2009-10 Fuel Up to Play60 Wellness Activation Kit Available
National Dairy Council® and the National Football League have huddled up to offer the NEW 2009-10 FREE Fuel Up to Play 60 Wellness Activation Kit to schools. The program inspires and empowers kids to "fuel up" with nutritious foods and "get up and play" for 60 minutes a day. Find out from your children's school administrators whether your school is on board for receiving this exciting program. Designed for the entire school community, the program includes colorful display materials and wellness-based activities, ideas and tips for engaging the entire school community in the program.

Each school receives one Fuel Up to Play 60 kit, but everyone who enrolls receives free eNewsletters,. Enroll now!

Tell Teachers about Nutrition Expedition Classroom Programs
your children's teachers about our classroom programs that teach children to make nutritious choices at home and beyond. Nationally tested, these exciting programs support USDA's MyPyramid and are available FREE when teachers enroll at www.NutritionExplorations.org

Leading Health and Nutrition Organizations Support Nutrient-Rich Foods as Cornerstone in Planning Nutritious Meals for Children
A new, joint editorial supported by seven leading national organizations urges school nutrition organizations, child nutrition advocates and health organizations to support "nutrient density" as the cornerstone of meal planning and dietary recommendations. It highlights the need for Americans of all ages to build more healthful diets with nutrient-rich foods, including low-fat and fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt, and help to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease beginning in childhood.

In the editorial, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Dietetic Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Association, School Nutrition Association and Action for Healthy Kids lend support to using the nutrient-rich foods approach to meal planning and teaching. The approach emphasizes the total nutrient package of a food or beverage, as a way to build and enjoy a healthier diet by getting the most nutrition for their calories.
Read the editorial.

Online Games for Home and the Classroom
Let your little gamers try our fun, educational and age appropriate games featuring characters from our new, Nutrition Expeditions classroom programs. From Little D's Picnic Adventure, where kids scour the countryside for nutritious foods to Arianna's Nutrition Mixer where a mixer board is used to create musical patterns and melodies, these games review nutrition basics. Be sure to check them out ...and tell your children's teachers about them too!

Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act Helps Kids Eat Healthier
This new legislation recently signed by President Bush moves schools another step forward in creating healthy nutrition environments. The legislation requires schools to have wellness policies, including nutrition guidelines, for all food offered in schools by the 2006-2007 school year. Schools are no longer compelled to offer whole milk, and in support of the requirement to offer milk in a variety of fat contents, they will need to offer at least two fat levels. Though not binding, the law encourages schools to build consumption by adding flavors and lactose-free milk. And, the new law prohibits soft drink companies from forbidding schools to sell milk on school grounds in vending machines or at school events.

Find in-depth information about the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

Parents and Schools Can Help Reverse Rise in Childhood Obesity
A new report issued by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies encourages families and schools, along with industry and communities, to take action and reverse the rapid rise in childhood obesity.

• Parents are called upon to provide healthful foods at home and encourage physical activity by limiting children's recreational TV, videogame, and computer time to no more than 2 hours a day.
• Schools are called upon to implement standards for all foods and beverages served on school grounds, including those from vending machines. It also recommends that schools expand opportunities for children to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.

Share this report with your children's school and ask about changes being made to promote healthful food choices. Read more about "Preventing Obesity: Health in the Balance."