Chicago Public Schools selected for new 'SnackTime Explorers' program, bringing food education to classrooms

Elementary students across Chicago Public Schools will be the first in the nation to receive produce passports, beginning a new journey as "SnackTime Explorers" this semester.

Food education nonprofit Pilot Light and fresh-cut produce processor Fresh Health have teamed up to launch a new initiative designed to enhance the impact of the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, according to a news release.

FFVP is a USDA-funded in-classroom program that provides a variety of fresh produce snacks to elementary school students outside of designated school mealtimes, increasing both produce consumption and awareness in public schools.

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Added to this, the SnackTime Explorers pilot launched the second week of January 2023 in over 30 Chicago Public Schools elementary classrooms and will run for seven weeks. The toolkit brings an adaptable and engaging educational framework to schools receiving FFVP produce.

Through the SnackTime Explorers collaboration of Pilot Light and Fresh Health, educators will empower students develop a healthy and positive relationship with food, according to the release.

“As a district, we are constantly fine-tuning the food we serve our students to ensure nutritious and delicious meals and snacks. SnackTime Explorers offers our students the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and develop positive eating habits at an early age,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said in the release. “CPS is excited to assist our partners in getting the program on track within our schools.”

A turnkey educational toolkit, SnackTime Explorers was curated to accompany the FFVP in-classroom fruit and vegetable snacks each week. Teachers are provided a set of bite-sized, prewritten lessons designed to integrate Pilot Light’s food education standards into classrooms, according to the release.

The food education standards serve as a guidepost to help students and educators build connections to nutritious food, each other and their community, the release said. In addition to the prewritten lessons, educators will also receive engaging in-classroom materials and the opportunity to participate in professional development programs through Pilot Light. SnackTime Explorers lessons also highlight social-emotional learning skills and allow for a consistent experience for teachers and students alike, according to the release.

Eileen Torpy, Pilot Light’s director of school and district partnerships, is thrilled to partner with Fresh Health to support Chicago Public Schools teachers and students utilizing the SnackTime Explorers toolkit.

“The holistic approach of the Food Education Standards combined with the consistent, inquiry-based structure of the lessons is designed to support the needs of the whole child. Both food and learning are intrinsically relational, and we are excited to see what this program sparks for young people at this stage in their food identity development inside and outside of the classroom,” Torpy said in the release.

Alex DiNovo, president of Fresh Health, is also excited about the partnership and pilot program.

“In serving hundreds of school districts, we’ve come to learn that kids actually do love eating their fruits and vegetables,” DiNovo said in the release. “When children are engaged in a multisensory learning experience, especially as they try new foods for the first time, we find a jump in adoption and future consumption. We are proud to partner with Pilot Light to provide that experience through SnackTime Explorers, and we could not be more excited to launch this innovative program for the first time in Chicago Public Schools.”

With the support of Chicago Public Schools, SnackTime Explorers is now being implemented in 23 FFVP-participating elementary schools throughout the district. Pilot Light and Fresh Health are committed to supporting Chicago Public Schools teachers with the implementation of SnackTime Explorers this school year and look forward to expanding the offering to additional districts in the 2023-24 school year and beyond.

Educators both inside and outside of Chicago Public Schools can register their interest in SnackTime Explorers for next school year.