How We Operate
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the teachers’ responsibilities for participation?
- Agree to extend the nutrition education two (2) hours for every direct hour delivered by WSU
- Assist WSU educator with hands-on lessons
- Maintain classroom management when the educator is with your students
Will this create a lot of extra work for me?
Initially, it will take time to plan how you will integrate nutrition into your required subject areas. WSU Nutrition education provides a contextual approach for teachers to meet their obligations in learning benchmarks. Each interactive nutrition lesson that WSU delivers comes equipped with extended lesson activities for teachers to reinforce learning. Teachers have the entire school year to complete their required hours.
What is cost share?
In order to be federally reimbursed, WSU must verify the nutrition education that occurs in the schools. This is done with time sheets, signed by each teacher and the principal. This is referred to as cost share, which is a partnership between the school districts and WSU Extension that brings nutrition education to many schools. Schools receive the benefits of gardens, materials, training, and enhancements to science and nutrition education. The districts do not pay for these programs. Instead, WSU claims the district costs associated with their involvement in the form of salaries and goods and services. This increases the federal allocation to WSU to sustain and enhance the educational services the district receives.
How does the sharing or cost sharing of my hours fund your program?
WSU is federally reimbursed for the hours that staff from public agencies agree to work on nutrition education. Teachers keep time records, verified with their signatures, which are used as an invoice for federal reimbursement.
How will I provide two hours of extra nutrition education for each hour the WSU Educator is in the classroom?
It’s easy!
- Record administrative time to plan and prepare students for nutrition education
- Attend a project orientation
- Prepare student workbooks/journals and other necessary photocopies
- Prepare students for a guest speaker and debrief and review after the guest speaker leaves
- Keep time records
- Work with other teachers at the school to collaborate on a nutrition project
- Deliver supplemental nutrition education lessons provided in the teacher binder
- Send home parent newsletters and parent newsletter evaluations
- Fill out project surveys providing WSU Extension with feedback
Do you have ideas of how I can use these programs to teach math, writing, reading, and science?
Each teacher who signs up receives a binder that contains:
- Lesson plans
- Ideas for additional nutrition education
- Reproducible worksheets
- Writing prompts
- Web site resources
- Book list
- Resource bins that contain team and group activities for teachers to use during the school year
What is the cost to my school?
These programs are free! WSU is federally reimbursed from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service for nutrition education delivered to food stamp eligible children and families. WSU works with school teachers to deliver the education. The federal government reimburses WSU based on school faculty and staff salaries and subsequent hours worked on the project.
I am interested, but my principal is hesitating. Do you have selling points that I can show to him/her?
Yes, we have a packet of material specifically for principals complete with success stories and studies that show the effectiveness of experiential education to meet benchmarks for health and science. We also provide support for schools with the following items:
- Secondary life skills curriculum brought to the elementary level
- Interactive newsletters that encourage parent involvement
- Exposing students to the natural sciences in an urban setting
- Increased patterns of healthy eating for students
- Documentation of how lesson activities align with EALRS is provided with the teacher packet
Can I do more than one nutrition program for my grade level during the year?
Based on our funding requirements, we can provide one (1) series of lessons for your classroom per year.
How many teachers at my school have to sign up to have you come?
A minimum of three teachers at each school will need to sign up for the same day. However, the more classrooms participate, the better. Nutrition education is more effective and contagious when multiple classrooms participate at each school.
Do I have to be present when you come in and teach?
Yes, teachers assist the WSU educator with the lesson, including classroom management. WSU educators depend on classroom teachers to use their established learning cues and systems to keep students on task.
I have looked at the different offerings for nutrition education- I am interested in Square Foot Nutrition- what if my school doesn't have a garden?
If you are interested in installing garden beds at your school, Square Foot Nutrition Project personnel can provide tips and help locate local resources in order to build your school garden. However, we cannot use our funding to purchase gardening materials. Please contact us directly to discuss.
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