Iowa Department of Education Opens Nutrition Education Subgrants: $5,000 to $14,500 Per Award, Applications Due December 3
The Iowa Department of Education announced on October 26 that schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are invited to apply for a new competitive subgrant supporting nutrition education and expanded use of fresh foods that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in school meals. Subgrant proposals will be accepted through December 3.
Sponsored by the department's Team Nutrition program, the Students and School Nutrition Professional Nutrition Education opportunity will provide subgrants ranging from $5,000 to $14,500, targeting middle school and afterschool students and increasing the use of fresh fruits, vegetables, scratch-made menu items and other foods served in the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast Program. The opportunity is funded through a Team Nutrition grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To be eligible, schools must commit to implementing at least one component: providing nutrition education lessons and taste tests to middle school students; engaging in school nutrition professional training and student engagement to improve the nutritional quality of school meals; or providing nutrition education lessons and taste tests to students in the National School Lunch Program's Afterschool Snack Program. Iowa's Team Nutrition has created lesson overviews schools can use.
"The Students and School Nutrition Professional Nutrition Education subgrant is an excellent opportunity for schools to shine a spotlight on nutrition and healthy eating habits for our young people," said Christine Crow, Team Nutrition project director for the department's Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services. "Nutrition education coupled with access to healthy menu items at school can make a big difference in a student's development, overall learning and lifelong healthy habits." Preference will be given to schools applying to implement multiple components, and to schools committing to at least five middle school or afterschool lessons or with more than 50% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. Applications are submitted through IowaGrants, with questions due through the system by November 6.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 小学生品尝学校推出的新餐食（资料图）。美国农业部照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Fifth graders taste new school foods (file photo). USDA photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
