Every year the nutritional status of school children are being monitored. The purpose is to find out how many of our school children are healthy and malnourished. One of the factors being evaluated and rated in the Performance Appraisal System for School Administrators in DepEd is the presence of an Effective School Feeding Program. But how can a school really run such a program. Here are some tips on how to conduct an effective School Feeding Program.
1. One hundred twenty (120) day feeding program. This must be strictly followed because a day or two which will be subtracted from this will defeat the purpose of the program.
2. Give only nutritious – fortified foods to the beneficiaries for the whole period especially foods like malunggay, kalabasa, alugbati and others for they are rich in nutritional values.
3. The 120-day feeding program should be run for 3 consecutive years to ensure that children’s malnutrition is totally eradicated.
4. Conduct livelihood training programs and employment for the parents of the beneficiaries. This will help parents continue feeding their children nutritious foods even after the program has been stopped.
5. Monitor pupils’ weight constantly after the program. That’s why we have the pre and post weighing of our school children nutritional status in school. If possible conduct home visits and dialogue to parents to remedy the problems earlier.The 5 tips on how to conduct an effective school program will surely help in eradicating malnutrition in our country. Let us join hands and work together in order to have nutritionally strong, active, smart and healthy children. Let’s help eradicate malnutrition to produce well rounded individuals. Let’s give malnourished children our love and care through proper nutrition.
Reference:The modern TeacherVol. LIII No. 2 July 2004
By: Catalina L. Lintag | Limay Elementary School
