USD 251 Wellness Policy
November 23, 2011
Taken from the Kansas Wellness Policy Guidelines:
Good nutrition during the school years is vitally important for helping children grow strong, succeed in school and establish healthy habits for a lifetime. Sadly, the current eating habits of many American children are falling short of the mark.
More than 60 percent of children and adolescents in the United States eat too much fat and saturated fat and not enough fruits and vegetables.
Only 39 percent of children eat enough fiber (found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes such as lentils, chick peas and black beans).
85 percent of American females do not consume enough calcium. During the past 25 years, consumption of milk, the largest source of calcium, decreased 36 percent among adolescent females.
At the same time, average daily soft drink consumption doubled among adolescent girls, increasing from 6 to 11 ounces, and almost tripled among adolescent boys, from 7 to 19 ounces.
Between 18 and 20 percent of calories consumed by children and adolescents come from added sugars. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans express concern that consuming excess calories from foods high in added sugars may contribute to weight gain or lower consumption of more healthful foods.
Poor eating habits may prevent American children from reaching their full potential. For example, research suggests that skipping breakfast can affect children’s intellectual performance. Studies have also shown that students who participated in a school breakfast program were more likely to improve their school grades, classroom behavior, and psychological well-being than their peers who did not participate in the program.
Schools alone cannot solve the nutritional problems of children. It will take the combined efforts of families, schools, communities, government agencies, health providers, the food industry and the media to make significant progress. However, schools do play an especially critical role.
In accordance with Federal and State law, we are presenting information to allow you to see how USD 251 is doing in our commitment to the well being of our students.
Please click here to access the State of Kansas report on USD 251. Use Wellguest as the user name, and Wellguest3 as the password to access the reports. Once you are logged in, click on School Nutrition Program. Then click on Sponsor, and use D0251 for the sponsor number, and click on the link next to North Lyon County. Click on program year, and use 2011 for the most current report card, and then click on Applications, and finally on Wellness Policy Builder.
If you have questions about how to access our report, please contact Wade Hoover, or if you have questions about our food program, please contact Kathy Dreier.
