It has kids urging their peers to “try it” and bringing healthy eating practices they learned in school home to their families. It’s the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), helping schools to offer healthy snacks to children.
For the 2016-17 school year, 190 public and private schools will share about $3.4 million in federal grant funding to provide more than 67,100 elementary students with snacks during the school day. The Department of Public Instruction evaluated 251 applications for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants made last spring, notifying 168 public schools and 22 private schools this summer that they were accepted for the program.
“To have kids telling their friends a particular fruit is ‘fabulous’ is just remarkable,” State Superintendent Tony Evers said. “We want children to be excited about good nutrition. Over the 10 years that Wisconsin has been a part of this program, it benefits extend way beyond encouraging kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. It supports healthy habits throughout the school and into the community.”
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