Abbey Group team member,  Tina Bushey, and the NEI (Nutrition Education Institute) committee at Swanton School have worked extremely hard to develop and adhere to the rigorous nutrition and health guidelines needed to meet the criteria to achieve the gold standard for the Healthy US School Challenge. To put this into perspective, currently there is no other school in the state that has this distinction.

The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) establishes rigorous criteria for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity opportunities and nutrition education–the key components that make for healthy and active kids. This program is designed to bring promotion and support of good nutrition and physical activity from the entire school and greater community. All aspects of the school and cafeteria staffs are included in these efforts.

This nationwide award program, created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004, recognizes schools that create healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Schools that are doing the very best work to keep kids healthy are recognized, and high-achieving schools even receive monetary incentives (information provided by the USDA website).

Tina Bushey, and the NEI (Nutrition Education Institute) committee at Swanton School  were a big part of creating a brand new resource publication about school wellness. Make sure to click the link below to read this amazing guide.

 

http://education.vermont.gov/documents/EDU-School_Nutrition_Serving_Up_School_Culture.pdf