On Halloween, with the City focused on whether the Castro would explode, a minor miracle was unfolding across town in the Presidio, where a preschool was planning its first ever Halloween celebration - without candy! Almost as noteworthy as the absence of Snickers bars was the fact that this healthy holiday celebration came about entirely because of the unwavering commitment of one parent.

A year ago, parent Karen Gehrman was fed up with the amount of sugary snacks and treats her 3-year-old daughter was being given at one of the SFUSD’s pre-kindergarten sites. She reported, “There was a sugar culture at this school that seemed woefully out of touch with the current vibe on kids’ health. On Halloween that year, parents were filling kids' baskets with chocolates and candies, after a flat of Costco frosted sugar cookies had been distributed, and teachers gave the kids candies on the playground.” Gehrman recalled. “I had to ask the teachers not to let the kids eat the candies in the classroom.” All this for 3- and 4-year-olds. The school staff acknowledged Gehrman’s concerns but indicated that one lone parent’s request was not going to compel them to limit snacks for all the children

Not one to sit by quietly stewing, Gehrman contacted the SFUSD Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, which proposes changes to the school district’s federally mandated Wellness Policy. She suggested adding wording clarifying that all of the district’s Child Development Centers were covered under the policy, and including guidelines for food sent to school by families for parties and sharing. At that time, the Wellness Policy, though recommendeding healthy food for all school events, did not regulate food sent for sharing in classrooms – only food sold in cafeterias, vending machines and for fundraising.

Her timing was excellent - during the 06-07 school year, the SFUSD school food program underwent its every-four-years review by the state and the USDA, to ensure that all regulations were being met. The lead reviewer had emphasized that the Wellness Policy needed to address ALL food at school, even items given away for free at parties or for sharing. With Gehrman’s input, the Student Nutrition Committee hammered out Wellness Policy changes, and sent them to the Board of Education. In June 2007, the Board of Education approved the changes , making it clear that the policy covers the Child Development Programs, and also issuing guidelines for food sent to school for sharing.

“I know change happens slowly,” she says, “but I think we owe these kids a quicker response since their age group is really at risk. California has an obesity rate of 25% which is on the rise, and these kids are going to be those adults unless we can encourage them to make healthier choices. The biggest challenge is to get parents to acknowledge the frequency of the treats and junk food in the kids’ diets, and the long-term health consequences. After that, it's encouraging parents that making significant healthier changes doesn't have to be painful, dramatic or expensive.”

Gehrman produced The Busy Family’s Guide to Healthy School Snacks, an easy to use tool for creating tasty, healthy snacks kids love; the guide also includes sources and prices for the snacks, and a quick lesson on how to read nutrition labels on packages.

“Better food at school means better attention spans, more energy, better concentration, less discipline problems, and a long-lasting positive attitude about how to be healthier people,” she said. “Holidays are community celebrations, so I thought if we could make some modifications to our Halloween, it could show that slight alterations to daily snacks and class parties could be easy and painless.”

This year, Gehrman found her preschool more willing to consider a healthy approach to Halloween. A colorful flyer was produced promoting the idea of parents providing fun nutritious party food instead of candy or junk food, and neighbors in the Presidio, whom the children traditionally visited on their Halloween parade, were asked to please give out non food or healthy treats, not candy.

So how did Halloween go?

“It was a raging success!” Gehrman reports. “There were goodie bags with toys and novelties, and one parent did a ‘healthy cookies’ project in the morning - whole wheat biscuits with raisins and cranberries that the kids got to mix, shape, bake, and then share with their folks.

“Other parents brought creative snacks like pumpkin-shaped sandwiches, radish eyeballs, chips and dip, and “spiders” made with Ritz crackers, cream cheese, raisin eyes and pretzel sticks legs. A parent intent on bringing sweets brought in oatcakes instead of cupcakes and they were gobbled up.

“On the parade route there were stickers and pretzels as alternatives to candy, but there were also a lot of people just standing and giving their attention, which the kids loved. The best thing for me was witnessing the staff of the bowling alley giving out fruit leathers, 100% juice boxes, granola trail mix bars and deflated balloons instead of their typical candy mix. Everyone wanted a balloon!

“All the healthy snacks in our classroom got eaten; I saw a lot of kids having a great time and feeling the joy of a celebration, just like last year. I don't think anyone left feeling ‘deprived’ because they didn’t get candy. It was a terrific success to draw on for future celebrations, for our school and all preschools.”

Read The Busy Family’s Guide to Healthy School Snacks, the SFUSD’s Wellness Policy, and more on school food at www.sfusdfood.org

Dana Woldow is co-chair of the SFUSD Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee and the parent of one current SFUSD student and two SFUSD graduates.