California Nutrition for students receive "golden carrot" awards

Golden Carrot awards go to food service professionals who approach child nutrition in an innovative way that encourages children to eat more healthfully. The winning programs feature low-fat meals; encourage kids to eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; provide vegetarian or vegan menu items; respect cultural diversity; offer non-dairy alternatives, and foster community partnerships.

Winners include foodservice directors in Berkeley (CA), East Hampton (NY), Fairfax (VA), and Los Angeles.

LA's award went to Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a district funded charter school.

The Los Angeles Leadership Academy is a social-justice based charter middle school serving 195 students in grades 6-8. The school opened in 2002 and will continue to add students and grades over the next three years.

Located in inner-city Los Angeles, the school serves one of the city’s most diverse districts. The population is 75 percent Latino, 14 percent African American, and 9 percent Asian American. The school’s mission is to prepare urban secondary students to succeed in college and on chosen career paths, to live fulfilling, self-directed lives, and to become effective leaders in the community.

Boccato has set high nutritional standards—and it shows in the three meals she and her staff serve each day:

• All menus consist of fresh vegetables and do not include sugar, refined flour, or sodas. Boccato uses only whole grains, such as brown rice.
  
• Hydrogenated oils are not used. The food is never prepackaged, and the Los Angeles Leadership Academy may be the only school in the district that prepares food fresh daily.
  
• Children are discouraged from bringing outside foods into the classroom, and they do not have access to vending machines.
  
• Boccato has implemented a Farm-to-School program that allows her to provide fresh fruit and vegetables daily while supporting local low-income farmers. Early mornings also find Boccato patrolling local markets, where she purchases the fresh fruits and vegetables that appear on the daily salad bar, which has substantially increased the number of students who eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
  
• Every day, the school’s menu offers at least one non-dairy vegetarian item, such as veggie chili. Vegetarian soups are prepared several times per week. Students may also select healthy, tasty options from the salad bar, such as tofu or beans, in addition to many different fruits and vegetables.
  
• For those students who do not drink milk, juice is available
  

Boccato understands that developing healthy eating habits in children requires more than just providing healthful foods. She and her staff also offer nutrition education and help students engage with the community:

• She has organized field trips to local farms to connect children with their agricultural heritage.
  
• Several Ethnic Food Days are also organized each year. For these events, a chef comes to the school to teach kids about healthy ethnic cooking.
  
• The school has implemented a program to teach and train students’ parents about food handling, safety and preparation. Some parents are then employed the school’s food service, where they receive a living wage, benefits, and a life-long skill.
  
• Boccato has also pioneered a partnership with the Nutrition Network, which has provided a grant for nutrition education and hands-on learning to students. As part of the program, 70 nutrition classes are offered each year. Students learn about cooking, coffee can gardening, understanding food labels, and safe food handling. Many of the classes are offered in Spanish and involve the student’s parents.