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Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit

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https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15688
The Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit is a bi-university health research unit based at the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan. Since 1999, SPHERU has established itself as a leader in cutting edge population health research that not only looks at what and the why of health inequities -– but also how to address these and take action.

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    The School Food Development Project: Lunch Lessons Learned
    (Saskatchewan Population Health Evaluation Research Unit, 2024-04-30) Foster, Stefanie; Shakotko, Tammy; Quinn, Shay; Engler-Stringer, Rachel
    The School Food Development Project explored the design and implementation of culturally-appropriate school food programs (SFPs) with Indigenous schools and communities. Partnered with nine Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) Education schools and three Saskatoon Public (SPS) schools the research team explored strengths and challenges of existing programs; worked with schools to design interventions and initiatives that would strengthen/grow breakfast, lunch and snack programs and increase the amount of food literacy learning happening in classrooms. The Lunch Lessons Learned report acts as a capstone for the project and offers some short case studies, practical recommendations for improving SFPs and links to resources to help schools and agencies along their school food journey. The School Food Development Project was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)'s Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund. The Lunch Lessons Learned report was funded by Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR).
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    School Food Programs in Canada: 15 Promising Cases
    (University of Saskatchewan and Coalition for Healthy School Food, 2024-05-24) Ruetz, Amberley; Michnik, Kaylee; Engler-Stringer, Rachel; Alaniz-Salinas, Natalia; Doyle, Emily; Kirk, Sara; Korten, Dana; Tasala, Kirsti; Levkoe, Charles; Martin, Alicia; Mercille, Genevieve; Heckelman, Amber; Smith, Chrissy; Renwick, Kerry; Sallans, Alissa; Ostertag, Sonja; Skinner, Kelly; Trask, Nina; Weber, Nicole; Hoyer, Gary; McKenna, Mary
    The Government of Canada’s April 2024 announcement of a National School Food Program has made documenting promising school food models in Canada particularly timely. While Canada has never had a national program, there has been school food innovation at various scales across communities for decades. However, few studies describe the range of current Canadian school food program models. Canada’s patchwork of different school food programs, often volunteer-run and funded by provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, local and national charities, and in some programs, parental contribution, presents an opportunity to document the range of practices. Many elementary schools in Canada do not have an industrial kitchen or a cafeteria/ designated eating area yet manage exemplary school food programs which other schools in similar contexts can learn from. The promising school food programs in this report illustrate the innovation that is already happening to support the health, education and overall well-being of children in communities in Canada. This report responds to a need for insight into the operational details of school food programs that exist to meet the diverse needs of communities across Canada. This report is the first in a series that will form a how-to guide for school food program development for the Canadian context. Understanding how promising school food program models operate across a range of geographies, scales, cost models, and more, can help school food program practitioners, researchers, and educators think about and apply promising practices and methods to school food programming.
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    School Food Programs in Canada - Needs Assessment and Community Engagement Guide
    (University of Saskatchewan, 2024-12-05) Foster, Stefanie; Heckelman, Amber; Ruetz, Amberley; Engler-Stringer, Rachel; Black, Jennifer; Alaniz-Salinas, Natalia; Michnik, Kaylee
    In April 2024, the Government of Canada announced a one-billion-dollar commitment over five years for the development of a national school food program. In June 2024, Employment and Social Development Canada followed that up by releasing a national school food policy that lays out the federal government’s long-term vision for school food and will act as “a roadmap that can guide the delivery of school food programs” in Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2024). As the federal and provincial governments work to determine how to best deliver this funding to schools and agencies, it’s the perfect time for schools and school divisions to get actively engaged. As the national school food program rolls out, many schools will be undertaking school food programs (SFPs) for the first time, assessing their needs and capacity, and creating new SFPs from scratch. Others will be taking stock of their existing programs; evaluating and prioritizing their students’ needs; assessing the strengths, and challenges of current models; and making plans for upscaling and improving on past successes. This guide will help both groups by offering information and recommendations for conducting needs assessments and engaging key partners; and providing guidance for community consultation and collaboration.