Nutrition education curricula taught in schools, community programs, or through extra-curricular activities often focus on the science of eating well: avoid too many sugary foods, or you will develop dental cavities and become overweight; eat healthy snacks to have …
Tips for Packing Healthy Lunches
With the appearance of COVID-19, many guidelines and laws across the states are changing. School administrators, teachers, parents and grandparents are working to supply food for children in a safe and healthy manner. Part of establishing and maintaining good health …
Improving Eating Behaviors in Children Through Healthy Eating Environments
Research conducted in school cafeterias has highlighted ways to guide children toward making better food choices. One overlooked area of school cafeterias that deserves further study is the atmosphere/ambiance. The ambiance of a cafeteria can be easily overlooked because it …
Is It Time for Your Child to Eat? Bringing Mindfulness to Eating
“I’m soooo hungry,” whines the child at your side. Most adults will reach for a snack (preferably a healthy one) to satiate the child, but is that child really hungry? Oftentimes children say they are hungry because they are thirsty, …
Overall Back to School Wellness
Summer is over and it’s time to get your children ready to go back to school! Here are some tips on making the most of what can be a stressful time, for both you and your children.
Sleep: The …
A Pediatrician’s Perspective of School Body Mass Index (BMI) Report Cards
Join Mara Vitolins, Professor and Interim Chair of Epidemiology and Prevention at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Joseph Arnold Skelton, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and Director of the Brenner …
Strategies for Summer Feeding Sites
Summer feeding programs are increasing in number in response to student needs. Popular examples include food trucks, mobile feeding sites (such as youth centers and libraries), and in-school programs. Here are some quick tips to help your program appeal to …
Healthy Fundraising: How to Fundraise While Promoting Health
Investing. Fundraising. Donations. Gifts. These are all words that come to mind when we look at ways to increase the financial pools that we can draw on for programming or causes. Many schools hold various fundraisers throughout the year …
What's in Your Glass Matters!
Over the past 30 years, beverage options have expanded. Once upon a time, the main choices included milk, soft drinks, fruit juice, drink mixes, fruit teas, tea, hot/cold cocoa, and bottled water. Fast forward to current times–that list now includes …
Addressing the Barriers to Engage Families in School Wellness
What is family engagement?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), parental engagement in schools is defined as “parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents.” For the …