The Department of Education (DepEd) through the Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) is strengthening the School Health and Nutrition Programs (SHNP) into its key programs and aligning all its activities into one seamless whole. This is envisioned to make this Department better able to determine the effectiveness and relevance of its programs, and to make these more responsive to the DepEd’s mission of enhancing the student’s motivation and capacity for learning, improving learning outcomes, reducing absenteeism, and ensuring that school-age children are able to stay in school as enunciated in the Education For All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).