Sandi Coast Cafe, the Food & Nutrition Department of San Diego Unified School District, is connecting classrooms to the cafe with popular Farm to School nutrition education classes.
Led by Janelle Manzano, the Farm to School Program Specialist for SD Unified, the classes introduce students to nutritious new foods throughout the school year, providing simple, easy-to-remember knowledge and tools for healthy eating.
Describing various types of foods as Go, Grow, Glow Foods, Manzano provides students with an understanding of the strengths and benefits of various types of food. Her classes also encourage children to eat the colors of the rainbow as a fun and easy way to implement fruit and vegetables into daily eating habits.
Her sessions connect nutrition education with science standards, bringing knowledge of the cafe to the classroom and vice versa. Janelle teaches the classes virtually to make the lessons accessible to classrooms across SD Unified, and nearly 500 children tune in each month. She also holds regular in-person classes and assemblies at schools.
Nutrition Education Made Easy
Shawna Duncan, a first-grade teacher at Miller Elementary, has been including Janelle’s teachings in her class for years: “When she first offered them, I jumped on board. They are amazing because she simplifies nutrition and makes it super easy for kids to remember. It’s an incredible program and I wish more people knew about it.”
And the teaching sticks. “The kids immediately want a rainbow on their tray,” she laughs. Janelle also teaches them what colors of fresh produce help different parts of the body. “It really clicks in their brains,” says Duncan. “I had eight kids just eating from the salad bar today!”
She also tells of how one student’s mom was shocked to learn he eats so many fruits and vegetables at school, attributing the dining choices to the produce being displayed on the salad bar. And because her son is not forced to eat something specific, he eagerly tries them out. “I wish we could have a family night so the parents could try the salad bar, too,” Duncan says.
Duncan’s student Lucy says she loves to “eat the rainbow, and eat all the food colors for energy,” citing her favorite foods as apples, cucumbers, and carrots. Classmate Philip’s favorites are peaches, blueberries, and cranberries.
Virtual Classes Expand Reach
At Sandburg Elementary, Cecelia Lucero also teaches first grade and shows Janelle’s 20-minute virtual nutrition classes every month. Prior to the virtual calls, she goes through an accompanying coloring booklet that features the Harvest of the Month item (plums for September) and the Salad Bar Spotlight (frozen blueberries) – both of which are served in the school salad bar every Wednesday alongside the other fruits and vegetables. Harvest of the month fruit is served on Wednesdays, and salad bar spotlights are served daily on the salad bar.
Janelle also sends samples straight to the classrooms for children to sample, which is hugely popular. She will visit Sandburg in November to host a first-grade assembly.
Lucero has been showing her students Janelle’s classes for a year. “I wasn’t sure if they would be interested or engaged,” she remembers, “but I was wrong.”
The virtual classes have a strong emphasis on feeding California Food for California Kids. The sessions feature videos of local family farms that supply food to San Diego Unified schools, which allows children to see where their food comes from and how the farms work.
“They talk about the salad bar and tell me when they try new foods,” says Lucero. “They also talk about the farms with their families. Last year, we met Janelle at a working farm, and the kids had such a great time. They were able to chop their own food, walk around, and learn from the farmers. It was an amazing opportunity.”
Local Foods at School
In September’s video, students learned about Kingsburg Orchards, a family orchard of five generations located 300 miles north of San Diego, whose fresh produce, including golden plums, nectarines, Asian pears, and apricots, often ends up in the school salad bar. They learned the benefits of the orchard’s various fruits and how California is the nation’s largest agriculture-producing state.
Afterwards, when asked what she had learned, student Nelliel said, “I didn’t even know plums grew on a tree.” Classmate Shane was excited to eat blueberries at lunch break, revealing, “My mom made blueberry pizza. She poured blueberry juice on it and put blueberries on top. It was delicious!”
When Lucero asked if any student had never tried a plum before, six children raised their hands. Thanks to Janelle and her classes that make nutrition fun, that is all changing.
“Towards the end of the year, we do a unit on MyPlate (a USDA resource that highlights the various food groups needed for healthy eating), and the students are great at answering questions about what we should have on our plate since we have been discussing nutrition and eating a rainbow of foods,” she reveals.
Meanwhile, as class ended, Maysam excitedly declared, “I’m going to get an empty tray now and fill it with fruits.” Surely that’s music to any parent’s ears!
Teachers can sign up for the class here.