Rationale
Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire. ----William Butler Yeats
The Problem and Its Costs
In the past century, health issues for the elementary school population have shifted from undernutrition to excesses in energy, saturated fat, and salt, possibly a result of increased regular consumption of fast and ultra-processed foods (Brown, 2019. p. 306). Current health issues for the elementary school population are iron-deficiency anemia, dental caries (Brown, 2019. pp. 307; 299), overweight and obesity (Stierman et al., 2021).
Studies have shown that young children often lack variety, in their diet, and often lack fiber, fruits, and vegetables. About 4% of elementary school children (in grades K through 5) meet the USDA recommended daily servings of vegetables and only 20% for total fruits (Contento, 2016. p. 5). 0.2% of children meet the daily requirements for dark green vegetables, and only 1.2% for orange vegetables (Contento, 2016. p. 5)! Only 1% meet the daily whole grain recommendations. This means that out of a class of 30 children, only 1 is eating the
recommended daily servings of vegetables, 6 are eating enough fruits, and fewer than one child per class is eating enough whole grains, dark green and orange vegetables! In 2021 the National Institutes for Health reported that 16.1% of children over 2 were overweight, 19.7% were obese, and an astounding 6.1% severely obese. 1 of every 3 children between 2 and 19 was either overweight or obese, and statistics show that number increased by about 3% post-pandemic (NIDDKD, 2021). A 2010 study found that empty calories from added sugars and trans and saturated fats account for a whopping 40% of daily calories in children 2-18 years old (Reedy & Krebs-Smith, 2010).
This may explain why the Healthy People’s 2030 objectives for school-age children are focused on reducing sodium, fat and added sugar consumption, and increasing consumption of whole fiber, calcium, whole grains, vitamin D, vegetables and specifically dark green, red, and orange vegetables, beans, and peas (Healthy People 2030, 2023). The Healthy People’s 2020 objectives were more general in their directing that school districts require schools to make fruits and vegetables available wherever food is offered or sold (USDHHS, 2023).
Failure to consume important nutrients weakens children’s immune system and puts them at a greater risk for developing diet-related chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer as they mature.
The Priority Population
FoodLab is designed for elementary school students in the classrooms, gardens, and cafeterias of public, independent, and special needs schools in the tri-state (Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York) area. Class size will vary from school to school; the ideal size is 15 students or less.
It is essential that elementary school students aged 5 through 11 consume adequate nutrients so they can realize their full growth and development potential. These are the years when children develop their feeding skills and eating behaviors, so establishing positive, healthy habits is critical because it may impact lifelong patterns (Kelly & Nash, 2021).
Influences on food and nutrient intake shifts from family to peers and school environment for elementary school children, who spend a large percentage of their time in school, consuming up to half their daily calories there (Schwartz & Wootan, 2019). They are also exposed to and influenced by product marketing and media (Brown, 2019. p. 309).
The Solution: Proposed Program Overview
FoodLab© is a garden-to-classroom-to-cafeteria multi-component cooking and nutrition education program. Twice each week (in season), students sow, water, weed, mulch, harvest, and taste crops in the school garden. They become familiar with categories of crops including root, round, leaves, and flowers, and they identify and distinguish between families like allium, cucurbit, and brassica.
In each classroom, three stations are set up: TASTE, COOK, and LAB. Once or twice a week, each student spends 15 to 20 supervised minutes at each station. At the TASTE station students identify and taste a flight (4 to 5 samples) of a seasonal food, differentiating, expressing, and recording their preferences on an age-appropriate Tasting Sheet. Tasting sheets are organized into a FoodLab Book that students take home at the end of the program. At the COOK Station students prepare a simple snack (different each session), like fruit skewers, pita pockets, or nori rolls. At the LAB station students question, predict, investigate, experiment in the areas of
chemistry, botany, physics, mathematics, and biology, summarizing their findings. Lab sheets are organized into each student’s FoodLab Book. There is an educator at each station, trained during live summer In-Service sessions, with virtual monthly trainings throughout the school year.
Cafeteria menus and messaging are coordinated to reinforce experiential lessons from the garden and classroom. A regular newsletter summarizing all the above is sent to parents. Bi- monthly or monthly regular virtual family cooking classes integrate ingredients and skills learned. Local farmers supply a seasonal student-managed and run in-school farmers’ market.
Stakeholders and Potential Impact
Stakeholders include school administrators, teachers, students, garden staff, cafeteria staff, parents, siblings, extended family, and local farmers. Considered “captive foodscapes” or places that have dietary relevance and impact because children eat there regularly, schools can have a significant impact on feeding and nourishing children (Mikkelsen, 2015. p. 223). Research shows that behavior changes initiated in childhood have much higher long-term success rates than changes initiated later in life (Summerfield & Ellis, 2014. p. 335).Inasmuch as this is a program promoting social and emotional learning (SEL), studies have shown that school administrators and teachers may experience students showing improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood and behavior (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017). Local farmers may have the opportunity to establish relationships with families, teachers and administrators in the school, expanding their network and potential for growth. Several programs with similar interventions have been measured and evaluated, showing positive behavior changes. Data analyses of the Shaping Healthy Choices Program (SHCP), a multi-component program devised by the University of California Davis Nutrition Department’s Center for Nutrition in Schools offered in northern California elementary schools showed a significant improvement in BMI percentages, nutrition knowledge, vegetable identification, and dietary behaviors (Scherr et al., 2017). Like FoodLab, the SHCP had 5-components, combining classroom nutrition education with environmental changes in the home and school (school gardens and cooking classes) with a community-based support system (Scherr et al., 2017).Fuel for Fun: Cooking with Kids Plus Parents and Play, (FFF) is another 5-component yearlong school-based, family-inclusive program for fourth-grade Colorado students and their families with many similarities to FoodLab including classroom tasting and cooking, cafeteria reinforcement, and at-home reinforcement. Its implementation showed a greater than 90% participation rate with excellent fidelity to the curriculum plan and program for the classroom components (Cunningham-Sabo et al., 2023).These cross-curricular programs with proven measured outcomes would indicate that FoodLab will potentially generate similarly positive outcomes. In the short-term, students and their families will demonstrate increased food awareness through their ability to identify and discuss a wide variety of foods. Students will increase their consumption of vegetables, fruits, fibrous, and nutrient-dense foods, while decreasing consumption of energy-dense, sugary, salty foods containing saturated fats.In 1 to 5 years, secondary outcomes including students’ performance and sleep patterns may show significant improvement (Nutrients, 2019). Students’ hydration levels may improve, increasing potential cognitive function (short-term memory and visual attention) which will increase their ability to learn (Benton & Burgess, 2009). Projected long-term outcomes of FoodLab include well-established, lifelong healthy cooking, tasting, and eating habits that have the life-changing potential to prevent obesity and chronic diseases while strengthening the body’s immune system.
References
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