OSHC & Schools: Tools & resources
Schools & OSHC services can help children eat more vegetables!
Schools and out of school hours (OSHC) services are ideally placed to increase children’s vegetable intake by helping to improve children’s familiarity, understanding and knowledge of vegetables through learning experiences and interactions. As OSHC services provide snacks in their programs, there is opportunity to introduce more vegetables at snack times. School canteens are well placed to offer more vegetables on their menus and influence student vegetable intake.
- Nearly all children in Australia attend primary school [2].
- Children eat around 40% of their energy intake at school , with 14% of children buying their lunch from school canteens [3].
- OSHC is the most common type of formal care for children aged five to twelve years, with approximately 16% of children regularly attending before and after school care [4].
These tools and resources support primary schools and OSHC service staff including leadership team, teachers, canteen and support staff as they seek to increase children’s vegetable intake.
On this page
You can browse all our Schools & OSHC resources on this page, or otherwise jump to resources for:
Teachers & Educators Canteen staff Management & Administration Staff Families
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Out-of-School Hours Care
The OSHC user guide, designed to be utilised by management, educators and cooks (if applicable to your service) details the best practice guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake alongside many practical examples and resources specific to OSHC to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in OSHC
This checklist is a useful tool directed to management and educators that can help your service to track implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Primary schools
The primary school user guide, designed to be utilised by leadership team, teachers, canteen management, staff and volunteers details the best practice guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake in schools alongside many practical examples and resources to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in schools
This checklist is a useful tool directed to leadership team, teachers and canteen staff that can help with tracking implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Infographic: Best Practice Guidelines for Increasing Children's Vegetable Intake
The seven best practice guidelines outlined in this infographic which is designed as a quick reference tool to be on display for all staff.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive list of vegetable programs useful specifically for the OSHC setting.
Engaging with Families
A list of suggested ways school staff can engage with families to promote consistent messaging around vegetable intake.
Other resources on this page
Jump to resources for:
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Primary schools
The primary school user guide, designed to be utilised by leadership team, teachers, canteen management, staff and volunteers details the best practice guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake in schools alongside many practical examples and resources to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in schools
This checklist is a useful tool directed to leadership team, teachers and canteen staff that can help with tracking implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive list of vegetable programs useful specifically for the canteen staff.
How to encourage kids to eat more vegetables from your school canteen
This brochure is for primary school canteen managers and provides suggestions on how to increase the vegetable offering through primary school canteens.
For a print friendly version, click here.
7 Days of Veggie Snacks
This resource provides inspiration and recipes for five delicious vegetable snacks – it can be used by cooks or as a take-home communication for families.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Recipes
Recipes developed by the National Nutrition Foundation which can all be easily scaled up for use in your school canteen.
Other resources on this page
Jump to resources for:
Teachers & Educators Management & Administration Staff Families
Social Media Infographics
Informative images for use in newsletters or on social media.
VegUP study results infographic
VegKIT researchers undertook an intervention study in Australian primary school canteens and concluded that by implementing several different strategies, canteen vegetable sales increased by 75%.
The study also reported no increase in vegetable waste and that canteen managers found the strategies easy to implement and not time consuming.
7 Days of Veggie Snacks
This resource provides inspiration and recipes for five delicious vegetable snacks – it can be used by cooks or as a take-home communication for families.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Other resources on this page
Jump to resources for:
Teachers & Educators Canteen staff Management & Administration Staff