Documents/Forms

Smarter Lunchrooms Action Guide

The Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) Smarter Lunchrooms Action Guide provides guidance for school nutrition programs on strategies to change the cafeteria environment and help students make healthy food choices. This guide is based on the B.E.N. Center’s Smarter Lunchrooms principles, and reflects the experiences of six schools that participated in the Smarter Lunchrooms Makeover Pilot (SLMP) through Connecticut’s 2013 Team Nutrition grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The action guide includes six sections:

  • 1 – Introduction
  • 2 – Steps for Change
  • 3 – Principles for Improving Eating Behaviors
  • 4 – Strategies for Success
  • 5 – SLMP
  • 6 – Resources
  • Glossary

SLMP Report

The CSDE’s Report on Connecticut’s Smarter Lunchrooms Makeover Pilot provides an overview of the SLMP data components, and summarizes the results for the six pilot schools that participated in the SLMP through Connecticut’s 2013 Team Nutrition grant. The SLMP data include scores from the B.E.N. Center's Lunchroom Self-Assessment Score Card, meal participation rates, students’ selection of specific meal components (food indicators), and plate waste.