Healthy lifestyle habits in school

Help schools to go the healthy route so that they can provide their students with an environment conducive to the adoption and maintenance of healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle.

• Young people’s health, well-being and educational success are closely related. Combining a healthy, balanced and varied diet with regular physical activity has a positive effect on educational success and encourages students to stay in school.
• Young people’s environment, and particularly that of the school, should foster healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle.
• Healthy eating combined with physical activity has a positive effect on young people’s health.

The adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits is essential to your child’s development, health and success in school. It is well known that having healthy eating habits has a positive influence on young people’s growth and health, particularly since it makes it easier for them to learn. Regular physical activity promotes concentration, which is a key factor in educational success, and creates a feeling of well-being. 

The Framework Policy Going the Healthy Route at School, published by the Ministère, is intended to help schools provide their students with an environment conducive to the adoption and maintenance of healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle, and to foster the development of students’ personal competencies in this area.

The Framework Policy is intended for public and private elementary and secondary schools, including school daycare, and for vocational training and adult education centres. It is based on the following orientations:

• Ensure that food supplied in the school environment promotes the adoption of healthy eating habits.
• Increase physical activity opportunities for all students at school.
• Create healthy living habits.
• Mobilize the different school and community partners to undertake comprehensive, concerted actions that support the adoption of healthy eating and active living habits.

Educational institutions are asked to adopt these orientations and to take concrete action adapted to their own situation.

To help students adopt and maintain healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle, your child’s school may implement various projects, measures and initiatives that require your cooperation. You may be asked to:

• become a member of a “health” committee in your school or school board
• become a member of your school’s governing board
• help develop or update your school’s local policy with regard to the adoption and maintenance of healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle
• support the implementation of various projects to promote healthy living habits
• share your ideas to help students become more physically active and to improve the quality of food available in the school

The adoption of healthy lifestyle habits also takes place at home! The two pamphlets listed below were produced as a way to support the school, encourage your child to take part in this health initiative and help you plan his or her school lunches or snacks.

• Healthy snacks
• Healthy lunch boxes