What did they want to do?
The Kernvile Union School District created a comprehensive nutrition policy. They are a Superintendent Challenge Winner!

Who took action?
The award of the LEAF Pilot Program motivated the committee to re-examine the school nutrition and physical activity policies. The District’s committee was renamed the Child Nutrition and Physical Activity Advisory Committee (CNPAAC) and included the students, parents, foodservice, school nurse, maintenance staff, teachers, and administration in the policy planning process. The committee worked with the LEAF Leadership Team to identify policies from other districts that could be implemented in KUSD. Over a four month period, comments on nutrition and physical activity at each school were collected through surveys and focus groups. The Leadership Team amended the existing policy and formulated a draft. The Parent-Teacher Clubs, School Site Committees, Booster Clubs and Student Councils at every school commented on the draft. A provisional draft was then presented to the Kernville Board of Education for public comment and revised. The BP3550 was approved unanimously a month later by the board members.

Where did this happen?
Kernville Union School District - school

Demographics

• i. District Total enrollment is 991 as of 4-2004

  1.Wallace Elementary 457

  2. Kernville Elementary 224

  3. Wallace Middle 310

  ii. Community population 20,000

• 68% of KUSD students receive free or reduced lunches
• The school age population is 85% Caucasian, 8% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian, and .06% African American
• 56% of the population living in the Kern River Valley have an income level at or below the poverty level, with a median annual income of $22,295.

Academic Year Implemented
2003-2005 Academic Year

Why did they want to do it?
The Kernville Union School District’s (KUSD) policy hoped to ensure that healthy and nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and snacks were served during the regular school day and summer school sessions. This is to improve the students’ nutritional well-being and to allow them to learn to their fullest potential. It must be noted that KUSD has never served carbonated sodas in school site vending machines, illustrating that student health has always been a concern. KUSD attempted to ensure that all qualified children were eligible for free and reduced meals and aimed to develop a coordinated and comprehensive promotion plan to maximize participation in the school meal program. KUSD also wanted to guarantee that the nutritional quality of foods served in the schools through the KUSD Child Nutrition Service program’s careful consideration and monitoring, serving of meals in a pleasant atmosphere.

Background

How did they accomplish their goal?
Policy components include:

Increased Involvement: The CNPAAC was formed to involve parents, students and community in the planning and implementation of the policy. Student representatives participated in policy planning and taste tests and assisted younger classmates in gardens.

Specific guidelines: CNPAAC set specific guidelines and revised the administrative regulations under the Board Policy 3550.

School Meals: All school meals were held to SB 19 standards. The nutritional quality of meals was considered as carefully as other educational support materials.

Competitive Foods: All foods and beverages sold during school hours met SB 19 standards. Healthy food alternatives were offered at school sporting and extracurricular events.

Physical Education: Life-long fitness goals, instead of the traditional competitive sports focus, were promoted through the schools’ PE programs.

Gardens: A school garden was required at each school site.

Nutrition Education: Credentialed staff and after-school program staff provided comprehensive nutrition education. Classes in the after school program incorporated actual food preparation, food pyramid and USDA guidelines, and the school gardens. Classes in the regular day program focused on physical activity and nutrition standards for life-long health.

Community Involvement and Modeling: The KUSD policy institutionalized strong community, parent and student involvement with their Child Nutrition and Physical Activity Advisory Committee.

Partnerships: Partnerships with community organizations, e.g. Kern Valley Healthcare District and KSUD Family Resource Center, helped sustain nutrition and physical activities in the community. The Kern River Valley Collaborative helped ensure sustainability of the program by supporting partner projects to share the total financial burden.

Evaluation: The policy was evaluated for student behavior impacts.

What were their results?
KUSD improved the health of over 975 pre-school and kindergarten through 8th grade students at the two elementary and one middle school. More students are purchasing the healthy and SB-19 standard school lunches. Outreach and networking with other agencies provided KUSD the resources to reach out to many families.

Data compiled from student pre and post surveys reveal behavioral attitude changes in eating habits:

A 30% increase of students who eat green salad at least once a day;

A 10% decrease in students who reported they eat a lot ffast food;

A 14% increase of students who engage in a physical activity in P.E. class four to five days a week that makes them breathe hard or break a sweat.

An annual increase of middle school students passing the President's Physical Fitness Award with new physical activity program in Fall 2002:

- 2001-2002 year - 4 students

- 2002-2003 year - 28 students (600% increase)

- 2003-2004 year - 37 students (32% increase)

What are their future plans?
6 of the 9 administrative regulations of the BP 3550 have already been implemented. This includes the addition of a salad bar, an optimistic change of the term "food service" to "Child Nutrition Services", incorporation of student and staff preferences in meal planning through taste tests and focus groups, the establishment of a students' working garden at each school, and establishing a Child Nutrition and Physical Activity Advisory.

The committee is now working to increase the amount of physical fitness class time spent perpetuating lifelong health through non-competitive sports and lunchtime activities like walking clubs. Improvements to district cafeterias are physically underway with the reorganization of serving lines and upgrading of facilities. There are plans to install vending machines that offer healthy food choices. The CNPAAC is also working with school clubs to formulate new fundraising efforts that center on physical activity.

For More Information Contact
Nancy C. Puckett
Kernville Union School District
P.O. Box 3077
Lake Isabella, CA  93240
United States
(760) 379-2556
[email protected]
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