feeling connected to their food and to encourage curiosity around food.
USDA Grants
School administration can apply for a variety of grants through the USDA. These grants are intended to provide financial support for schools to improve their healthy food programming and offerings, and include: (1) The Farm to School Grant which subsidizes food when districts partner with local farmers, ranchers and food producers; (2) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program which subsidizes schools’ effort to add more fresh produce to their lunch offerings; and (3) Team Nutrition Training Grants which support training food services staff about nutrition.
Healthy Food Signage & Education
The Lunch Box provides activities and materials to encourage students to try new fruits and vegetables and to help them understand the role fresh produce plays in a healthy diet.
How Fruits & Vegetables Get to the Plate
This toolkit from The Center for Ecoliteracy offers cross-curricular enrichment activities to help students learn how fruits and vegetables grow, how they get from the field to the plate, and what makes each unique.
Media Influence on Attitudes About Food
Media Smart Youth is a free program devoted to educating students ages 11 through 13 about how their attitudes toward food and nutrition may be influenced by the media. Teaching kids early about how they’re being targeted by food advertisements empowers youth to make informed food choices.
Advocacy for Healthy Food
Voices for Healthy Kids offers a collection of toolkits for parents, advocates, and community members describing how to best support healthy food and activity for kids in school and outside of school.
School Gardens
Gardening Curriculum
Teaching Gardens, created by the American Heart Association, presents eleven garden-themed lesson plans aimed at pre-K to fifth grade students. These fun, educational, hands-on lessons teach students how to plant seeds, take care of growing plants, harvest produce, and understand healthy eating habits.
Gardening Guide
The Slow Food USA guide provides a clear roadmap for developing a successful school garden program. The How to Start a Slow Foods School Project guide highlights design, implementation, curriculum, fundraising, working with volunteers, and school policy.
School Gardens
Gardening Curriculum
Teaching Gardens, created by the American Heart Association, presents eleven garden-themed lesson plans aimed at pre-K to fifth grade students. These fun, educational, hands-on lessons teach students how to plant seeds, take care of growing plants, harvest produce, and understand healthy eating habits.
Gardening Guide
The Slow Food USA guide provides a clear roadmap for developing a successful school garden program. The How to Start a Slow Foods School Project guide highlights design, implementation, curriculum, fundraising, working with volunteers, and school policy.
Farm to School Initiatives
Community Food System Support
The USDA Community Food Systems website offers a wealth of resources to connect farms to schools. The website includes information about their flagship grant program, a toolkit for planning a farm to school program, and resources for healthy menus in schools.
Advocacy and Access to Local Farms
The National Farm to School Network provides information on resources, advocacy and connecting with local food and agriculture businesses in your community. They also provide educational materials, such as: outlines for cooking lessons, field trips and school gardens.
Farm to School Initiatives
Community Food System Support
The USDA Community Food Systems website offers a wealth of resources to connect farms to schools. The website includes information about their flagship grant program, a toolkit for planning a farm to school program, and resources for healthy menus in schools.
Advocacy and Access to Local Farms
The National Farm to School Network provides information on resources, advocacy and connecting with local food and agriculture businesses in your community. They also provide educational materials, such as: outlines for cooking lessons, field trips and school gardens.
