In February 2017, share information regarding Arkansas Child Nutrition Programs at the Arkansas School Nutrition Association’s Arkansas State Legislative Conference via guest speaker and written materials.
2 Year Objective
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2 Year Objective
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Administer a survey to all school district level nutrition directors to assess current practices in nutrition education and professional development of instructional staff.
2 Year Objective
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By July 2018, disseminate information regarding evidence-based nutritional programs (Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, school gardens, CDC Virtual Healthy School, etc.) to attendees of the Arkansas School Nutrition Annual Conference.
Nutrition Education
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Provide mandatory evidence-based nutrition education to improve the health of children attending early child care centers through college.
Action Steps
- Enact legislation requiring evidence-based nutrition education.
- Identify and disseminate evidence-based nutrition instruction resources with a focus on hands-on, experiential learning (school gardens, etc.)
- Provide students a minimum of 20 hours of healthy food education/activities per year.
- Provide professional development opportunities for instructional staff in the content area of nutritional education.
School Meal Programs
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Increase participation in federally-funded school meal programs.
Action Steps
- Develop a marketing plan targeting nonparticipating schools and early child care centers.
- Require federally-funded school meal programs to develop and implement an annual marketing plan in collaboration with district wellness committees.
- Provide training and professional development according to state and federal guidelines for child nutrition directors and food service staff, with a focus on quality.
- Require all school districts with a minimum of 3,000 students to employ a registered dietitian.
Access to Fresh Foods
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Increase access to fresh, affordable, healthy foods.
Action Steps
- Increase access to locally grown produce.
- Encourage schools to develop procurement policies for the purchase of fresh, locally grown foods.
- Create a statewide farm-to-school coordinator position with permanent funding.
Easy, Healthy Choices
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Create learning environments with easy access to healthy choices.
Action Steps
- Increase the number of schools utilizing the coordinated school health model
- Increase the number of schools meeting USDA's Healthier U.S. School Challenge criteria.
- Increase the number of schools providing alternate breakfast delivery service.