School nutrition program to get kids excited about healthy eating sees success in Yuba City

YUBA CITY – A nutrition program to get kids excited about healthy eating in Yuba City is seeing success and now the farm-to-school program will be growing not just food but in size and opportunity.

Within the farm-to-fork corridor is a farm-to-school program in Yuba City . Barry Elementary School is one of the many schools in the district that's going to see that program expand, thanks to a new grant.

The kids are excited about the school field trips that are on the horizon. The Yuba City Unified School District was awarded $200,000 thanks to the California Department of Food and Ag. They're going to spend that money to take their farm-to-school program to the next level.

"We are looking at designing a field trip experience for our students and we want to create a mobile food facility and then be able to bring it out to farms and gardens and incorporate it into a healthy school meal," said Chelsey Slattery, the director of student nutrition at YCUSD.

The students will get educational lessons about wheat on local farms, they'll see the plant from seed to harvest, milling the wheat and making recipes to enjoy at school.

"I think it's great that the kids get to be involved hands-on they know where their food is coming from," said mother Melanie Munro.

"The roots start growing out and then sprout comes and you water it some more and a bigger one and bigger and bigger," said Willa, a YCUSD student.

The farm-to-school program has already been seeing success, as students at Barry Elementary are already growing their food in the campus garden.

"Just seeing that excitement of them we'll do it in an after-school program they'll have a little salad in front of them and they're so excited to eat salad that's not something you see every day," Slattery said.

"Field trips for kids is amazing and field trips into the farming community is even better. We, as a community, are a huge farming community," Munro said. "They definitely know more than most kids in the farming side of things."

The funds won't come until next year and they'll start rolling out the program in phases. But their first pilot field trip is expected in the spring.

"When we go, it's going to be cool because we get to learn about all the different things," Willa said.

It's a great way to get the kids excited about school and agriculture.

YCUSD also attended the Yuba Sutter Farm Day on Friday. The annual event is put on each year by the Yuba Sutter Farm Bureau and is another way to teach students about where their food comes and connect with local farmers.