Julie Kendrick for MN Parent Cafeteria Confidential

april 2012

Five new ways to say, “I love you”

Embracing the veggie lifestyle

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Familyfriendly film fest

GreAt toddLer GAdGetS {page 43}

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C reS AmP o LiSt urCe inGS { page 31}

caFeteRIa conFIdentIal mastering eating And socializing; vanishing chocolate milk; what the lunch ladies know — and more! {page 16}

Cafeteria confidential The lowdown on what lunch ladies really know, vanishing chocolate milk supplies, and your kids’ biggest secret — they clean up after themselves!

By Julie Kendrick

16 April 2012

photo courtesy st. paul public schools

uring a recent lunchtime in the cafeteria at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Golden Valley, Rosemary Frank, otherwise known as “Aunt Po Po,” sits down as a “special guest” for lunch with niece Elia Ittner, a kindergartener. Frank’s tray contains a greens-and-vegetable salad she created herself at the salad bar, fresh melon slices, and a carton of low-fat milk.

“I’m surprised about that salad bar,” she says, and adds, “When I was in school, lunch was ‘plop, plop, plop;’ as they thunked the food on your tray. This looks great!” A few tables over, mother Sasha Goftarsh is sharing lunch with her son, Daniel. She says that she usually eats with him on her day off each week, and that she’s been pleasantly surprised. “There are lots of veggies, and I’m happy to see there isn’t a lot of pizza. I think warm food is always better, so he usually eats the cafeteria lunch.”

Salad bars? Parents eating with their kids? Healthful choices? This may not be the picture that comes to mind when you think about the cafeteria during your own school days, but it’s increasingly a typical experience for kids in Minnesota. We recently talked with school principals, parents, students, and school nutrition professionals for this peek into what’s happening in the school cafeteria.

It’s actually pretty nice in there …

Many schools have undergone major cafeteria remodels, and the areas are often pleasant and modern. At Meadowbrook, a large north-facing window lets in streaming light, and in the growing season, kids can see out to their school vegetable garden, which uses compost generated from the school. Kids are served salsa from the garden’s tomato plants, and raw veggies and stir frys made with other vegetables from the school’s harvest.

… But it’s really, really noisy “It can often be very loud in the cafeteria, but you need to remember that’s how kids relax and blow off steam,” says Allison

Bradford, who is the child nutrition programs director for Anoka-Hennepin Schools, and president of the Minnesota School Nutrition Association. “Even if it seems chaotic to you, lunch is one time of day for kids to have a break, let their minds rest, and just refresh and reenergize.”

There are lots of choices …

Volunteer with Junior Achievement.

“Our best kept secret is the big variety of You can empower young people to succeed in the global economy. fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Janeen www.jaum.org Peterson, registered dietitian and nutrition supervisor for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, who says that Junior Achievement MNP 2011 12 filler.indd 1 8/8/11 every school lunch offers students their choice of at least two servings of fruits and vegetables. “Most parents are surprised by our variety and choices, and they realize there’s no excuse for their kids not to eat right.” A recent School Nutrition Association report showed that nationwide, 98 percent of school districts offer fresh fruits and vegetables, 97 percent offer whole grain foods, and 89 percent offer salad bars or pre-packaged salads.

Club Book

3:22 PM

with

Jenni Holm

… But there’s still a lot of waste Just because healthful food is offered, you can’t make kids eat it. In the Meadowbrook cafeteria, Jack Thierer, a second grader, was munching on an unadorned hamburger while his classmates dug into trays loaded with baby carrots, salad, and bananas. “I HATE vegetables,” he declared, “So I don’t even bother taking them.” And while Jack knows his own tastes well enough not to select food he won’t eat, many schools struggle with overflowing trash and compost bins that are full of untouched items. Some have started an “extras” shelf for all the unopened cartons of milk, uneaten apples, and other food that would otherwise be wasted. Kids who are still hungry are invited to graze in the area, and some schools even package up the unwanted items for delivery to area food shelves.

Tuesday, April 24, 7 PM New Brighton Library 400 10th Street NW www.clubbook.org free and open to the public hosted by Ramsey County Library

Three-time Newbery Honor recipient and author of Our Only May Amelia talks about her writing, including Babymouse, a graphic novel series for kids

Time is short School days are jam-packed, and lunch and recess are just one of many

April 2012 17

Stacey Broadway picks celery from the Meadowbrook Elementary School garden.

Submitted image

activities that have to be completed before the bell rings at the end of the day. Nancy Pratt, mom of that hamburger-eating Jack Thierer mentioned above, says that the 15 minutes her son is given for lunch posed a challenge when he first started school.

“Jack is very social, and I remember many a conversation with him about needing to talk less and eat more.” Now, she says laughingly, “I think he’s mastered the art of eating and talking.”

Goodbye, chocolate milk Some districts have worked with milk companies to reduce the added sugar in chocolate milk, and some have phased it out altogether. But don’t despair, says Meadowbrook principal Greta EvansBecker, whose school now offers chocolate milk only on Mondays. “If there isn’t a chocolate option, kids will happily drink the regular milk, and sometimes go back for more. Plus, there’s always a water fountain.”

Help is available “No one can tell which childen are on free

18 April 2012

or reduced lunch, since they enter a unique PIN code to receive a meal,” says Evans-Becker, and that system is one that’s replicated throughout the state. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, or if your circumstances change, consider submitting an application right away.

Meadowbrook, like many schools, works with a local food shelf for a weekend “backpack” program through which kids can discretely bring food home. “This is so important,” says Bradford, who reports that she has worked with kids in her district, the state’s largest, to help them

What Parents Can Do Discuss your Family’s Food Values. Are you committed to locally sourced, organic foods? Do you want to make sure your picky eater tries new things? Are you just happy if they don’t eat dessert first? Whatever you value most when it comes to food, it’s a good idea to talk about those concepts with your child, before they start eating one third of their weekday meals away from home.

Read the School Menu, Together. Review the lunch menu with your child. If you hear a lot of “yucks” for the healthy options, you might want to try introducing those foods at home, before they’re served at school.

Enforce Clean-Up at Home. If your child’s school has a composting and recycling policy, review it at home, and talk about what items need to go where. Encourage your child to participate in family clean-up time after meals, so it’s a routine they get used to and can replicate during the school day.

Show Up. Bring your own brown bag or buy the lunch of the day, and sit in with your child a few times a year. You’ll learn a lot about your child’s daily life, and you can model good lunchtime behavior, too.

Advocate. Offer to start a wellness committee, or sit in on an existing one, to help steer your child’s school toward reforms you think are necessary—an organic school garden, a farm-to-school program, or whatever you feel passionately about.

d To Fin re o M Out

Farm2SchoolMN.org Affiliated with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), this organization connects schools with nearby farms and ranches that produce fresh, healthful, and minimally processed foods.

FedUpWithLunch.com Known online as “Mrs. Q,” Chicago-area teacher Sarah Wu committed to eating school lunch every school day in 2010, documenting her experience on this blog and in a book of the same name.

Free and Reduced Lunch Schools usually send applications home at the beginning of each school year, but you can apply at any time. Ask your school for a household application, submit it directly to them, and they’ll issue an eligibility determination. Note: If you are receiving unemployment compensation, you might also be eligible.

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LetsMove.gov Fears, Nathan MNP 0412 12.indd 1 3/21/12 www.tomahwisconsin.com First Lady Michelle Obama is tackling the issue of childhood obesity, and this website for parents, schools and community leaders is part of her efforts.

5:00 PM

Mix It Up At Lunch Visit tolerance.org/mix-it-up for tools and tips to conduct an event at your school cafeteria.

SchoolMealsThatRock.org This is a blog created by Montana-based school nutritionist Dale Hayes, intended to serve as a good-news counterpoint to negative media coverage on school nutrition.

TrayTalk.org Sponsored by the School Nutrition Association, this site offers information on healthier choices and nutrition education programs in schools.

get access to the weekend food. “Otherwise, they would routinely go from Friday lunch to Monday breakfast without eating anything.”

Lunch ladies rule The cafeteria staff are sometimes the only people in a school who see your student every day. “They understand that nurturing and helping kids is part of their jobs, and they usually know the name of every student,” says Bradford, who laughingly adds, “the lunch ladies see all and know all!”

You’re invited “We always ask parents to come in and have a meal with their child and see for themselves,” says Peterson. Just be sure to sign in as a visitor at the office before you head to the cafeteria. Then settle in at the table and start enjoying the scene. In elementary school, classes are usually required to sit together, although you’ll

probably notice a “boys’ end” and “girls’ end” at most tables. And yes, there is probably still a “cool kids” table at middle and high schools, although Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, launched National Mix It Up at Lunch Day several years ago, with planned activities to encourage kids to take a new seat in the cafeteria one day a year and get to know one another better.

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Call for a copy of our Area Guide to learn more!

Your kids can clean up after themselves Just watch them wash hands nicely before the meal, then separate the compostables from dishes and recyclables, and you might be amazed that these are the same kids who become helpless at dinnertime.

“We rotate table-cleaning duties in each class, and everyone is responsible for cleaning up after their own meal,” says Evans-Becker. “We come back and get them if they haven’t done it. If your child isn’t cleaning up at home, it’s time to start.” •

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800-948-6624 April 2012 19