U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATON ENCOURAGES SCHOOLS TO SIGN UP FOR "CHEFS MOVE TO SCHOOLS" PROGRAM

Schools that Sign Up Will Be Contacted By Chefs Volunteering to Help Educate Kids About Food & Nutrition
Today (May 13), Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that schools interested in using local chefs as a resource for their cafeteria and nutrition programs may sign up for the "Chefs Move to Schools" program just announced by First Lady Michelle Obama. The First Lady launched the "Chefs Move to Schools" program, encouraging chefs across the country to get involved in their communities by volunteering their skills in local school cafeterias. The program, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calls on our Nation's chefs to adopt a local school and work with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition. Administrators or principals of K-12 schools are invited to sign-up online to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture connect volunteer chefs with interested schools in their area.
As part of the Let's Move! campaign, launch by the first lady back in February to combat childhood obesity, the program uses the talent and expertise of local chefs to demonstrate how to create healthy dishes and further promote a healthy lifestyle for our Nation's youth. More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participate in the National School Breakfast Program, giving schools great influence in promoting healthy eating habits.
"School cafeterias are the frontline for fostering a healthy lifestyle for children," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "This initiative is a creative and vital opportunity for children to learn and practice healthy habits. When partnerships between schools and the broader community are created, everyone wins. I encourage any K-12 school interested in using chefs' expertise in this way to sign up to begin this collaboration."
"Many children consume as many as half of their daily calories at school and as families work to ensure that kids eat right and have active play at home, we also need to ensure our kids have access to healthy meals in their schools," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "We are going to need everyone's time and talent to solve the childhood obesity epidemic and our Nation's chefs have tremendous power as leaders on this issue because of their deep knowledge of food and nutrition and their standing in the community. I want to thank them for joining the Let's Move! Campaign."
"Chefs and nutrition experts can play a critical role in addressing the childhood obesity crisis, and they are welcome partners as we work together to improve the overall health and nutrition of America's children," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "By passing a strong reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, Congress can provide important resources to improve school cafeteria equipment and expand training opportunities for chefs, school food service personnel, and nutrition experts in our schools, because they will be on the front lines of improving school meals for our kids."
Schools interested in having a volunteer chef come to their school can visit www.letsmove.gov and fill out the school sign-up form. In coming weeks, chefs will be notified of schools in the area that they can reach out to.