Let’s Welcome Summer With A Healthy Lifestyle For All Students

15Jun
by Daniela Felix

I have distinct memories of my mom feeding me and my siblings peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or scrambled eggs every morning before school. It was almost a rule that was upheld by all members of my family. My mom would remind us that we needed to eat breakfast so we could learn at school that day. This quickly became a habit, one that I now uphold for my own family. We would go off to school and eat lunch there as well, I would have my mother’s voice in my head reminding me of the importance of choosing the tomatoes over the chips my friends would eat, this pushed my healthy habits even more so.

For many students, lunch is a source of a healthy meal during the day. With school letting out for the summer over the course of the month of June, it’s important that this time off does not interrupt the healthy choices students are making.

One way families can continue to access healthy meals during the summer months is the state of California’s Summer Food Services Program. The California Summer Food Services Program is available for students all over the state, ages 18 years and below. This program is completely free of cost and provides families with excellent nutritional resources for students to enjoy while on break from school. By following the following steps, families can search for local sites that will meet the nutritional needs of their students this summer.

  1. Log onto the California Summer Food Services Program by clicking this link.
  2. Type in your zip code in the search bar on this page, this will filter the sites to those closest to you. This will lead you to a map view with sites labeled, this includes the address for each site, as well as the contact information for the site’s representative, who can answer any questions you may have.
  3. Access healthy lunches and enjoy a nutritious summer!

It’s important to balance the nutritional needs of students with increased physical activity this summer too. Summer is a great time for students to engage in recreational sports or for the entire family to explore nearby parks and playgrounds. To support the holistic health of our students year-round, we need to provide them with the resources and education and empower them to begin to make these decisions for themselves and their well-being.

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Daniela Felix

Daniela is a first generation college student who is heavily involved in education in her home district, West Contra Costa Unified. After becoming a mother at a young age, Daniela’s passion for education justice only intensified and she began to fight for an equitable education for all children, regardless of background or zip code. Daniela played a key role in organizing parents with the California Charter Schools Association and is a firm believer in school choice for all families. She is currently a Lead Organizer with Students for Education Reform, organizing college students around education justice issues in her home district. She was recently accepted into Teach for America and plans to continue impacting the lives of children in her hometown of Richmond, CA as a high school social studies teacher. Daniela is a UC Berkeley senior pursuing her B.A. in Legal Studies and Education along with her 4 year old daughter and husband. Daniela is a firm believer in that every single child is capable of meeting high expectations if given the correct support. Daniela hopes to be a provider of that support.

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