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Food For Thought – Alberta School Pilot Nutrition Project

Nov 16, 2016 | 12:52 PM

ALBERTA – The Alberta government is taking the expression food for thought quite literally with a new nutrition pilot project.

On Monday, Nov. 14, the Alberta government announced that $3.5 million will go towards a school nutrition pilot project with the goal of feeding hungry students healthy meals. The program is part of the Government of Alberta’s “Future Ready” initiative.

Alberta Education has identified 14 school boards to take part in the pilot, including 10 rural boards and four urban ones, based on greatest need as determined by socio-economic status data from Statistics Canada.

Each school board has been asked to choose one K-6 school to participate in the pilot.

Of these 14 schools, Dave Driscoll, Superintendent of Livingstone Range School Division No. 68, just one of the rural school board’s chosen for the project, says that the extra funding will help to enhance a successful preexisting breakfast program.

“It is beyond just feeding those students at meal times, it’s talking about nutrition. The schools with existing breakfast programs each differ. Some have an available room where students can pop in if they are hungry. Others have a breakfast program where a cart is brought around and students are allowed to choose something off of it that is nutritional.”

Driscoll says that the district is currently looking at best practices supplied by the province to ensure that students involved with the pilot program avoid feeling singled out.

Selected school boards must demonstrate how their program adheres to the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth and are required to include a nutrition education component as part of the pilot.

In a press release issued by the Alberta government, David Eggen, Minister of Education noted the immediate effects of the program and also highlighted the program’s ability to build students’ capacity for lifelong healthy eating and nutrition.

“It’s hard to learn when you’re hungry. Research clearly shows that students who have a healthy and nutritious diet have more energy and are able to better focus in class.”

The cost of the program is being funded from Alberta Education’s existing budget.

Each of the 14 publicly funded school boards will receive $250,000 in grant funding to assist with the pilot.

School boards participating in nutrition pilot
– Calgary Board of Education
– Calgary Catholic School District
– Canadian Rockies Regional Division
– Edmonton Catholic Schools
– Edmonton Public Schools
– High Prairie School Division
– Holy Family Catholic Regional Division
– Livingstone Range School Division
– Medicine Hat School District
– Northern Lights School District
– Red Deer Public District
– St. Paul Regional School Division
– Westwind School Division
– Wetaskiwin Regional Division