Keyword/Tag: CATCH

Cheers for Champions: Principal De La Rosa

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Christina Blick -

In “Cheers for Champions,” a new special feature of The Brighter Byte newsletter, Brighter Bites turns the spotlight to teachers, administrators, parents, volunteers, and other shining stars who have made outstanding contributions to our program.

Today we celebrate Principal Diana De La Rosa of Northline Elementary School in Houston, TX. We are so lucky to call Principal De La Rosa a great friend to our program, and now… a champion!

Principal De La Rosa (second from right), surrounded by Brighter Bites staff and parent volunteers

Since Brighter Bites began programming at Northline last fall, Principal De La Rosa has been extremely enthused about making health a fully integrated feature of her school. In addition to coordinating with Physical Education coaches, counselors, and parent volunteers to make sure all three pillars of Brighter Bites were executed to perfection, Principal De La Rosa arranged to put weekly CATCH “MVP” bulletin boards up around the school to highlight how different teachers stay healthy and inspire her young students to follow suit.

Principal De La Rosa also implemented a school garden and empowered parents to take ownership by developing a watering schedule. Her vision for the garden is to provide half of the harvest to the parents paying into the garden co-op and the other half to the school’s cafeteria staff to make healthy sides for students’ lunch trays. The garden ensures Northline will have continued access to fresh produce.

At the end of the school day you may find Principal De La Rosa teaching cooking classes out of the demo kitchen in her office area that Brighter Bites recipes. On Brighter Bites days, you will always find her engaging with families at distribution, trying the recipe sample, and encouraging all parents and students to do the same!

One week when Brighter Bites was short on volunteers, Principal De La Rosa rolled up her sleeves and jumped in to help bag produce for our families. She then came to distribution that same day, where she asked each parent to try the sample and encouraged them to volunteer.

Thanks to Principal De La Rosa’s passion and continuous support of Brighter Bites, her teachers taught all of the CATCH lessons at Northline that are recommended in the CATCH program. We are so excited to return to Northline Elementary School next year to continue building communities of health through fresh food with Principal De La Rosa and her loyal army of parent volunteers!

Cheers to Principal De La Rosa, and cheers to ALL Brighter Bites champions!

Holiday Cheer for a Fruitful Year

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Christina Blick -

During the fall 2017 season, school faculty across the country implemented produce activities and CATCH Nutrition Education lessons in their classrooms to make learning about produce fun for students at Brighter Bites schools. We’re so grateful for the partnership of these amazing educators, whose engagement and belief in our program drove its success.

We were thrilled to receive a variety of positive testimonials from faculty at our schools as the season came to a close and are happy to share some of the feedback from educators in Austin, TX:

I teach Special Education, so most of my students are autistic and really do not like to try new foods. They get pretty particular about what they will eat, so I try to find recipes that they would be willing to try. If we can get them to at least try a taste of the new fruit or veggie, we are getting over a very big hurdle. We are making a book of the different fruits and veggies that we try. Since we’ve started doing Brighter Bites this year, my kids have grown more flexible and are willing to try more new fruits and veggies! – Teacher, Langford Elementary

It’s nice to know that the students are open to trying new foods, especially after they are encouraged from their peers. – Teacher, Odom Elementary

Parents later reported that their children were requesting [mangoes] be purchased for consumption at home. – Teacher, Metz Elementary

I was amazed at how open-minded they were this week, willing to try the lettuces and tomatoes! – Teacher, Langford Elementary

The students love to interact with the produce by touching it, smelling it and tasting it. A large number of our students already knew that frying food made it unhealthy. – Teacher, Langford Elementary

One boy commented, “I didn’t know I liked vegetables until we tried them this year. I just didn’t know I liked them.” – Teacher, Langford Elementary

Austin Keeps it Cool with Summer Cooking and Nutrition Classes

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Christina Blick -

This summer in Austin was a HOT one! We stopped counting after 20 days of triple-digit temperatures and heat indexes that suggested we could fry an egg on the sidewalk!. But heat doesn’t stop the Brighter Bites Austin team. We bagged and distributed 57,272 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies to an average of 300 participants per week at five different summer programs, including El Buen Samaritano, Linder Elementary, Mainspring School s, and the two summer camps run by the Andy Roddick Foundation.

To reinforce the value of the fresh produce, staff members taught CATCH Nutrition Education lessons and contributed to weekly cooking demonstrations. These lessons included an interactive cooking demo as well as discussions about nutrition and health. As an added bonus, Program Associate Eliza Weeks presented the participants at El Buen Samaritano with a demonstration of how to prepare leafy greens like kale and beets in a variety of easy and delicious recipes, including cool smoothies and salads perfect for summer snacks and meals.

Kindergarteners from Pecan Springs Elementary enjoy a Brighter Bites cooking and nutrition education lesson making Banana Ice Cream at the Andy Roddick Foundation’s Summer Learning program.

Program Associate Christina JeanBaptiste leading a CATCH lesson with a Kindergarten class at Mainspring School.

Food Literacy and Fun Food Experiences Flourish in Dallas

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Christina Blick -

At Brighter Bites, we value teaching families how to use and choose a different kind of fast food, and this semester we have amplified our efforts at our 15 Dallas-area Elementary Schools. With the kick off of the spring semester, our Dallas staff presented a deeper emphasis on the food literacy and food engagement program pillars of the Brighter Bites program.

Since teaching our kids to make healthy choices takes support from both their schools and their guardians, Brighter Bites works with school administrators and teachers, as well as parents and other family members, to ensure that children feel empowered to make bright, healthy food choices.

At schools, we train and support the teachers who utilize the interactive CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) nutrition lessons in their classroom. Since the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, teachers at the 15 Brighter Bites elementary schools in Dallas have taught more than 800 in-class CATCH lessons. These lessons include themes like Go, Slow and Whoa foods, Physical Activity Means GO, and Snacks for Party GO-ers. (GO foods refer to the healthiest foods: those that grow in the ground; contain one ingredient; do not have added salt, sugar/syrup, oils, cheese, or fats; and are neither nuts or beef.).

Teachers also support and emphasize Brighter Bites by using their own weekly produce as learning tools in math, science, and art. We have enjoyed reading teachers’ comments about the activities they conduct in their classrooms with Brighter Bites produce. Antonio Gallardo Perez, a Pre-K teacher at Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary, told us that he works with his students “on the importance of fruits and vegetables, how to differentiate a fruit from a vegetable, the relationship between color and nutrition, and the food pyramid.” Maria Solis, a 3^rd grade teacher at Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary, made bar graphs with her students showing their favorite vegetables. So far teachers have conducted more than 80 activities outside of their CATCH nutrition lessons involving the Brighter Bites produce!

Families are always excited to come to school to get their Brighter Bites produce and materials (nutrition handbooks, recipes, tips sheets, and how to’s). This semester we are making pick up even more engaging by adding a “CATCH Corner” at the distribution, where kids play games that incorporate weekly health messages.

The Dallas Brighter Bites team is grateful for the support and enthusiasm of school administrations and teachers who are going the extra mile and turning their elementary schools into communities of health.

Brighter Bites Program Coordinator Honored at Ceremony in Galveston

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Christina Blick -

2016 Texas CATCH Champion Jacqueline Noyola with CATCH Program Director Peter Cribb after the award ceremony in Galveston, TX.

A few months ago we shared wonderful news about Brighter Bites Dallas Program Coordinator Jacqueline Noyola when she was chosen as one of the 2016 Texas CATCH Champions. CATCH stands for Coordinated Approach To Child Health and is scientifically proven to be a highly-effective health, physical activity, and nutrition education program for children from all backgrounds. The CATCH Champion Award recognizes individuals for their untiring dedication to create healthy environments for the children in Texas.

On Thursday, December 1, Jacqueline and the seven other Champions were honored at a ceremony at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, Texas. Jacqueline attended the event with her husband, Brighter Bites Dallas Program Director Alicia Farhat and Brighter Bites Senior Program Director Mike Pomeroy. “Being selected as a 2016 Texas CATCH Champion has given me tremendous encouragement and inspiration!, said Jacqueline recently. “I’m honored to be recognized among such a talented and experienced group of school health professionals and I’m thrilled that Brighter Bites has been recognized for the implementation of our nutrition education pillar.”

A warm congratulations to Jacqueline for her continuous efforts to innovate and strengthen the methods Brighter Bites uses to reinforce the CATCH programming at Brighter Bites schools.

Brighter Bites and CATCH Global Foundation – Partners for Good

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Over the last two weeks Brighter Bites and the CATCH Global Foundatio n partnered up in ways that go beyond our typical programming. Brighter Bites Program Coordinator Jacqueline Noyola (pictured below left), who was named a CATCH Champion earlier this year and was asked to be a member of the prestigious CATCH Board of Advisors, recently traveled to Austin to attend her first Board meeting, where she will serve on the Curriculum and Programming Working Group and provide CATCH with her knowledge and expertise of implementing CATCH within a large active program.

And just last Friday, several CATCH Global Foundation staff members, as well as their friends and family, volunteered with Brighter Bites at our last bagging for the fall season at Odom Elementary School in Austin. They were an incredible help to our parent volunteers, jumping right in to fill bags with kiwi and persimmons and break down boxes. A huge thank you goes to their Executive Director Duncan Van Dusen (pictured below right) for his continued support of Brighter Bites!

We are lucky to have such great partners in our friends at CATCH!

Brighter Bites Begins Year Two in Austin: Staff focus on Coordinated School Health

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Christina Blick -

On September 6, Brighter Bites Austin will kick off fall programming in seven elementary schools and one early childhood center in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). We are thrilled to welcome back: Casey Elementary, Cunningham Elementary, Odom Elementary, and Langford Elementary. New schools joining us this fall are: Metz Elementary, Linder Elementary, Norman Elementary, and Uphaus Early Childhood Center. Unlike last year, Brighter Bites programming extends to all grades this year and the faculty serving those grades, with the exception of Langford Elementary, where families and teachers in grades pre-K through 3rd will be eligible to sign up for the program.

To prepare our schools for Brighter Bites programming and spark excitement for the beautiful produce and delicious recipes coming their way, our staff have been speaking with school leaders and faculty before programming begins. These meetings introduce and review the specifics of our dynamic nutrition education program (Food Access + Food Literacy + Food Engagement) as well as our process for partnering with teachers to utilize Brighter Bites produce as fun, hands-on educational tools in the classroom. Additionally, we explain how Brighter Bites fits into all of AISD’s coordinated school health programming.

AISD is different from the other school districts Brighter Bites works with, because this district uses the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model in addition to the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH ) curriculum, used in all of our other school districts. As a coordinated school health approach to student learning and wellness, WSCC embraces every aspect of a child’s education and health to improve his/her development. It includes not only physical activity, nutrition, family, and community involvement, but also social services and counseling, health services, social and emotional learning, employee wellness, and the physical environment. Brighter Bites fits nicely into the community involvement component of this model and we are grateful to AISD for incorporating our program into this coordinated school health approach.

At Brighter Bites, our goal is to create a community of health through fresh food, nutrition education, and fun at each school campus we serve, by increasing exposure to fruits and vegetables and empowering kids to try new foods. Classroom teachers, as significant role models in the school environment, are crucial to our success. The programming staff of Brighter Bites in Austin is charged up to begin our fall distributions next week. We’re looking forward to seeing familiar faces, catching up with volunteer alumni, and making new Brighter Bites friends.

Fueling up for Fall in the Metroplex

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Christina Blick -

After an un-beet-lievable summer, Brighter Bites Dallas is gearing up for an exciting fall! We are thrilled to partner with 15 Dallas area elementary schools: 12 in the Dallas Independent School District and three in Uplift Education. Over the next semester, we expect to serve 3,000 individual families (~500 more than last fall), distributing approximately 720,000 pounds of produce and thousands of healthy tip sheets, nutrition handbooks, recipe cards, and tasty samples! Our staff has been busy developing several new recipes in our test kitchen for students and their families to taste at pick up and make at home. We think the “Better with Thyme” Green Bean Salad is going to be a surprise hit!

Over the last few weeks, the Brighter Bites Dallas team has been presenting to school staff and administrators about the Brighter Bites program and the educational tools we use to create communities of health through fresh food and nutrition education. This school year Brighter Bites will provide even more coordinated school health resources to schools than last year by encouraging them to increase the number of CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) curriculum lessons taught in the classroom and recommending teachers use the produce from their own Brighter Bites bags as an educational tool. Because teachers are powerful role models for students, their focus on empowering children to make better eating choices will further support our program’s desire to turn their elementary schools into communities of health.

Houston Highlights from the Summer Season

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Brighter Bites is wrapping up its fourth summer of programming in Houston next week and the team painted the city with loads of colorful produce, returning to seven sites from last summer and adding four new ones. Every week families have the opportunity to take home fruits and vegetables they are already familiar with and some that are new to them. This summer we received many in-season produce donations, including exotic fruits and vegetables like papaya, mango, chayote, okra, cabbage, blueberries, peaches, and spinach.
In addition to the nutrition education handbooks, tip sheets, recipe cards, and fun food samples for our families, we added food demonstrations (how to cut a mango, for example) to our repertoire of educational tools. They not only return home with fresh fruits and vegetables, but also the knowledge of how to use them!

As always, volunteers, parents, and children sampled our nutrition-packed snacks that always incorporate one or more of the produce items in their bags. One week we served Black Bean Dip and initially the kids looked away. After a brave girl tried it, other kids slowly gave in. By the end of the distribution, the entire sample was gone! Other popular recipes this summer have included the Razzle Dazzle Rainbow Salsa and Pineapple Crush Smoothie.

There’s more: program coordinators in Houston have taught over 150 CATCH lessons this summer alone! That’s more than 50 hours of nutrition education in eight weeks! Each week kids learn about physical activity, sugar, fiber, fat, breakfast, fruits, or veggies. We also incorporated the Sunbeatables program that stresses the importance of sun protection. Our staff has loved returning each week to hear what the kids remember from the previous lesson and how they applied that knowledge at home.

A big thanks to the Houston Food Bank and all of our partners that have made it possible for our team to share a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables with communities across Houston this summer. As always, our mission to serve families nutritious, fresh produce and promote behavior change wouldn’t be possible without our faithful parent volunteers who consistently came out to bag and distribute thousands pounds of produce this summer.

Lani Alcazar Talks about CATCH on TV

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Christina Blick -

This week, Lani Alcazar, a program coordinator for Brighter Bites in Houston, was invited to appear on Conexion Texas, a program that airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Univision all over the state of Texas. She and Dr. Joxel Garcia, Executive Director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Platform at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, spoke about the importance of teaching people about sun care protection.

At Brighter Bites, Lani and her colleagues teach nutrition lessons from CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) during summer camp programs. This season they are including lessons from the Sunbeatables™ curriculum, which was developed by skin cancer experts at MD Anderson and aims to educate teachers, parents, and children about sun protection and promote sun safety behaviors in an effort to reduce children’s lifetime risk of developing skin cancer.

Watch the segment here to learn more!