Serving a Balanced Education – CVCA’s Food Education Program

Post written by CHC member Chinwe Ntamere

Chinwe serves with the American Cancer Society as a Health Educator

The National School Lunch Program was introduced in 1946¹ as a program that provides breakfast and lunch to children who may otherwise have nothing to eat.  It has become the second largest food program in the U.S., spending $8 billion annually and feeding an average of 30 million children a day^1,2. Recently, some have argued that it lacks in both education and nutritional benefits, citing recent studies linking school lunches with a higher risk of obesity^3,4,5.

At a recent in-service day, Chicago Health Corps and Healthy Communities Corps visited the Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA), where educators promote healthier student lunches, while also expanding student career options. As part of the Chicago Public Schools’ Culinary and Hospitality Career and Technical Education Program, students have the opportunity to gain food service certification and food preparation experience while in school. Students take an active part in creating school lunches that meet their taste, while fitting within the school’s nutritional and budgetary requirements. These are skills that the students can transfer to their own lives, encouraging them to actively think about the role of food in their own health.

David Blackmon, the Executive Director of the CPS Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program, argues that more programs like these should be offered to students, especially in lower income communities where access to healthy foods and job opportunities are limited. By providing students with career skills before college, they have the option of either entering the work world directly after graduation or entering college with a better understanding of what career path they want to follow.

At the Chicago Vocational Career Academy, they believe that all elements of the school day, whether it is the curriculum or lunch menu, should provide the students with tangible life skills. By encouraging active student participation in lunch preparation, they have empowered students to take control of their own health and nutrition, ensuring there are educational opportunities in the debated school lunch program.

1.      Committee on Nutrition Standards for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, National Research Council. (2008). Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions. (V. A. Taylor, Ed.) Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. From NAP: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12512.html

2.      Black, J. (2011, February 24). School Lunch Is Not the Answer: Improving school food is only a small step toward reducing childhood obesity. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from Slate: http://hive.slate.com/hive/time-to-trim/article/school-lunch-is-not-the-answer

3.      RABIN, R. C. (2011, February 4). Childhood: Obesity and School Lunches. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/health/research/08childhood.html?_r=0

4.      Millimet, D., Tchernis, R., & Husain, M. (2010). School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity. Journal of Human Resources , 45 (3), 640-645.

5.      Park, E., & Graziano, M. (Directors). (2010). Lunch Line [Motion Picture]. United States: UJI Films. From UJI Films: http://lunchlinefilm.com/