News Release

August 18, 2023

MILLION DOLLAR GRANT TO IMPROVE NUTRITION EDUCATION

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will receive a 1-million-dollar grant from the USDA to improve the nutritional health of all Nebraska’s children.

The grant will begin in September and will last three years. Through the School Community Engagement and Emerging Practices in Nutrition (SEEN) project, the NDE will engage with partners, school districts, and communities across the state to improve nutrition and nutrition resources statewide.  The purpose of the project is to align and expand an array of whole child efforts to improve the eating patterns of Nebraskan children, align educational and promotional materials with the dietary guidelines, and address food access to healthy food option in the school setting.

The project will be led by NDE’s Office of Coordinated Student Support Services (CSSS) and has four main goals.

• The project aims to reinforce core MyPlate messages and assist schools in providing nutrition education through the provision of technical assistance.
• The project will provide 60 sub-grants to school districts or after school programs to support recipe development, taste testing, and engagement activities to reduce food insecurity.
• The NDE will develop and translate recipes and menus to Spanish and Afghan, with help from the Hispanic/Latino and Afghan communities and standardize culturally appropriate recipes for incorporation into school menus.
• Staff will evaluate the triennial wellness policy assessments, completed in 2023, to develop additional resources and training supports for LEAs through a local school wellness policy toolkit that will further support the unique needs of Nebraska schools.

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