New Rudd SPARK School Food Advocacy Website!

New Rudd SPARK School Food Advocacy Website!

Thu 22 Sep 2011

Story by Meg Orciari
 

The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University recently launched a website aimed at helping parent advocates navigate through the complex issues of school food. Rudd SPARK – Supporting Parent Advocates with Resources and Knowledge – connects parent advocates to Rudd Center research and resources and each other.

The school food environment impacts children’s health significantly and parents have the power to change that environment. The Rudd Center created SPARK to support the grassroots efforts of Food Revolutionists like you by offering information and research you can use to take action.

Rudd SPARK helps parent advocates understand school food regulation at the federal, state, and local levels and provides strategies on how to become a school food expert, advocate effectively, and use local and social media for change within their own district.

The site highlights areas that can have a positive impact on the school food environment, including wellness policies, national meal programs, foods sold outside national meal programs, school gardens, and school food legislation. Each area contains relevant research, local examples utilized by school districts, and tools to develop strategies and track progress.

Rudd SPARK also identifies key players in schools, school districts, and the community who are essential in building a healthy school food environment.

“Parents are critically important and powerful advocates for children’s health,” said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Deputy Director of the Rudd Center. “This site is designed to provide parents with the resources and knowledge they need to ensure their voices are heard by school administrators, policy makers, and the food industry. Rudd SPARK marks the beginning of an ongoing effort at the Rudd Center to make our research accessible to parents throughout the country.”

About the author: Meg Orciari is the Communications Assistant at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. You can visit the Rudd Spark Facebook page here and new website here.