Kids encouraged to eat well

A PROGRAM aimed at promoting healthier eating options for children is set to be rolled out to more Ballarat schools following its introduction in the region last year.

Having first launched at Mount Rowan Secondary College, the initiative is being expanded and will include outside school hours care.

Alexandra Bell is one of two health promotion officers at Ballarat Community Health leading the program.

She said the movement is about transforming school eating environments for the better.

“In schools, VKEW is characterised by four actions,” she said. “We’ve got refresh the fridge, switch up the snacks, change up the menu, and put the fun into fundraising.

“They’re what we call our big bites, and there made through breaking them down into small achievable steps and rewarding schools for doing that.

“After hours care is all new for us. There’ll be the same four key actions with those smaller actions a little different.

“We started this small last year because it was a new movement and everyone was learning and ironing out any kinks.”

Vic Kids Eat Well is delivered by Cancer Council in partnership with Nutrition Australia.

The program’s extended rollout was launched at Ballarat Community Health’s Lucas site on Monday for school representatives to meet BCH’s health promotion officers.

Ms Bell said Ballarat Grammar is their second school taking part in the program with Forest Street Primary School and Our Lady Health of Christians Primary School among those registered.

Mount Rowan’s food tech and canteen assistant Chloe Hewitt said the community has seen change since adopting the program in June.

“It’s been a very successful journey,” she said. “It’s a big project we’ve been tackling little bits at a time.”

“We started with the fridge and the removal of soft drinks for less sugary beverages. That was the main thing and adding more vegetables to our canteen items.”

“We do have our garden which we use in our food tech room and for the canteen so we try to be sustainable and seasonable to tie it into the curriculum.

“It’s been about educating students on why these changes have been happening and encouraging them just to eat better.”