Connecting Students to Dairy
Nutritious foods are the foundation for healthy eating. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods should be consumed regularly. Lower fat milk and fortified soy beverages are nutritious protein foods that can be consumed regularly.
Schools enrolled in the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program (BCSFVNP) can opt to also participate in +Milk and receive fresh, local milk for their kindergarten to grade 5 students, thanks to a partnership between the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Dairy Association. An amazing 755 schools are participating in the program in the 2022/2023 school year. Teachers can use “A Cow’s Tale,” a series of information and activity sheets that introduces students to the world of dairy farming.
For additional resources about milk, visit the BC Dairy Association.
Supported by the Province of British Columbia and the BC Dairy Association.
Sign Us Up!
+Milk is available to all kindergarten to grade 5 students in schools currently enrolled in the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program (BCSFVNP).
To add +Milk to your BCSFVNP for the next school year, simply use the Annual Renewal Form available on your BCSFVNP school login. To sign up for +Milk part-way through the school year, we ask for the principal to email BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, requesting enrollment.
Once you are enrolled in +Milk, there's no need to re-apply each year. We just need you to complete the online Annual Renewal Form and submit it to us by mid-June for the next school year.
What Do You Need to Get Started?
- First, make sure your school is enrolled in the BCSFVNP. If not, find out how to apply here, or email us at BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
- Currently, +Milk is only available to students in grades K to 5. The school must take a whole-school approach to the program, so all K to 5 classrooms in your school must participate.
- The school agrees that students will receive their serving of milk in a classroom setting and it will not replace recess or lunch foods.
- The school principal must indicate support of participation when completing the online application and provide his/her contact information.
- The school designates one +Milk Coordinator.
- In order for us to ensure that the program is running smoothly, and to track any issues and successes, we ask schools to fill out online log sheets, provided on the school login page, then submit them on a monthly basis to the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC) program office.
- The school understands it is their responsibility to provide adequate refrigeration for milk; dairy products should be stored at 0°- 4°C (32°- 40°F).
- The +Milk Coordinator must manage any allergy alerts.
- The +Milk Coordinator works directly with the BCAITC team and the school’s designated BCSFVNP In-School Coordinator.
Supported by the Province of British Columbia and the BC Dairy Association.
A Crop of Resources!
To support teachers using classroom milk time as a teaching opportunity about healthy eating, BC agriculture, and farm-food connections, we’ve created a resource especially for +Milk: “A Cow's Tale.”
“A Cow’s Tale” is a series of information and activity sheets designed to introduce primary students to the wonderful world of milk and dairy farming. It follows the life of a calf named Please on a fictional, family-run BC dairy farm called Cowsville Farm. In each chapter, Please leads students to discoveries about where Canadian milk comes from, dairy cows, how cows produce milk, how farmers milk cows, other foods we make from milk, and the many activities and jobs on a dairy farm. Each chapter finishes with a classroom experiment, an engaging learning game, or a “Drink Up and Reuse It” seasonal craft using the empty +Milk plastic serving cups.
Available in PDF format, “A Cow's Tale” can be downloaded and printed or displayed on a classroom digital projector or SMART Board.
A Cow's Tale Complete Set — Chapters 1 to 13
Fresh Stories are also excellent dairy resources for students; available in primary and intermediate levels, they feature fun learning activities with curriculum connections to many school subjects.
For additional resources about milk, visit the BC Dairy Association.
Supported by the Province of British Columbia and the BC Dairy Association.
Partners Make It Possible — Thank You!
+Milk would not be the success it is today without the continued support of our partners in the agricultural and dairy industries. With their efforts and teamwork, we are reaching over 155,000 BC students who are enjoying the fresh taste of milk along with fresh, grown-in-BC fruits and vegetables. Together, we will keep spreading the word to teachers and students about BC's agriculture and the benefits of healthy eating. Special thanks goes out to our BC dairy farmers for everything they do to bring fresh milk to our classrooms and homes.
For additional resources about milk, visit the BC Dairy Association.
Government:
BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries
Distribution:
Bandstra Transportation Systems Ltd.
Country Store
DSKD Transport
DW Winland
H&G Contracting
I.D. Works Delivery Services Ltd.
Mayne Island Courier
Nootka Sound Service Ltd.
North Island Delivery Services
Ootsa Air
Pender Harbour/Madeira Park Marketplace IGA
Pender Island Driftwood Centre
PJY’s Services Ltd.
Shop Easy Hagensborg Mercantile
Vi & Cor’s Food Basket
Product Suppliers:
Join Us!
To find out how you or your business can support this exciting program, contact BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation or check out our Partnership Opportunities.
Supported by the Province of British Columbia and the BC Dairy Association.
Teachers and Parents Ask the Best Questions
We offer a fridge grant for any school that does not have adequate refrigeration in order to support program delivery in school. This applies to the storage of milk delivered on the BCSFVNP. We recommend you refrigerate the fortified soy beverage only a short time prior to serving.
If you would like to apply for a Fridge Program Grant, please contact the BCAITC program office at help@aitc.ca.
It will be delivered on the same day, in the same refrigerated truck as the fruits and vegetables on the BCSFVNP.
Since fortified soy beverage has an extended shelf life it will be delivered twice per school year; once in September and once in January. It does not require refrigeration for storage purposes, so does not need to be delivered with your +Milk delivery.
The milk comes in 120 mL foil top cups. One portion is provided per K to 5 student. The fortified soy beverage comes in a 250 mL/1 cup.
Each milk crate has 4 trays with 16, 120mL cups/tray. In total, each crate holds 64, 120 mL cups of milk. Each crate weighs approximately 10.28 kg.
The fortified soy beverage has 24 units per case. Each case weighs 6 kg, and the case dimensions are L40cm x W15cm x H12.5cm.
The milk containers are #5 plastic, which is recyclable. If your city does not pick up recyclables from your school, you can recycle the #5 plastic free of charge through your local recycling depot.
The fortified soy beverage containers are recyclable at most bottle recycling locations.
The school receiver and/or BCSFVNP In-School Coordinator will remove the milk from the crates and ensure it is put directly into the refrigerator. The driver is required to take away the crates when he/she returns on the next delivery.
Yes, both grades in a split grade 5/6 class should receive milk. Please include these students in your population numbers that you provide to us in the online form.
If there is an issue with the condition and/or quality of your milk, please record the issue and upload any pictures on the School Login, via the “Complete Log” link next to the product in the delivery list. Specifically, we need pictures of:
- the actual milk containers
- the outside of the boxes in which the milk arrived
- any expiry dates or best before dates on the boxes or the packaging inside the boxes
Call the BCSFVNP office toll-free number as soon as possible after you've uploaded the pictures and steps will be taken to correct the problem. 1.866.517.6225.
If the milk is frozen, it is still good to drink. Just thaw it in the fridge. If it separates upon thawing, have the students shake the containers a few times before consuming. For more information go to http://bcdairy.ca/milk/articles/keeping-milk-fresh.
Discard any expired milk and recycle the containers.
Yes. To be enrolled in the +Milk program, you need to be enrolled in the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program, which requires FOODSAFE Level 1 certification.
- keep milk cold
- put milk in the refrigerator immediately after delivery
- store milk in the fridge at 4˚ C (40˚ F) or lower
- check the temperature of your refrigerator to make sure it maintains a temperature below 4˚ C
- check the best before date and consume milk before that date
Days where your school does not have a representative to sign for a delivery and therefore cannot accept product, should be registered as a “no-deliver” day on the School Login. These days may include Pro-D days, holidays, spring break, etc. Once submitted, these changes will move seamlessly into our database. Please remember — we require a minimum of 3 weeks’ notice in order to reinstate or cancel a delivery.
If you know of someone at your school who will be available to accept the delivery on a day when students are not in session, we do not need to be advised of that date and cancellation is not necessary.
No, your +Milk delivery will still arrive at your school on your scheduled delivery date. It’s only the cancelled fruit or vegetable that won’t be delivered on that date.
Please visit www.bcdairy.ca or call the BC Dairy Association at 1.800.242.6455.
