New Program Helps Kids 'Make With The Moo Juice'

SEATTLE - A Seattle school is bringing in a new kind of milk to kids who normally wouldn't drink it.

It's part of a new strategy to get kids to put down the pop, and "make with the moo juice."

Milk is more popular these days at Seattle's Van Asselt Elementary, but it wasn't always that way. Up until now, milk wasn't an option for many of the kids.

"The majority of students at Van Asselt are Asian-American or African-American," says the school district's Kirstin Francin.

Those populations, in general, can be lactose intolerant. And the kids who can't drink milk, are turning to things like juices and colas. But a grant from the Washington Dairy Council is helping to get these kids the calcium they need, through a "new" type of milk.

"Calcium is very, very important for children, because we're only able to store calcium until a certain age," Francin says. "Then, we need to rely on our stored calcium for the rest of our lives."

To accomplish that, the school is now serving low-lactose milk. P<> "I started drinking low lactose milk when I started feeling funny when I drunk regular milk," says Aqeel, a 5th grader.

Thanks to the grant and the low lactose version, Aqeel is a milk-drinker once again. What does it taste like?

"It tastes sweet," the 11-year-old says with a big grin. "It tastes like cereal," says Anthony, another 5th grader.

If this pilot project at Van Asselt has continued success, the district says low lactose milk will be offered at other Seattle schools.