Mini Chef Academy Helping Students Form Healthy Habits
Posted on 10/04/2022
For many people, the eating habits that they take throughout their life often form in early childhood. This is why the Douglas County School System (DCSS) has partnered with The Rouse Foundation for the second consecutive year to help its elementary school students begin forming healthy habits by participating in the Mini Chef Academy.
“Through The Foundation, I’ve known Superintendent North for many years, and he knew that we were doing this type of program in other countries and asked that we consider bringing it to DCSS,” said Dr. Charlie Rouse, founder of The Rouse Foundation. “It has been a Godsend. The level of enthusiasm we’ve seen from students, teachers and administrators is absolutely incredible.”
This year, The Foundation will be working with students at Annette Winn Elementary School and Factory Shoals Elementary School students. On Wednesday, Dr. Rouse and members from The Foundation were at Factory Shoals Elementary School for an assembly teaching students about making healthy meal choices.
During the assembly, Dr. Rouse talked to students about the importance of having a healthy heart and told them how their diet and exercise can contribute to that over their lifetime. He also brought several visual aids to show students how the heart works and how much salt and sugar can be inside several ordinary foods.
This is the first step in the Mini Chef Academy, as students will begin learning more about growing, nurturing, harvesting and eventually cooking healthy foods themselves.
After students complete the program, Dr. Rouse says that he hopes to create positive behavioral change within these students so that they can share their knowledge with parents, friends and others within their community. 
“We know that heart disease is the top killer of adults in our society,” said Dr. Rouse. “But we also know that this is not a disease of adults. It may manifest itself at that time, but if children can cut down on sugars, salts and other things, then they’re less likely to develop those cardiovascular problems that lead to sickness or bad outcomes.”
This is the second year that Dr. Rouse and The Rouse Foundation has partnered with DCSS in order to teach its students about making healthy choices, and Dr. Rouse added that he’s excited to see the partnership grow for several reasons.
“I hope to let students know at this young age that they can take control of their life and when they are old like me, they can be healthy, more productive, and, in some instances, disease free,” Rouse said.