The overarching goal of Dairy MAX’s school marketing program is to positively impact the lives of students through nutrition and healthy lifestyles, where dairy plays a major role. Programs like Breakfast in the Classroom and Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60) are providing nutrient-dense foods like low-fat and fat-free dairy to help students increase their performance and focus in school. Holly Stojanik, Texas school wellness consultant, says adequate nutrition before and during school results in improved academic performance.
“Healthy students are better students,” Stojanik says. “Nationally, FUTP60 has already encouraged 16 million students to become more physically active and 13 million students to consistently eat healthier. We want those numbers to continue to grow.”
Hispanic Heritage Month, which ran September 15 – October 15, provided the perfect opportunity for the National Dairy Council to connect with a more specific audience with the launch of FUTP60 en Español. In an effort to localize the national roll out, Dairy MAX partnered with San Antonio ISD to host a FUTP60 en Español Kickoff at Collins Garden Elementary.
“San Antonio ISD is one of the largest school districts in the San Antonio area,” Stojanik says. “The majority of students and parents are Hispanic or Spanish-speaking, which allowed us to connect FUTP60 en Español to a wider demographic. The whole family can get excited about healthy lifestyles.”
The kickoff media event featured Dallas Cowboys’ safety Barry Church who spoke about the importance of students eating healthy and being active. Church also interacted with San Antonio ISD students by painting the newly unveiled bilingual playground stencils. Another fun highlight at Collins Garden featured chef and registered dietitian Joel Barohn demonstrating a healthy recipe using USDA’s MiPlato, the Spanish version of MyPlate that illustrates the building blocks for a healthy plate. Dairy MAX producer Russel Boening, of Boening Brothers Dairy in Floresville, TX was a huge hit with the students as he spoke in both English and Spanish about life on a dairy farm.
The new Spanish resources are all culturally relevant, including pictures, stories, recipes and dialogue. FUTP60 en Español empowers Hispanic students, parents and communities to get involved and make healthy eating and physical activity a priority.
“So much can be lost in translation. That’s why this launch is so exciting,” Stojanik says. “FUTP60 en Español keeps Hispanic youth enthusiastic about the goodness of dairy and eager to share what they are learning in school with their families and communities through cultural connections.”
