ABOUT US

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba (CNCM) is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to improve the nutritional health and well-being of Manitoba school children through education, funding and promotion of Best Practices.

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, formerly the Manitoba Council on Child Nutrition was established in 2001. The work of the Council complements the goals of the Manitoba Government's Healthy Schools initiative "to create school environments that enhance the healthy development of children and their families by working in partnership with community resources and service providers." Over the past eight years, CNCM has raised awareness about nutrition issues and the need for food and nutrition policies in schools and helped guide decision-makers in developing those policies. Our presentations to nutritionists and dietitians, trustees, schools staff and parents in Manitoba have helped shape school and community nutrition policies.

 COUNCIL REPRESENTATION

Manitoba School Boards Association	Manitoba Association of Parent Councils
Community Nutritionists working with RHAs	Dietitians of Canada
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba	First Nations representation
School Administrators	Community members
Financial Industry Services sector

WHAT WE DO

1. NOURISHMENT PROGRAM SUPPORT

Grants: Ensuring that children have access to healthy food choices is an important part of supporting a healthy eating environment in school and a major priority for the Council. CNCM administers grants for school and community-based nutritious breakfast, snack and lunch programs across Manitoba.

 
Workshops: CNCM provides training for Program Nutrition Coordinators to help them become familiar with the best practices of nutrition program management. The training sessions focus on nutrition education, and helpful resources to support all aspects of organizing and running a program. Networking and sharing stories and ideas with other coordinators is always a highlight of these sessions.

 
 
 
 
Site Visits: CNCM staff enjoy visiting all the program sites. They are available to come out or consult by phone or email to help you plan your program before you get started and to come by for a visit once your program has been implemented.

2. SPECIAL INITIATIVES and PROJECTS

From time to time, CNCM is able to undertake projects which further support the goal of access to and awareness of healthy eating for school students.

Vegetable and Fruit Pilot Project: Now in its 4th year of funding through a bilateral agreement between Manitoba and the Public Health Agency, the Project has entered Phase C. After three years of introducing the program in schools, we are focusing on the after school time. Children and youth in 45 after schools programs in locations around the province are participating in vegetable and fruit snacks three times per week. An evaluation of all the phases will be available upon conclusion of phase C.

Student Leadership Awards: These Awards initiated at the Youth Session at the 2005 Nutrition Forum, acknowledge the importance of student involvement. Schools receive grants of $300 towards a project identified by a student-led team, which supports healthy eating initiatives. Schools are required to match funds in order to qualify for an award. Partners for this project include Healthy Living Youth and Seniors, Dietitians of Canada, and the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba.

Healthy Vending Project: This project looked at the availability, acceptability and feasibility of providing healthy alternatives for sale in school vending machines. Each of the eleven demonstration school chose a combination of vending products to be sold in their school and the product sales were tracked. The project's vendor partner, Quality Vending, facilitated vending of Milk To Go™ and healthy snack alternatives for the demonstration schools.

3. KEEPING 'SCHOOL NUTRITION' on the TABLE

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba is a recognized voice for issues regarding nourishment programs for Manitoba school children. The Council is grateful that both the Province of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Foundation through the Moffat Family Fund, have recognized CNCM as a valuable partner in meeting the nutrition needs of students through the school day. The generous contributions of the Province and the Winnipeg Foundation through the Moffat Family Fund (Child Nutrition Initiative Grants) has had a very significant impact on children's success at school.

Partnerships with other organizations and agencies give us continued opportunities to collaborate in a broader way. CNCM works in partnership with the Dietitians of Canada, the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba and Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors as part of the School Nutrition Support Team to assist schools in developing optimal healthy nutrition environments for students and staff. In supporting the implementation of provincial nutrition guidelines and healthy eating initiatives, the Team has delivered interactive workshops for divisions, schools, school health teams, students, parents and health professionals.

INITIATIVES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• Distribution of over $2,000,000 to nourishment programs in Manitoba since 2001.
• Food and Nutrition in Manitoba School Survey Report 2001
• Canadian Home and School National School Health Award for 2002
• Creation and delivery of presentation on policy development for schools and divisions, 2003
• Establishment of Student Leadership Award for student-led initiatives to improve school nutrition environments, 2005
• Involvement in Healthy School Nutrition Pilot Project with several Winnipeg S.D schools 2005-2007
• Fruit and Vegetable pilot project with Red Sucker Lake School in partnership with First Nation Inuit Health, 2007
• Fruit and Vegetable Snack Pilot Project in 263 schools in Manitoba with funding through a bilateral agreement with the Province and the Public Health Agencies of Canada.
• Nominated for the Golden Carrot Award in 2010.