Wellness in the Schools
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2005 that places WITS Chefs and Coaches in U.S. Public schools to deliver scratch-cooking training, nutrition education, daily fitness breaks, and garden programs to K-8 students across 30+ states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wellness in the Schools does
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2005 in New York City that designs and delivers school-based wellness programs for K-8 students in U.S. Public school districts. WITS operates four core program lines: Cook for Kids, which places professional WITS Chefs in school kitchens to lead scratch-cooking transformation and classroom-based nutrition education (WITS Labs); Coach for Kids, which deploys WITS Coaches to lead daily movement breaks and physical activity programming in partnership with Exos; Green for Kids, a garden education program delivered in partnership with the New York Botanical Garden; and ScratchWorks, a school food innovation initiative and digital knowledge hub for food service directors. Supporting digital tools include the WITS Workouts platform, a video library of movement breaks, and WITS FIT BITS, classroom-based short movement activities. WITS does not charge schools for its programming; revenue comes from individual donations, foundation grants (Whole Kids Foundation, Life Time Foundation, Novo Nordisk Community Health Collaborative, Campbell Soup Foundation), corporate partnerships, federal grants (Patrick Leahy Farm to School, FDA), and fundraising events including an annual gala and TCS NYC Marathon charity team. The organization's go-to-market is community-led and partnership-based: WITS grows by forming formal agreements with school districts, municipal offices, and intermediary non-profits rather than through direct sales. During the 2025-2026 school year WITS reached 823 schools and 411,500 students across more than 30 states, with deepest concentration in NYC Public Schools (1,035 schools, 1 million students reached cumulatively through the Chefs in the Schools program) and active programs in New Jersey, California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Washington D.C., Arkansas, Tennessee, and Long Island.
Wellness in the Schools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wellness in the Schools
- Legal name
- Wellness in the Schools
- Website
- https://wellnessintheschools.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2005 that places WITS Chefs and Coaches in U.S. Public schools to deliver scratch-cooking training, nutrition education, daily fitness breaks, and garden programs to K-8 students across 30+ states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wellness in the Schools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- School Wellness & Child Nutrition Education
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nutrition, Special Diets & Wellness Cooking (EDAOAKAJ), Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)
Keywords
Where Wellness in the Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Wellness in the Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Funding: As a non-profit organization, Wellness in the Schools relies primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization runs fundraising events including an annual gala and charity partnerships such as the TCS New York City Marathon.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Wellness in the Schools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a national non-profit that delivers hands-on healthy eating, fitness, and garden education programs in public schools. The organization places dedicated WITS Chefs and WITS Coaches directly in school kitchens and classrooms to lead culinary training, daily movement breaks, and nutrition lessons. Programs are offered free of charge to partner schools and are funded through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
Product overview
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a national non-profit offering an integrated suite of school wellness programs. The core offerings include Cook for Kids (culinary training with WITS Chefs and classroom nutrition education), Coach for Kids (fitness and movement breaks), and Green for Kids (garden education). Supporting programs include ScratchWorks (digital hub for school food innovation), WITS Workouts (digital fitness platform), WITS FIT BITS (classroom movement breaks), and WITS Labs (hands-on cooking lessons). The organization operates through partner networks including Chef Partners and Fitness Partners, and provides training via CookCamp workshops. All programs work together to create healthier school environments promoting nutritious food and physical activity for students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cook for Kids: Flagship program focused on healthy eating and culinary training in school kitchens.
- Coach for Kids
- Green for Kids
- ScratchWorks
- WITS Workouts
- WITS FIT BITS
- CookCamp
- WITS Workouts!
Products and services
- Cook for Kids Flagship culinary training program that places WITS Chefs in public school kitchens to lead scratch cooking instruction, menu development, hands-on classroom nutrition lessons (WITS Labs), and professional development for cafeteria staff. Designed for K-8 public school students, food service staff, and partnering school districts.
- Coach for Kids Fitness and physical activity program that places WITS Coaches in public schools to lead daily movement breaks, structured fitness activities, recess programming, and wellness education. Delivered in partnership with Exos for performance coaching expertise and aimed at K-8 students in public school districts.
- Green for Kids Garden education program that installs and maintains school gardens and teaches students about growing vegetables, gardening practices, and the connection between food and health. Includes partnership programming with the New York Botanical Garden's Bronx Green-Up. Designed for K-8 public school students.
- ScratchWorks School food innovation initiative that operates a digital hub and collective of school food leaders, providing coaching programs, peer learning, and a resource database to help districts transition from processed to scratch-cooked meals. Includes the CookCamp culinary training model using district menus.
- WITS Workouts Platform Digital library of video-based movement breaks and fitness content designed to support educators in helping K-8 students build active habits throughout the school day. Available as digital content for educators and parents.
- CookCamp Culinary skill training program where WITS Chefs lead professional development workshops for school food service cooks using district menus, expanding scratch-cooked offerings and emphasizing cultural inclusivity. Targeted at school cafeteria cooks and food service directors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Students in WITS schools eat more fruits and vegetables and schools serve less processed food than control groups
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Wellness in the Schools
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wellness in the Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Wellness in the Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- ExoscoreExos is a world-class training company that brings performance expertise to the WITS Coach for Kids program. The partnership, called 'Coach for Good,' combines WITS's understanding of school environments with Exos's coaching expertise to deliver fitness programming across NYC schools.
- NYC Public Schools (NYC DOE)coreFormal partnership with NYC Department of Education to implement Chefs in the Schools and Coach for Kids programs. The NYC DOE's Office of School Wellness Programs and Office of Food and Nutrition are key partners in program delivery.
- NYC Mayor's Office of Food PolicycorePartnership with the Mayor's Office and Mayor's Office of Food Policy to launch the inaugural Chef Council for NYC's 1 million school children.
- Campbell Soup FoundationmajorWITS joined the Campbell's Healthy Communities collective in Camden, NJ, an initiative sponsored by Campbell Soup Foundation to address childhood obesity and hunger.
- Novo Nordisk Community Health CollaborativemajorPartnership through the Novo Nordisk Community Health Collaborative supporting school nutrition transformation in Newark schools.
- KIPP TexasmajorPartnership in Austin, TX where WITS Chefs are transforming school meals through CookCamp model using district menus.
- Harney & Sons Fine TeasminorCollaboration to launch 'Wellness in the Cup' tea blend, a chef-crafted blend supporting WITS programming.
- New York Botanical Garden (Bronx Green-Up)majorPartnership with Bronx Green-Up, an arm of NYBG, for garden education at the Edible Academy and community events.
- Academy for Global Citizenship (Chicago)majorFederal grant partnership with this public charter school in Chicago, alongside FDA, for food education and scratch cooking transformation.
- FoodPrintsmajorPartnership bringing WITS programming to Washington D.C. through FoodPrints, which teaches gardening, nutrition and cooking classes.
- NYC DOE Office of School Wellness ProgramscorePartnership with OSWP to deliver daily fitness breaks and wellness programming through the Coach for Kids program.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wellness in the Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FoodCorps: FoodCorps is a national nonprofit that places trained service members in K-12 schools to teach hands-on lessons about food, nutrition, and cooking. Closest direct peer to WITS for embedded-in-school food education and scratch-cooking programming.
- Chef Ann Foundation: Chef Ann Foundation advances school food reform through scratch-cooking resources, grants, and the Healthy School Food Pathway program. Direct peer to WITS for K-12 scratch cooking transformation work.
- Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard Project supports garden and kitchen classrooms in schools nationwide. Direct peer to WITS for its garden-to-cafeteria food education model.
- Common Threads: Common Threads provides in-school cooking and nutrition education programs to underserved communities. Comparable to WITS for K-12 cooking and nutrition instruction as well as cultural food education.
- Brigaid: Brigaid places professional chefs in public schools to transform food service through training, recipe development, and scratch-cooking programs. Closest peer to WITS's Cook for Kids and WITS Chefs embedded model.
- Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to improve youth health outcomes through school-based programming and district partnerships. Comparable to WITS as a school wellness platform serving K-12 populations.
- Action for Healthy Kids: Action for Healthy Kids addresses childhood obesity through volunteer-driven school wellness programs and district partnerships. Comparable to WITS for its K-12 nutrition, fitness, and wellness focus.
Broad incumbents
- National Farm to School Network: National Farm to School Network advocates for local food sourcing, school gardens, and food education through policy and network coordination. Overlaps with WITS's ScratchWorks and Cook for Kids mission but operates at an advocacy level rather than direct in-school delivery.
- No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): No Kid Hungry is the largest national campaign to end childhood hunger, including school breakfast and meal programs. Comparable to WITS for K-12 food access focus but operates at a fundraising, advocacy, and grant-making level rather than embedded program delivery.
- Revolution Foods: Revolution Foods is a for-profit provider of scratch-cooked meals to K-12 schools and other institutions. Comparable to WITS for its focus on fresh, scratch-cooked school food but operates as a meal provider/vendor rather than a nonprofit educator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wellness in the Schools social profiles
Digital presenceWellness in the Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wellness in the Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Wellness in the Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wellness in the Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wellness in the Schools
What does Wellness in the Schools do?
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a national non-profit that delivers hands-on healthy eating, fitness, and garden education programs in public schools. The organization places dedicated WITS Chefs and WITS Coaches directly in school kitchens and classrooms to lead culinary training, daily movement breaks, and nutrition lessons. Programs are offered free of charge to partner schools and are funded through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
Is Wellness in the Schools a public or private company?
Wellness in the Schools is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wellness in the Schools founded?
Wellness in the Schools was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wellness in the Schools based?
Wellness in the Schools is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wellness in the Schools make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Philanthropic Funding.
Who are Wellness in the Schools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FoodCorps, Chef Ann Foundation, Edible Schoolyard Project, Common Threads, Brigaid, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Action for Healthy Kids. Broad incumbents are National Farm to School Network, No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength) and Revolution Foods.
Does Wellness in the Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wellness in the Schools.
What industry is Wellness in the Schools in?
Wellness in the Schools's product category is School Wellness & Child Nutrition Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAFAF, Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education, with a secondary code of EDAOAKAJ, Nutrition, Special Diets & Wellness Cooking. Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.