Nutrition Wellness Program
Provides Services to Marin County's Schools

Marin County 's Department of Health and Human Services' Nutrition Wellness Program provides nutrition/physical activity consultation and technical assistance to school districts throughout Marin County , with a particular focus on seven extremely low income schools in the San Rafael and Sausalito/Marin City School Districts.

The Nutrition Wellness Program is also providing ongoing technical assistance and training to teachers to help them incorporate nutrition and physical activity information into the mandated curriculum. In addition, the Program provides ongoing school wellness policy consultation to school districts throughout Marin County. Program nutritionists and nutrition education/garden coordinators are also teaching students healthy cooking practices, hosting student-based “train the trainer” programs, promoting healthy food choices on and off school campuses and demonstrating how to incorporate nutrition education into tending school gardens.

In partnership with Marin's Youth Leadership Institute, approximately 1100 students have been canvassed to learn more about their eating and physical activity habits. The Nutrition Wellness Program has helped sponsor screenings of films and programs around the importance of eating healthy and being active and hosted a workshop at the annual Peer Summit for middle school youth. It has also provided information at the annual Parent University , which includes a variety of workshops of current interest to parents.

In partnership with the Marin County Office of Education and the Physical Activity Nutrition Wellness Collaborative, the Nutrition Wellness Program provides technical support and facilitation of the School Wellness Policy Project, helping county school representatives assess their school environments and developing policies that promote the health and well being of the county's students.

Seven Marin County schools located in extremely low income neighborhoods receive the full range of nutrition education services, with less intensive support provided to schools throughout the county. The program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the California Department of Health Services Nutrition Network. These schools include:

San Rafael School District
Bahia Vista School (K-5)
Coleman School ( K-5)
Davidson Middle School (6-8)
Gallinas School (K-8)
Laurel Dell School (K-5)
San Pedro School (K-5)

Sausalito/Marin City School District
Bayside School (K-6)