The days of PB and J sandwiches, Lunchables, hot dogs and Jamaican patties for children's school lunches are gone (thank goodness!). In today's nutrition-conscious society, it's not unusally to find school food programs embracing organic, local and vegetarian options for their cafeterias. Indeed, there are many wellness-based breakfast and lunch programs popping up all over Toronto as a sign of changing times, and changing minds. Food education is now seen is an essential part of a child's learning, as essential as reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. It's simply not acceptable for a prune, an eggplant or even a simple tomato to be unfamiliar tastes on young tongues. Many schools have even taken getting healthy food into their own hands starting gardens in their schoolyards honed and harvested by students. Check out these Toronto schools that are leading the way:
Winchester Public School
Located in downtown Toronto, this junior and senior public school boost a 500 square feet of produce-producing garden plots in their neighbourhood for children to tend as part of an after-school gardening program. Potatoes, garlic, cucumber, and spinach, not to mention numerous juicy fruits, are grown by the students for the students. The bountiful harvest regularly goes to the school's salad bar and directly into the mouths of the children who grew it. How beautiful is that? This grade A student nutrition initiative was made possible by Green Thumbs Growing Kids, a charitable organization dedicated to inner-city sustainable food programs and food education for children.
The Alan Howard Waldorf School
Already well-known for its innovative approach to learning, this private school has extended its philosophy that children learn by imitation to gardening and cooking classes for their students. Starting in grade 3, children examine seeds in science class and proceed to planting the grain then harvesting it for a from-scratch soup they will then eat with pride. Bonus, all the food is organic with no pesticides or antibiotics to compromise growth and development. The Waldorf School in Richmond Hill also is home to a weekend Farmer's Market, right on school premises.
There are many more Toronto-area schools that are getting their hands dirty focussing on foods and nutrition. In the very least, schools also have the option to out-source healthy food from organic children's catering companies if growing thier own food is not feasible. It's only a matter of time before french fries as a the only vegetable in the school cafe becomes unheard of.
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