Wellness in the Schools

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.

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

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

• School nutrition programs
• Culinary training services
• Fitness education programs
• Childhood wellness initiatives
• Garden based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ExoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Exos 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Formal 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 PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Partnership 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 FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWITS 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 CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Novo Nordisk Community Health Collaborative supporting school nutrition transformation in Newark schools.
• KIPP TexasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Austin, TX where WITS Chefs are transforming school meals through CookCamp model using district menus.
• Harney & Sons Fine TeasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to launch 'Wellness in the Cup' tea blend, a chef-crafted blend supporting WITS programming.
• New York Botanical Garden (Bronx Green-Up)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bronx Green-Up, an arm of NYBG, for garden education at the Edible Academy and community events.
• Academy for Global Citizenship (Chicago)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal grant partnership with this public charter school in Chicago, alongside FDA, for food education and scratch cooking transformation.
• FoodPrintsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing WITS programming to Washington D.C. through FoodPrints, which teaches gardening, nutrition and cooking classes.
• NYC DOE Office of School Wellness ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/WellnessintheSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wellness-in-the-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/wellnessintheschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wellness in the Schools