Note from our National Program Directors

If we had to come up with one quote that would encapsulate our perspective of this unprecedented year of 2020, it would be, “Out of crisis comes opportunity.”

Aside from the fact that this unprecedented pandemic has wreaked havoc on families, businesses, and the overall health of this nation, this pandemic has highlighted all too clearly the price of poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, and obesity-related disease. As the world around us pivoted to keep their businesses afloat, we focused on pivoting to help the communities we serve. Our goal at Wellness in the Schools remains the same: we support our school communities, regardless of whatever roadblocks are put in our way. To meet our goal during this strange year, we have pivoted how we teach our programs, as it is NOW that schools are in even more need of our wellness support, connection, content, and optimism.

Our pivoting not only led to us reprogramming the way we teach our students and school communities, but also made way for new emergency feeding programs with our community partners, in order to help communities hit the hardest due to school closings. 

Since March and through the summer, we spent countless hours developing our new approach. We spent our time speaking with schools – listening, supporting, and taking everything we do best and reformatting it to meet their needs. This year, we have transferred all of our Cook for Kids, Coach for Kids, and Green for Kids programming to virtual platforms. Our team of WITS Chefs and Coaches are prepared and eager to deliver the customized approaches that each school selected as working best for them. We are offering a wide range of possibilities for students, teachers, and/or parents such as:

• WITS Virtual Live Lessons – streaming into classrooms or living rooms.
• WITS Pre-Recorded Lessons – allowing teachers a chance to use WITS programs in their curriculum schedule.
• WITS Blended Lessons – allowing a mix of both Virtual and Pre-Recorded. 
• WITS on Local Cable TV – WITS Pre-Recorded content for families to use as family entertainment.
• And where possible, in-person WITS Programming in the schools where we can conduct programming in larger areas of the school, such as schoolyards, cafeterias, gardens, and auditoriums where everyone has enough space to social distance.

As we push through this 2020-21 school year amidst all the uncertainties, one thing is clear. Our team at Wellness in the Schools has only strengthened, and we remain steady towards our mission. Our team is a team full of WITS Veterans bringing years of experience. And the new challenge presented to us has given us the space to fine-tune our teamwork, lead with trust, and continue to be a reliable resource for our communities to count on when needed the most.

With gratitude, 

Wendy & Marion