Teacher Tools

CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) is an evidence-based coordinated health program that has been shown to prevent childhood obesity and launch kids and communities toward healthier lifestyles. CATCH impacts a child’s nutrition knowledge, level of physical activity, classroom environment, and community, by making healthy decisions easy and fun. This coordinated curriculum engages all stakeholders of a child’s life including: parents, teachers, administrative staff, PE coaches, cafeteria staff, and the larger school community. CATCH “Coordination Kits” provide easy access for schools and childcare programs to use the program effectively across all disciplines.

If you’d like more information about CATCH, visit their website or YouTube channel.

Brighter Bites produce helps families apply the nutrition ideas at home that kids learn during CATCH lessons. Our nutrition education handbooks and nutrition education materials for parents also incorporate CATCH concepts, enabling families to support what their child is learning in the classroom.

Your school’s Wellness Committee is the group that will spearhead your coordinated school health efforts. It is made up of one strong, motivated Wellness Champion, who will act as the team lead, and several supporting committee members. Your Wellness Champion’s role in the committee is like the Principal’s role for the school. They don’t do everything, but they oversee activities to ensure that the CATCH curriculum is being implemented. The supporting members of the Wellness Committee should represent differing areas of specialty within the school and have an interest in health and should actively help in the implementation of the nutrition education curriculum.

To build an effective Wellness team, you will work with your Principal to create a standing committee. You will need to choose a variety of representatives who are enthusiastic and want to actively participate in the school’s Wellness initiatives and inspire others to implement the school health components. Look for that teacher who is always running in a 5K, or the counselor that brings in fresh veggies from their garden. If you already have a committee focused on health and wellness who would like to support CATCH implementation, even better!

Visit https://catch.org/users/sign_in to sign in and it will take you to a dashboard where you can easily navigate to find your lessons. Ask your school’s assigned Brighter Bites Program Coordinator for more help should you need it. Remember to track your lessons so that we can measure the impact you and your team members are having on your student’s knowledge about nutrition.

A Produce Activity is a short nutrition activity that is meant to get students excited about fresh fruits and vegetables! You will have access to Produce Activity suggestions that align with our healthy topics such as Eat the Rainbow for our very first distribution. We also have additional resources such as student worksheets and quick videos you can play for your students as well.

You can find our full list of Brighter Bites Produce Activity Videos here!

Please reach out to your school’s assigned Program Coordinator for opportunities to get involved in the Brighter Bites program. You can find your school’s assigned Program Coordinator by visiting our Connect With Us page.

Brighter Bites partners with food banks and other organizations to provide fresh produce for our families. Most of the produce we receive is donated from wholesalers, farmers, and other retailers across the country.

Because our produce is mostly donated, it may not always look perfect. Often, the donated fruits and veggies are perfectly edible and nutritious but not “pretty” enough to be sold in a grocery store. Some fruits and veggies may be “weird-looking,” very ripe, or have small bruises. These items are still okay!

Please understand that we follow guidelines from the food banks and Feeding America to determine which produce is acceptable to eat and which is not. We work with volunteers during the packing process to make sure that any moldy or rotten produce is NOT packed. However, sometimes things slip through unnoticed, and we apologize in advance for that. Feel free to come check with Brighter Bites staff about whether a produce item is acceptable and still edible.

You can review the Teacher Nutrition Education Orientation here! (Please see your school’s Program Coordinator for specific deadlines and questions.)

We love our educators, and we hope to encourage your own wellness by providing you with resources. See our full information sheet here for more information on how to improve your wellness in the areas of food, exercise, sleep, stress, and financial wellness.

Email our nutrition education team at education@brighterbites.org.