A FOOD-SAFETY CURRICULUM FOR 2ND-GRADE AND 3RD-GRADE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Objective To create and implement a food-safety curriculum for second- and third-grade elementary students. Design/subjects One pilot study and one expanded study were conducted in two elementary schools (106 s tudents) and nine elementary schools (455 students), respectively. In both studies the subjects selected were determined by their enrollment in the classes. The expanded program targeted third grade students an d fourth grade students in the English as a Second Language program in ethnically and racially diverse areas Intervention An educational cur riculum entitled ''Discovering Food Safety - Detective Mike Robe's Fan tastic Journey'' was administered to the target audiences. Outcome mea sures A pretest and a posttest containing the same questions were deli vered to the students before and after curriculum administration. Stud ents were not given the answers to the questions, that is, the graded tests were not returned. Different evaluation sheets were designed for students and teachers and the program was rated using a hedonic scale . Statistical analyses Results were analyzed using the Student's t tes t. Results Pretests and posttests were administered in each study. Tes t scores increased significantly in the expanded study and the pilot s tudy after the programs were implemented. Student and teacher evaluati ons indicated that they were extremely satisfied with the curriculum. Applications/conclusions A food-safety curriculum was designed that me t the needs of the target audience and had successful results. The pro gram appeared to be effective for populations of diverse backgrounds.