CHILDREN'S NUTRITION AND LEARNING PROJECT
Children’s Nutrition and Learning Project Brochure (PDF)
The Children's Nutrition and Learning Project emerged out of the Picturing a Healthy Community and Unveiling Our Hidden Treasures community consultations. Through various programs based in the neighbourhood public school, this project addresses a number of objectives identified by neighbourhood residents:
- To increase children’s access to nutritious food
- To improve children’s ability to learn and benefit from school experiences
- To foster learning among children and families about nutrition
- To build partnerships in the community and develop capacities of local people
- To assist local people to initiate and sustain programs which support children
- To foster children’s self-esteem and pride in their school and community
Children, parents, school staff, health centre workers, health sciences students, and local residents are engaged in the local community through processes that respect and celebrate individual and community capacity.
Beyond the immediate benefit of improving nutrition and children's capacity to learn in school, learning about nutrition carries over into daily home life. New relationships are forged among parents, teachers, Health Centre community workers and other community members. Thus, the program serves as a platform for a variety of community building efforts.
The Children’s Nutrition and Learning Project encompasses a host of programs, including:
Cooking for Kids
Apple Club
Apple Club is designed to promote volunteerism and leadership in children. Select grade 4 students volunteer to wash, dry, and distribute donated apples and other fruits/vegetables to the whole school under the guidance of a parent coordinator.
Breakfast Club
Each morning, with the ongoing support of local donors, this drop-in breakfast program is run by parent volunteers to ensure students enjoy a healthy start each day.
Cooking With Kids
UWO Medical Students work with a parent coordinator and a different class each week to teach children about good nutritional choices and kitchen safety, while making mini pizzas. Medical students, in turn, learn more about community health issues.
Girl's Group
Offered in an environment which encourages positive choices, this group gives girls the opportunity to share their ideas as valuable members of their school and neighbourhood. The group uses a variety of mediums such as photography, video and art.
Lunch Program
A hot, nutritious lunch is served once a week to an average of 70 students for a nominal fee. Thanks to our partnership with Sir George Ross S.S.'s Hospitality Services Program and community donors, the Health Centre can offer subsidized lunches to students who need them.
SHAC Club
The SHAC (Snack, Homework, Activity, Craft) Club after school program runs four days a week in the local community, thanks to a partnership with the City of London. Children in Grades 3-8 can participate in activities such as Art, Cooking and Baking, Gardening, Fitness and Sports, Drama, and Wacky Science. Homework support is provided by university student mentors.
Snack Program
Snacks are prepared, mainly from scratch, by parent volunteers and provided to every student in the school twice each week, free of charge.
Weaving Generations Together
In partnership with Merrymount Children's Centre, this program links seniors with students to foster pride in themselves, their school and their community through individual and large picture weavings. The senior volunteers provide extra support to students both in the school and the neighbourhood.