By

Chris Comsudi,   Linder Elementary School

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Topics:

Access to Healthy Foods, Community Involvement,  Teamwork

Here at Linder Elementary, we strive to make sure that our students are getting the proper nutrition to fuel their bodies throughout the school day, as well as at home. From our Breakfast in the Classroom program to Brighter Bites, students receive healthy foods, dairy products, nutrition education and fresh food to take home. Students start each day with a healthy breakfast in their classroom, including a cold milk beverage to help them fuel up for their day. Many families also participate in a program called Brighter Bites, where they receive farm fresh foods for volunteering to package and distribute these goods. Each family that volunteers gets to take home 2 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with recipes to use each of the items. Our school and health team not only make sure students are fueling up throughout each day, but they are also encouraging brain breaks in class, and all students are participating in Marathon Kids.

How do you plan to make this Play last during the school year and beyond?

We hope that more and more students encourage their family members to be a part of Brighter Bites, so that they can receive wonderful recipes and healthy fruits and vegetables to feed their families at home. As long as we have interest, Brighter Bites should be around for years to come.

What improvements have you seen at your school?

Students enjoy having breakfast in their classroom and it's so important for them to know that they will be able to start their day with a healthy meal. Students receive a meal including high-grain options, fresh fruit and a low-fat milk. The meal time spent together in class creates a more vibrant relationship between students and teachers. We've seen students more focused and starting the day in a more family-like setting.