Center For Collaborative Solutions

Nutrition

Leverage LCFF and LCAPs to Support Nutrition

Learn how to leverage education reform to support nutrition in your schools. CFPA has produced an excellent set of resources to support districts in meeting their student's nutritional needs.
School districts across California share how they're supporting nutrition and academic achievement with the LCFF here.
View the LCAP Guide, School Nutrition for Academic Success, a starting point for school districts who are interested in incorporation nutrition into their LCAP here.
Explore other LCAP resources here.

Smart Snacks in School

All foods sold at school during the school day need to meet nutrition standards. The Smart Snacks in School regulation applies to foods sold a la carte, in the school store, and vending machines. The USDA has identified a number of tools and resources which are available to help schools identify food items that meet Smart Snacks criteria. Learn more here.

USDA’s Team Nutrition MyPlate Curriculum

Team Nutrition provides MyPlate materials that are developed specifically for kids and their parents/caregivers. Schools that participate in USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs may request free printed copies of many of these materials.

Healthy After School Snack and Meal Guide

This afterschool snack and meal guide includes information on the federal after school meal program. Nutrition guidelines for snacks and meals served in after school programs can get a bit confusing. CANFIT has done the work for you to make it easier to serve healthy snacks and meals in your after school program. The guide has menus using foods that can be easily obtained at convenience stores and that fall within the federal reimbursement rate budget. The guide also contains two-week sample cycle menus, a Costco shopping list and 26 healthy snack recipes!

Federally Reimbursable Snack and Meal Programs

This convenient chart highlights key components of the federally reimbursable snack and meal programs to assist After School Programs in deciding which program is the best fit.

Making the Most of Child Nutrition Funding

The Food Research and Action Center's (FRAC) California-specific guide, Making the Most of Child Nutrition Funding: A Guide for After School Education and Safety Grantees can help grantees understand the basics of child nutrition programs. It provides tips on how to operate a nutrition program successfully.

Reducing Food Waste in Afterschool Programs

This best practices guide for reducing food waste in out-of-school-time (OST) programs provides evidence-based strategies for all stages of food service operations.

Smart Snack Calculator

Is your snack a Smart Snack? Find out with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Smart Snacks Product Calculator! This calculator has been determined by the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to be accurate in assessing product compliance with the federal requirements for Smart Snacks in Schools. The calculator can be used on food and beverages.

Sugar Sweetened Beverages Fact Sheet

California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Nutrition After School

The California After School Resource Center’s e-manual is a comprehensive resource on healthy snacks for after school programs.

What's the Story of Your Food?

Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability. The initiative provides media and educational resources (including PBS television, curriculum, web content, short films, and teacher & youth seminars) to help build healthy communities and inspire a new generation of good food advocates. Learn More.

Recipes

Healthy recipes can be found at the Network for a Healthy California’s web site.

USDA Online Tool for Locating Food Deserts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) online mapping tool that locates food deserts. The Food Desert Locator also provides data on population characteristics where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods, including low-income communities. The tool can be used to help advocates expand the availability of nutritious foods in these areas. View Tool.