USDA Team Nutrition State
Training Grant
SDSU Department of Health & Nutritional Sciences
2 015
I M PA C T S TAT E M E N T
Public Value
Children educated about healthy eating and physical activity are
able to make positive choices to achieve good health and prevent
or delay diet-related disease. Participants benefit as well as
taxpayers through reduced health costs.
The Issue
A healthy next generation is important to the overall quality of
life of citizens of the state as well as to the economy. The school
environment has an influence over the type of food children
choose and can impact a large number of children to learn to eat
and live healthfully. Schools have challenges to meet both food
service standards and to educate youth on healthy lifestyles.
What We’ve Done
A partnership between SDSU Extension and the SD Department
of Education--Division of Child & Adult Nutrition was awarded a
two-year United States Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition
(TN) State Training Grant. First year implementation impacted a
variety of school-based audiences.
Training Food Service Staff
Training and technical assistance to child nutrition food service
professionals focused on:
• Creating smarter lunchroom environments that foster healthy
food choices.
• Providing effective, feasible and efficient training mechanisms
(face to face and web-based) for providing healthy food choices
and addressing challenges with solutions for implementing
the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) and
meeting the requirements for school meals as mandated by
the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010.
The online Learning Management System (Desire 2 Learn) is
being used to administer training materials, document participant
usage, evaluate competency and support the online collaboration
of the registered learners.
A Team Nutrition Facebook page is newly created to disseminate
information, foster engagement and collaboration among general
public and service agencies. Available at https://www.facebook.
com/SouthDakotaTeamNutrition?fref=nf
Smarter Lunchrooms
A school lunchroom can be designed to lead, not force an individual
Impact
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The Harvest of the Month program has
provided almost $4,000 annually to 17 schools
who provide fruit and vegetable education.
Evaluation results show that children are more
willing to try new foods and to ask for fruits
and vegetables at home. The Pick it! Try it!
Like it! grocery store recipe cards presented
in seven local grocery stores are increasingly
recognized by shoppers.
Two pilot locations successfully implemented
Farmers Grow MyPlate summer activities with
over 40 youth in 4-H and outside of school time
programs.
Food service staff in schools and agencies with
the National School Lunch Program will be
offered training designed to meet their unique
needs using face-to-face and online learning
system options beginning in the summer of
2016.
The Smarter Lunchrooms sub-grant funding
$1,000 per award was released with availability
to accept 20 schools. Eleven schools are
participating currently with an open enrollment
set for the remaining spots to be filled.
Assessment at the conclusion of the sub-grant
activities in 2016 includes:
o student choice of whole grains, fat-free or
low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables,
and legumes
o youth perspective of school lunchroom
environment through the PhotoVoice
project
| healthy families
to make a healthier food choice. With this in mind Smarter Lunchroom schools are being coached on behavioral economics
and how environmental changes can positively affect children to make healthier food and drink choices. Smarter Lunchroom
sub-grants were released to encourage the use of behavioral economics to make food choices by addressing a number of
factors such as price, appearance, convenience and information about the food as well as the individual’s state of mind,
usual habits and expectations.
A youth component plays a significant role in the effort to identify and foster successful environmental changes that promote
health in the school environment. Young people are involved in responsible, challenging actions to create positive social
change through PhotoVoice. The PhotoVoice model is a tool that engages students in the Smarter Lunchroom activities
through documentary photography projects,
MyPlate and Food Production
A curriculum for use in teaching youth about each food group of the Choose MyPlate guidance is written and the lessons
pilot tested in two locations with elementary youth. The Farmers Grow MyPlate (FGMP) theme-based curriculum includes
nutrition, physical activity, food preparation, art, and food production lessons. A unique aspect of the sub-grant award that
supports implementation of the FGMP is the sponsorship of field trips to farms, nurseries, and food production centers for
interactive learning. Applications are currently being accepted for sub-grant awards to ten FGMP “camps” in afterschool
programs, classrooms, and summer feeding sites.
Harvest of the Month sub-grants awards to schools are facilitated through the TN State Training Grant to promote learning
about and tasting of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Sixteen awards to schools and outside of school time programs
were made in 2014-15 and another seventeen are in progress in 2015-16. To supplement the online HOM lessons, produce
department recipe tear pads called Pick it! Try it! Like it! are provided in local grocery stores near a HOM school.
Quotes by Participants
“Loved the materials in FACS class and used so much of the information as well as the recipes!” Teacher at HOM subgrant site, Pierre, SD.
“When I presented the cooked greens lesson, 15 out of the 17 children asked for a large piece of Swiss chard and collard
greens to try as I ripped off pieces for them to sample, and they all liked it and wanted more.” Preschool teacher at HOM
sub-grant site.
For more information contact: Megan Olesen, Nutrition Field Specialist | [email protected]
Karlys Wells, Extension Associate | [email protected]
Suzanne Stluka, Food & Families Program Director | [email protected]
South Dakota State University, South Dakota counties, and USDA cooperating. South Dakota State University adheres to AA/EEO guidelines in
offering educational programs and services.
Publication: 04-3023-2016