All New York City students deserve access to great nutrition education, yet 44% of New York City schools lack external nutrition education programming.
This study examines 40 organizations that run 101 nutrition education programs in schools across New York City. Our research revealed key opportunities to ensure ALL NYC students have access to great nutrition education, including:
Coordination: Create a network that coordinates nutrition education distribution, advocacy, evaluation, and resources.
Investment: Build program and school capacity through funding, technical assistance, tools, and training.
Collaboration: Amplify and align the unique roles of nutrition education programs, school community members, funders, advocates, and policy makers.
School-based nutrition education is a key component of a whole child approach to education, supporting student health and academic achievement. Many New York City schools partner with external nutrition education programs. Through engaging activities, these programs provide students with motivation, skills, knowledge, and supportive environments to make food choices that promote health, ecological sustainability, and social justice. Nutrition education gives students confidence to navigate challenging food environments and resist persuasive marketing of unhealthy foods. Yet significant gaps exist in the distribution of nutrition education programs in New York City schools.
Report:
A is for Apple: The State of Nutrition Education Programs in NYC Schools
Related Resources:
- The Food Ed Hub, housed in the Tisch Food Center, fosters collaboration and coordination among school-based food and nutrition education organizations to align resources, increase efficiency, avoid duplication of effort, and identify best practices that can be brought to scale. Our vision is that ALL NYC students have quality food and nutrition education and sustainably-produced, culturally-responsive, healthy school food.
- The Wellness Program Finder is a database of food and nutrition education programs available to New York City Schools.
Support for this work was provided by the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth). The mission of NYSHealth is to expand health insurance coverage, increase access to high-quality health care services, and improve public and community health. The views presented here are not necessarily those of the New York State Health Foundation or its directors, officers, and staff.