Bridges to Wellness™
Tips for Partnering with the School Nutrition Department

When you connect classroom learning with kids making nutritious food choices, it can increase the effectiveness of nutrition teaching. That's why each new Bridges to Wellness™ (BTW) lesson has a Cafeteria Connection. It's what makes these lessons so unique!

Follow these tips when planning for the Cafeteria Connection component of these exciting, new lessons:

First...

• Tell the cafeteria manager and/or school nutrition director that you are teaching the new Bridges to Wellness&trade Lessons developed by National Dairy Council® and the School Nutrition Foundation. Ask if they are familiar with them.
• Let them know that each classroom lesson also has a Cafeteria Connection.
• Give them copies of the lessons or email the Web site link: Bridges to Wellness.

Next...

• Briefly describe the lesson and the Cafeteria Connection portion of the lesson you plan to use and make plans to coordinate teaching the lesson.
• Talk about the amount of time required to teach the Cafeteria Connection, the best time to teach it, and who on the school nutrition staff is best suited to teach it.
• Confirm who will conduct the Cafeteria Connection portion of the lesson and make sure that this person has a copy. Or provide information for how to accesses the BTW lessons on the Web site. (Note: If your district's nutrition educators or coordinators are outside of the school nutrition department, it's possible that this person will be the one to teach the Cafeteria Connection portion of the BTW lessons.)

Third...

• Schedule dates and the appropriate amount of classroom and cafeteria time to implement each portion of the lesson.
• Coordinate the dates and time to ensure that the Cafeteria Connection is taught within a reasonable amount of time after the classroom portion.
• Allow enough lead time for the school nutrition staff to secure necessary materials and supplies, prepare food samples, prepare the lesson, teach the lesson, and answer students' questions.

Last...

• Once you've coordinated the classroom and cafeteria components, you are ready to implement Bridges to Wellness: Connecting School Meals with Classroom Learning.
• Teach the lessons and have fun!