One of Kentucky’s Academic Standards for Intermediate Health Education is to provide nutrition education to all students. White’s Tower Elementary School contacted the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service’s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant to deliver programming to fourth students.

Four fourth grade teachers collaborated with the NEP Assistant to offer nutrition programming in the classroom. The NEP Assistant met with 89 fourth grade students one hour a week for seven weeks. Many of the students had prior experience and knowledge about MY Plate, because the NEP Assistant had conducted age-appropriate training for them when they were in first grade.  

The NEP Assistant used the Wellness in Kentucky curriculum to teach the fourth graders the importance of trying new foods and getting plenty of exercise. They learned the health benefits of eating nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, and they learned the importance of consuming calcium-rich foods to promote healthy teeth and bone formation.  They learned to read food labels so they could determine healthy food choices. They worked together in teams to plan a healthy meal with each of the five food groups represented.  They analyzed food choices from a local restaurant menu and in some cases, critiqued their own unhealthy choices such as soda, which contained a large amount of sugar or French fries and hamburgers which were loaded with high calories and unhealthy fat. 

Throughout the nutrition series, the students were served healthy snacks. They often requested copies of the recipes so they could prepare them at home. Students took the information they were learning and challenged some of their parents’ unhealthy food and beverage choices. At the end of the series, 45% of the surveyed students valued and were choosing to eat fruits and/or vegetables more often.  Students also compared snacks that they ate, and 47% were more often choosing the healthier option.