USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Child Nutrition Programs

Supporting Child Nutrition Programs Through Nutrition Education

Sasha Bard Chamberlain, MS, RDN
USDA’s Team Nutrition

Provides curricula, 

posters, parent 

handouts, and other 

resources free of 

charge to schools

Initiative of the 

USDA’s Food and 

Nutrition Service to 

support the Federal 

Child Nutrition 

programs

Aims to improve children’s lifelong 

eating and physical activity habits
• National School Lunch Program

• Over 30 million children participate on average each day

• Over $12.1 billion in reimbursements in FY 2016

• School Breakfast Program

• Nearly 15 million children/day

• $4.3 billion in FY 2016

School-Based Programs

Free Meals: 130% 

Federal Poverty Level

Reduced: 130-185% 
Other School-Based Programs

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

• $162 million in FY 2016

• Awarded to States

• Provides free fresh fruits and vegetable snacks to students in 

participating high-poverty elementary schools during the 

school day.

• Special Milk Program

• In 2016, nearly 4,000 outlets served 45 million pints of milk

• $9.4 million in FY 2016
• Child and Adult Care Food Program

• 4.2 million children participate on average per day

• $3.3 billion in FY 2016

• Summer Food Service Program

• Over 2.7 million children participated in July 2016

• $555 million in reimbursements in FY 2016

Community-Based Programs
Nutrition Standards

• School lunch and breakfast meal 

patterns updated in 2012 and phased 

in over several years

• More fruits and vegetables

• Whole grain-rich grains

• Low-fat and non-fat fluid milk

• Portion sizes based on three grade groups (K-5, 

6-8, 9-12)

• Average weekly requirements for calories, 

sodium, and fats
• Fruits and vegetables required at 

lunch (now separate components)

• Fruit required daily at breakfast 

(increased from 1⁄2 cup to 1 cup)

• Weekly requirements for vegetable 

subgroups

• Dark green, red/orange, beans/peas, starchy, 

and other

Fruits & Veg in School Meals
80% of schools are 

offering 2 or more 

vegetables at lunch

As a result of the updated standards:
Vegetable 

consumption 

increased by 16%

As a result of the updated standards:
23% more students 

selected fruits

As a result of the updated standards:
Resources to Support School 

Meals

• USDA offers extensive resources for 

food service operators, child nutrition 

professionals, and schools, including: 

– Recipe analysis and menu planning

– Operator training

– Food safety materials

– Nutrition education

– Support for heathier school environments
Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

Eating Habits

Physical 

Activity Habits

School 

Environment

Food

Nutrition & 

Health 

Messages

Food & 

Beverage 

Marketing

Physical Activity 

Opportunities
Nutrition Messages

• Cafeteria

• Classroom

• School-wide events

• Home

• Community

• Media
• Allows children to practice new skills

• Builds self-efficacy ("I can do it!")

• Includes observational learning 

• Is interactive and inquiry-based

• Includes positive reinforcement

• Includes taste testing and food 

preparation

Quality Nutrition Education
In the Classroom

• Easy to integrate Team Nutrition 

materials into curriculum

• Aligned to national education 

standards

• Core subject areas – English Language 

Arts, Health, Math, Science


Grades 1-6

• Teacher’s Guides

• Original Songs

• Parent Handout (English, 

French, Chinese, and Spanish)

• Poster

• Mini-Poster
Garden-Based Nutrition Education

Pre-K GR 3-4 GR 5-6
Cafeteria: Posters
Cafeteria: Food Waste

• Tips for school staff, parents, 

and students

• Schools: 

• Taste tests

• Cut fruit into smaller 

pieces

• Salad bars

• Administrators:

• Extend lunch period

• Recess before lunch
Family Engagement
School-Wide Events

• Fun ways to promote 

nutrition and physical 

activity at elementary or 

middle school

• Ideas for 20 themed 

events, large and small

• Spotlights on real-life 

events at Team Nutrition 

Schools
Community: Local Wellness Policies

• Sample parent letters, newsletter articles, 

presentations, social media posts, letter to the 

principal, and more!

www.teamnutrition.usda.gov

Sasha.Bard@fns.usda.gov

(703) 305-2883