Eating At School

The school setting provides regular opportunities for children and adolescents to learn and practice important skills related to eating. Caregivers and educators can help support children by creating a positive, safe and respectful environment for all students to enjoy a variety of food without passing judgment or pressuring them to eat in a certain way.

 

Tips for Educators: Supporting Positive Eating at School

To help students thrive and develop a positive relationship with food and eating, educators can create a supportive environment grounded in trust, structure, and respect. Here’s how:

1. Set Consistent Meal and Snack Times

  • Provide regular, sit-down times for meals and snacks.

  • If classroom celebrations involve food, schedule them during existing snack or meal times to maintain routine.

2. Trust Children to Know How Much to Eat

  • Avoid urging children to eat more, less, or try specific foods.

  • Respect their cues—if they say they’re hungry or full, believe them.

3. Encourage Exploration Without Pressure

  • Allow children to interact with food in their own way—looking, touching, tasting (if they choose).

  • When teaching about food, use age-appropriate language that emphasizes flavor, texture, and curiosity rather than health or morality.

  • Avoid labeling food as “good” or “bad,” “healthy” or “unhealthy.”

4. Stay Neutral About Eating and Bodies

  • Refrain from commenting on what or how much a child is eating.

  • Let children eat foods in any order they choose.

  • Avoid praise or pressure, even when it sounds positive (e.g., “Good job eating your vegetables!”).

5. Promote Body and Shape Inclusivity

  • Teach that bodies come in all shapes and sizes.

  • Foster a classroom environment where all students feel respected and accepted, regardless of body shape and size.

6. Trust the Process

Every child is different. By following the Division of Responsibility in Feeding, you’re supporting students in learning to eat in a way that works best for their individual needs—without pressure or shame.

Physical Activity at School: Respecting the Division of Responsibility

Just as with food and eating, the Division of Responsibility also applies to physical activity in the school setting.

  • Educators are responsible for providing safe, consistent, and developmentally appropriate opportunities for students to move.

  • Children are responsible for deciding how much and whether to participate in those opportunities.

Support Movement Without Pressure

Children naturally enjoy movement—when it’s fun and free from pressure. Recess, physical education, and classroom “brain breaks” all give students the chance to explore what their bodies can do and discover activities they enjoy.

To support positive experiences with physical activity:

  • Let children choose how to participate during active time (e.g., running, walking, dancing, or simply watching until ready).

  • Avoid using exercise as a punishment or requiring a specific performance (like running laps).

  • Incorporate movement throughout the school day, not just during P.E. or recess.

  • Focus on enjoyment, not exertion, competition, or calories burned.

By respecting children’s autonomy with movement—just as we do with food—we help them build a positive, lifelong relationship with physical activity, rooted in joy, confidence, and self-awareness.

Addressing School Wellness Policies and Practices

Schools in the United States are required to follow government guidelines and regulations for breakfast and lunch programs. School nutrition and wellness policies often require that schools offer foods low in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium with a focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. As a result, school personnel and educators may feel it is their job to teach, pressure, or shame kids into eating “right.” These approaches can interfere with a child’s ability to regulate their eating in a way that supports natural growth and development.

It is important for parents and educators to work together to support positive feeding practices at school.

Parents, caregivers and educators can work together to support a positive eating environment at school in the following ways:

  • Avoid using food as a reward.
  • Avoid taking away or limiting recess as punishment.
  • Plan short “brain breaks” that allow for some movement and activity throughout the school day.
  • Offer a variety of foods at school parties (if at all).
  • Keep food talk neutral (avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad)
  • Join the school wellness committee and work to make policies consistent with the Satter approach.
  • Share information about the Satter approach with other school personnel and administrators.

If your child shares with you an experience related to eating at school that is concerning, be sure to talk with the teacher or administrators about the rules related to food and eating at school and in the classroom. If it seems the staff are not familiar with the Division of Responsibility, consider sharing resources about the Satter approach. If needed, consider sending a note to further inform the teacher of how they can best support your child around food and eating.

An example of this may include:  

“I choose the food for my child’s lunch and snacks, and trust them to determine what and how much to eat of what I provide. Please let my child eat in any order that they wish. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please talk with me.”

Schools and educators that choose to follow the Satter Division of Responsibility are better equipped to help children eat in ways that support their learning, growth, and academic success.

 

 

Apply the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding at school:

Parents and caregivers decide what food is packed or offered, unless students participate in school breakfast and lunch.

Schools decide what, when, and where food is served.

Students decide how much to eat and whether to eat of the food that is packed or served.

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