I work at a year-round special education school, serving emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, and other special education classified students. My students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds in New York City and throughout NY state. Over 95% of the student body is eligible for free lunch, and more than 90% receive public assistance. They have exceptional abilities, and with the proper accommodations and modifications, they truly thrive in our school setting. My students are afforded smaller classroom ratios, personalized attention, and a myriad of specially certified providers that assist in their overall development.
The students who will benefit from this project are students at great risk of developing chronic health issues.
Kids with low socioeconomic backgrounds currently face bleak health statistics, with significantly higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Many of our students also have commodities of trauma, which increase likelihood of chronic health issues including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
My Project
Anyone with a teenager or who was a teenager knows: snacks are a must. I have students knocking on my door throughout the day to see what I have in my snack basket. I tend to offer Oreos, Cheetos, Doritos, post-Halloween sale candy bars -- the typical and popular food items.
Recently, a hall monitor saw one of my diabetic students biting into a candy bar.
The staff member has an extensive family history of diabetes and sat me down to talk about a non-classroom lesson I was teaching that I needed to be much more mindful of.
Please help support me make the changes in my approach to snacking! Many of my students do not have healthy choices and options at home, whether because they parent themselves, because of cultural norms, or because healthy isn't available. But brands such as Skinny Pop and Pirate's Booty are healthy and available. Exposing them to these choices in school by limiting my supply of snacks might encourage them to make those choices outside of school. At the very least, it will decrease their sodium and sugar intake throughout the school day.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Turk and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
