OCM BOCES hosts local conference on USDA's "Smart Snacks in Schools" guidelines

As school districts across the state and nation are looking for healthier alternatives to typical candy bar and potato chip filled vending machines in order to meet new healthy snack regulations that will take effect on July 1, 2014, a group of local agencies is working together to provide assistance.

On Thursday, May 1, 2014, the Healthier Central New York Challenge will take place at the OCM BOCES Rodax 8 building (6820 Thompson Road in Syracuse) conference center. The event is a collaborative effort of Healthy Schools NY programs at OCM, OHM and TST BOCES, Action for Healthy Kids, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Dash NY, Fuel up to Play 60 and Hunger Solutions New York.

Mary Joan McLarney, a Registered Dietician/Nutritionist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Northeast Regional Office, will talk about the organization’s new competitive foods regulations and Kathryn Hoy, of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs, will discuss smarter lunchrooms in schools.

The event, which has been designed to provide assistance and ideas for local food service personnel, school district administrators and district staff, will take place from 9:00 a.m. (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.) until 2:00 p.m. and is free of charge. Join local, state and federal experts in school wellness and discover best practices, get a better understanding of the link between health and academics, learn how to write a funded grant proposal and network with local schools and organizations.

Stacy McNeill is the OCM BOCES Healthy Schools NY coordinator and as such, works extensively with school district personnel regarding federal, state and local wellness guidelines. She said, “We have been working together to ensure that students across Central New York have access to healthier foods and increased physical activity in our efforts to optimize wellness and academic success as well as reduce obesity and the chronic diseases associate with it. In order for our schools to be able to offer healthier choices to their students and meet new federal guidelines, we are providing this conference with a special focus on local success stories. We want our districts to have access to sustainable ideas and resources in an effort to make this transition to a healthier school culture as seamless as possible.”

According to the USDA, the new healthy snack regulations will take effect July 1. For more information, visit the USDA Food and Nutrition's Smart Snacks in Schools website.