Kid-friendly concoction for all ages from Ron Asher at Community Schools Collaboration

As summer winds down and school quickly approaches, Community Schools Collaboration offers this kid-friendly, easy-to-assemble concoction for kids of all ages.

This is one of Ron Asher’s T.H.E. snacks or tasty, healthy and easy snacks he developed while working with the organization that provides academic support and enrichment for elementary to high school students. He is an associate program director for CSC and has been into healthy eating for many years as a vegetarian.

He’s won over even the raisin haters at Tukwila Elementary with his parfait that brings hard dry raisins back to life, hence the name “Frankenraisins.”

Kids don’t really have a say in what meals are prepared, but they might have a say in their snacks, Asher said, so he wanted to teach them some healthy options.

“It was very popular, the kids loved it,” he said.

CSC served about 700 students in Tukwila last year and 1,500 students total in their service area of Tukwila and the Highline area.

The public/private partnership was established in 1998 and provides after school programs at 20 school sites.

At the elementary school level they focus on nutrition and movement. They help kids adopt healthy eating habits and partner with other organizations to provide opportunities for movement. One of those groups is Puget Sound-based Girls On the Run, who “use the power of running to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living,” their web site states.

CSC also sponsors events in the community such as physicals and immunization clinics and they work with dental care partners to do screenings and referrals.

“We support students and families and part of that is health,” Asher said. “We strongly believe and research shows that healthy children learn better.”

They’ve seen results from their efforts in retention and graduation rates, test scores and socialization. With their after-school programs, Asher said, CSC is trying to eliminate those at-risk behaviors that research shows happen around those hours.

On top of providing a safe haven for students, CSC also provides opportunities for them to grow academically with tutoring.  The organization comprises 14 full-time site managers, about 40 part-time, seasonal staff and a half-dozen administrators.

They specifically target children who’ve been identified by their teachers as needing more support academically or socially and all of their services are free to the community.

CSC will hold free back-to-school health clinics this month at Showalter Middle School, 4628 S. 144th St., in Tukwila. Physicals will be given on Aug. 20 and immunizations, physicals and other giveaways will happen on Aug. 27. Both Saturdays the event is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about Community Schools Collaboration visit www.cscwa.org.

Contact Tukwila Reporter Reporter Tracey Compton at tcompton@tukwilareporter.com or 425-255-3484.

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