Massachusetts Executive Office of Education’s Post

🍲 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗 = 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 👨🎓 Our food & wellness programs form the very backbone of support that disadvantaged students need in order to attend school. For many families living with food insecurity, this program makes the difference between sending their children to class, or out to work to help put food on the table. In the next few posts, we’ll examine the impact of this crucial program, from daily school meals to food banks that have been developed with a laser focus on families living with the direst food insecurity. In total across all our food programs last year ... 🍚 66 tons of rice 🍗 13 tons of meat 🥕 17 tons of vegetable ... were consumed. That’s a whole lot of nutrition going where it’s needed most! Watch the video to see where our food program first began: daily meals, available to the +700 students at our rural school locations. Because with full tummies, kids can stay in class and focus on the lesson. Because Food = School … and #schoolistheanswer 💛

In honor of #NationalSchoolLunchWeek, we’re celebrating School Food Renegades from across the country who are challenging status quos; who in the cracks of obstacles see the glimmer of possibility; and who understand that learning doesn’t stop at the cafeteria doors. Today, we're excited to highlight California State Senator Nancy Skinner! Sen. Skinner’s legislative achievements include her 2021 universal school meals initiative, which made California the first state in the nation to provide two free meals a day to all public school students. California’s free school meals program is now a national model that has been adopted by nine other states to date, and is included in the President’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The initiative also eliminated and forgave all school lunch debt. Further, Sen. Skinner secured $600 million to upgrade school kitchens for scratch meal preparation as well as to train food service staff, and over $100 million for schools to purchase local produce. In 2023, Sen. Skinner authored SB 348, Healthy Meals for Kids, which makes California the first state to enact into law President Biden’s new nutritional standards that lower salt and sugar content in school meals. SB 348 also requires the state Dept. of Education to propose a plan to ensure children have adequate time to eat school meals. SB 348 was passed unanimously and will take effect on January 1, 2024. Learn more about Sen. Skinner in our latest blog, "10 School Food Renegades Who Are Stirring Up Change": https://ow.ly/fjwN50PU7Ut #NSLW23

It's Friday Food Program Fact Day! If you have young children throughout the day and schoolagers who only attend after school, can the whole grain-rich item be provided earlier in the day (breakfast, AM snack, or lunch)? The answer is YES. However, it’s a best practice is to plan and serve a whole grain-rich item at the meal or snack where the most children are in care. #FoodProgramFacts #CACFP #ProvidersChoice #WholeGrain-Rich

Did you catch the latest report from the Food Research & Action Center on #SchoolMeals? FRAC’s 2024 report on the reach of school lunch and breakfast shares key data on how many kids participated in school meals programs in the 2022-2023 school year, including how over a million fewer students benefited from school meals last year when compared to SY 2021-2022. While more and more states are opting into universal school meals programs, let’s continue to push for a federal program to keep every kid fed and healthy at school!

NEW REPORT: We worked with the California School Nutrition Association in partnership with Food Insight Group to conduct the first study of K–12 school food staff shortages in California. The study revealed the rate of unfilled positions in the state’s school food programs is three times higher than unfilled positions for U.S. public school teachers. High vacancy rates negatively impact schools’ ability to provide access to and serve students healthy, appetizing meals. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eaP-sSq7

NEW REPORT: We worked with the California School Nutrition Association in partnership with Food Insight Group to conduct the first study of K–12 school food staff shortages in California. The study revealed the rate of unfilled positions in the state’s school food programs is three times higher than unfilled positions for U.S. public school teachers. High vacancy rates negatively impact schools’ ability to provide access to and serve students healthy, appetizing meals. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eaP-sSq7

Helping your clients find food-securing resources is easier than your think! Learn more about the food programs for kids keeping SC communities nourished all year in our latest blog. https://lnkd.in/gpTXWK-8

Food is a human right.

In Case You Missed It: Newly-Updated Food Insecurity on College Campuses Series Updated policies and programs are needed to reflect the current reality of food security issues on college campuses. Various innovative programs and initiatives are underway at many campuses to help student populations access healthy and affordable food. In addition to programming to address food security issues, policy change is needed to support food security on a larger, more formal scale. Learn more about how students and universities are tackling food insecurity on college campuses in this newly-updated series here: https://lnkd.in/gMby3b8w #CollegeCampuses #ICYMI #FoodSecurity #BackToSchool