The absence of a well-balanced diet in children’s lives has become a public health issue.

Nationally, 15% of children 6-11 years are obese, and 25% of children 5-10 years are already diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other precursors to heart disease.

In February 2010, FLACS began to cook student meals on site as opposed to the regular practice of having frozen meals delivered to the school and then reheated. FLACS now has on staff an Executive Chef and two Assistant Chefs. The science curriculum offers new vocabulary and lessons about food’s biological impact on our bodies. As a result of the wellness program students will have a healthy relationship with food. An afterschool cooking program is available to students.

FLACS invites parents and families to join in the school’s efforts to end childhood obesity and make a balanced diet an everyday part of children’s lives.

FLACS’ lunch program will offer a wide range of food. Every day, students will be offered a starch, vegetable dish, soup, and dessert. Over a 10 day period, 40% of the lunch entrée will be a chicken dish, 20% will be a beef or pork dish, 20% will be a fish dish, and another 20% will be a vegetarian dish. Dessert will be 80% cut and whole fresh fruit and 20% will be a dessert prepared by the chef.

FLACS extends its thanks to the Calhoun School for its technical assistance as FLACS developed the wellness initiative.

National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, “Backgrounder on why to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity,” 2009 http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/cdc_briefing_book_fy10.pdf