Helping Parents Advocate for Healthier School Food Environments

PHI’s Project LEAN trained 22 participants in California—including community-based organization staff, parent leaders, school district employees, health advocates, promotoras and others—on how to best educate parents about the link between sugary drinks and obesity, and to empower parents to advocate for healthy beverages in their child's school.

As a result, parents and advocates in Chula Vista, CA successfully lobbied to change the school district’s policy—removing chocolate milk from cafeterias and providing healthier food and vending options overall. In total, this impacted 29,000 students in 45 school districts, ensuring healthier school food environments throughout the district.