HealthierUS School Challenge 2012

Overview of theHealthierUS School Challenge

2012

March 2013

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

Take the Challenge!Get Awarded

Recognition for all staff members who are creating a healthy school nutrition environment!

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the HealthierUS School Challenge

• Excellence in nutrition and physical activity• 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans • 2012 school meal pattern • Award levels:

• Bronze, Silver, Gold, Gold Award of Distinction

HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC)

• Team Nutrition School• National School Lunch Program and School

Breakfast Program• Dietary Guidelines• Certified 6-Cents reimbursement• More nutritious competitive foods• Local school wellness policy and ways the

school is meeting wellness goals• Nutrition education, physical education, and

opportunities for physical activity

Important Items

New

New

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

HealthierUS School ChallengeIncentives and Goals

• Display banner• Certificate and plaque from the Secretary of Agriculture• National recognition on the Team Nutrition Web site• Congratulatory letter signed by the First Lady• Money for school foodservice

HealthierUS School Challenge awardees receive . . . .

HealthierUS School ChallengeIncentives and Goals

Current monetary awards

Award Bronze Silver Gold Gold of Distinction

Amount $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000

WV Awards

Cabell County$14,000

Wayne County

$3,500

Mason County$5,000

Putnam County

$11,000 Boone County$7,500Mingo County

$6,500

Lincoln County

$17,500

$59,100

Average Daily Participation (ADP)

For some awards, meal participation rates must be met.

• Two full consecutive weeks with no missing days

• Menus must have been served to students within six months

Menus Used in the Application

Foods• Whole grain-rich• Vegetables

• Dark-green• Red/orange • Beans and dry peas

• Fruit • Canned, dry, fresh, frozen, 100% juice

Meal Criteria

• Fruit variety• Dried fruit must have no added sweetener • Canned fruit must be packed in juice or light syrup• 100% juice can be counted as a fruit only once per week• Fresh fruit

Breakfast Meal Criteria

Fruit

Vegetables from some sub-groups can substitute for fruit at breakfast.

Whole Grains

• Whole grain-rich foods are emphasized

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/jtf_grains.pdf

Breakfast Meal Criteria

13

Most Common Whole Grains

Wheat: Whole wheat flour Whole durum flour White whole wheat flour Wheat berries Cracked wheat Bulgur

Rye: Whole rye flour

Rices: Brown rice Wild rice

Oats: Oatmeal Rolled oats

Lunch Meal Criteria

Vegetables

• Additional servings from any of these vegetable sub-groups:

Dark-greenRed/orangeBeans and dry peas

These added sub-group servings can replace “additional vegetables” and/or “other vegetables”.

• A different fruit every day of the week• Dried fruit must have no added sweetener• Canned fruit must be packed in juice or light syrup• 100% juice can be counted as a fruit only once per week• Fresh fruit

Lunch Meal Criteria

Fruit

Lunch Meal Criteria

Whole Grains

• Variety and frequency• Up to “all grains must be whole-grain rich”

6-Cents Certification Menu Worksheet Tool

• To show meal pattern food groups and serving amounts are met

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

Additional Criteria

• Nutrition Education• Physical Education• Physical Activity• Local School Wellness Policy• Fundraising• Other Criteria for Excellence

Includes the entire school environment.

Nutrition Education

Elementary School• Nutrition education is provided to all full-day students in all grades

Middle School• Offered in at least one grade or two grades (depends on award)

High School• Offered in two courses required for graduation

Physical Education (PE)

Elementary School• PE must be provided

o Minimum time per week, throughout the school year

Middle School• PE must be offered to at least two grades

High School• PE must be offered in at least two courses

Physical Activity

Elementary School• Physical activity opportunities are provided each day for all full day students (recess)

Middle and High School• School provides students in all grades opportunities to participate in physical activity throughout the school year

• School actively promotes participation in physical activity (in and out of school) to all students

Local School Wellness Policy

• Submit a copy of the school’s local wellness policy, and list

o Ways the school is working to meet local wellness policy

o How parents, students, school administration and staff, and the community are involved in the local wellness policy

o How the school’s wellness policy is stricter than the district’s policy (if applicable)

Local School Wellness Policy

• School demonstrates a commitment to prohibit the use of food as a reward.

• For example, teachers do not offer candy (or apples) as a reward for students good behavior or completing an assignment.

• School must describe this commitment.

• School reinforces physical activity/physical education messages by neither denying nor requiring physical activity as a means of punishment

• School must describe this commitment.

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Other Criteria

Schools must select from a list of 20 options that reflect excellence in creating

a healthy school environment

Other Criteria

The criteria for excellence, with examples:

• Program Outreacho Increase School Breakfast Program participation

• Physical Activityo Promote walking to school

• Nutrition Education Excellenceo Team Nutrition lessons used

• School and Community Involvement in Wellness o School partners with community groups

• School Food Serviceo Farm to School initiative

Competitive Foods Criteria

• The criteria applies • In foodservice area during meal periods (Bronze/Silver)• Anywhere in school during the school day (Golds)

• Limits on the total fat, trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, total sugars, and portion sizes/calories

• The only beverages allowed:• Low-fat/fat-free milk• 100% fruit and vegetable juice• Unflavored, unsweetened, non-caffeinated, without non-

nutritive sweeteners, non-carbonated water

Fundraising

• Primarily non-food items should be sold through school fundraising activities

• However, if food items are sold during the school day, they must meet the HUSSC criteria for competitive foods

Applicants need to remember . . . .

• Submit complete and legible Production Recordso Calendar lunch menu should match what is

listed on production records.o List items in quantifiable units, (pounds,

ounces, #10 cans, etc) or by number of servings.

o Clearly state how much food was offered/served and how much food was leftover.

Additional Documentation

• Product information for some foods • Nutrition Facts labels• Ingredient labels• CN labels

• Help from state agencies and USDA to avoid the most common application errors

• HUSSC online resources• National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI)

training • Precise production records• Actual product labels (cut from packaging)• District-wide application

Best Practices

Alliance for a Healthier Generation - Healthy Schools Program (HSP)

& HUSSC

Streamlined Application ProcessHUSSC awardees: HSP awardees:

HUSSC schools automatically meet the bronze level school meals requirements for HSP.

HSP schools can bypass the HUSSC application sections for Nutrition Education, Physical Education and Physical Activity.

Success Stories http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/HealthierUS/Winners/1.html

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

Resources

• HealthierUS School Challenge electronic application• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)• Brochure (download)

Team Nutrition Website/HUSSC

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierUS/index.html

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierUS/application.html

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

HealthierUS School Challenge

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/HealthierUS/training.html

http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierUS/index.html

School Nutrition Staff—Get Ready to Take the

HealthierUS School Challenge

Questions

USDA Contact Information

Steven Bergonzoni, MPA, RD, LDNNutritionist School Nutrition ProgramsSteve.bergonzoni@fns.usda.gov

Marlene SteinProgram SpecialistSchool Nutrition ProgramsMarlene.stein@fns.usda.gov