What parents can do to support positive advocacy for healthy eating in schools

by Kylie Johnson (Catholic school parent - Diocese of Sale)

As parents, we all want our children to be healthy, so we do our best to provide them with nutritious meals and snacks to help them grow and develop. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to maintain these efforts when healthy eating is not supported in the school environment.

Did you know that children consume around 30% of their daily energy intake at school? If this intake includes poor food choices, research has shown that a child’s ability to concentrate and learn at school can be negatively impacted. Therefore, it is crucial that schools provide healthy food choices and foster a healthy eating culture.

Some questions you might ask:

Does your child’s school promote health through a whole-school approach to healthy eating such as the Achievement Program, (https://www.achievementprogram.health.vic.gov.au/)?

Do they follow the national guidelines for healthy school canteens?

Is there a policy in place that encourages healthy fundraising and discourages rewarding children with sweets?

Does the school canteen need to be open every day?

Are parents aware of the healthy eating options at the canteen?

If you are able to raise these questions appropriately with your school Principal or at your school board, we may see a continued improvement in more healthy eating in schools. 

Let’s keep prioritising our children’s health and ensure our schools are also on board.

Click on the videos below for more information about the achievement program available for schools: