It seems to me that, more and more, children are being raised by the government and not by their parents.

Here’s a story from myfoxdc.com that makes me feel like that:

>>WASHINGTON – Getting kids to eat three healthy meals a day can be a challenge, especially if money is tight. But D.C. Public Schools have found a way to take some of that burden off parents. They are now serving dinner at school.

On the menu are things like salmon salad, a whole grain roll, orange juice, one percent milk and a corn and pepper relish.

“With positive feedback, the kids will enjoy the food,” Chef Edward Kwitowski said.

He is in charge of whipping up healthy dinners for D.C. school kids as part of this new program to provide three healthy meals a day at school.

“Our program is from scratch cooking with local produce,” said Kwitowski. “And definitely low fat cooking.”

It’s a far cry from the muffin or bagel and juice kids used to get in the after school program, which was often was the last food some would eat until the next day at school.

“It’s good and it’s healthy,” fourth grader Emanuel Gross said. “So I can stay on task.”

D.C. joins 13 states which serve three meals a day at school – and to the tune of $5.7 million. Officials here have embraced the program because they realize healthy, well-fed kids learn better.

“We’re reaching 10,000 kids a day at 99 of our 120 schools,” said Anthony Tata, Chief Operating Officer of D.C. Public Schools.

That’s about 25 percent of the student population. And another big benefit of the after school dinners are that more kids are enrolling in after school programs where they can get some academic help as well.

So the dinners are really serving three purposes – fighting hunger, obesity and offering help with classwork too.

And the best news of all is this is a federally-funded program.

“We’re reimbursed on a per meal basis,” Tata said. “We can already see the good it’s doing for our kids.”<<

One of the things that studies have proven is that families who share meals together grow into better relationships. Maybe the schools should send the food home with the students so they can at least eat with their parents and siblings?

Here’s the video for the above story:

Did you like this? Share it:

« »