School Nutrition Professionals: Rising Above the Everyday Challenges Debra “Kay” Flynt Food Service AssistantGoodyear Elementary, GA Kay is the top bread maker in her district and trains each school kitchen to create “the perfect roll” for students. Learn more Goodyear Elementary has one of the highest consumption rates of fresh fruits and vegetables, something supervisors attribute to the colorful produce displays that Kay creates. Kay goes above and beyond her typical duties - providing extra prizes on lucky tray day, donating life-sized stuffed animals or embroidering students’ names on items that they can win. Each special occasion is made more exciting with Kay’s serving line decorations, including her life-sized Santa greeting students at Christmas-time or the tailgate tent she created for students to walk through during the school’s Sports Week. Menu Development When planning menus, school nutrition professionals must: Understand and abide by school meal regulations, including complex nutrition standards Ensure cafeterias have the necessary equipment and trained staff to prepare and safely serve each item to hundreds of students each lunch period; Meet the taste preferences of increasingly diverse student bodies; Stay on budget! Jerrilyn Hernandez Kitchen ManagerOrofino Junior-Senior High School, Idaho Jerrilyn has made it her mission to research grants to support new ways of offering healthy options in the cafeteria. Learn more Through those grants, she has implemented successful initiatives, including a new smoothie and yogurt parfait maker, an a la carte kiosk and a salad bar to increase student consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Jerrilyn also helped implement a Breakfast in the Classroom program, increasing breakfast participation from 16 percent to 89 percent at the school. She oversees food delivery to two smaller, remote school sites in the district and has also taken on the responsibility of training all 20 district staff on maintaining production records, which led to greatly improved accuracy. In the Cafeteria School nutrition professionals who work at the "point of service" are on the frontlines of serving healthy school meals and encouraging students to embrace nutritious choices. These professionals take on a number of challenges and responsibilities including: Short lunch periods: Over-crowded schools and short lunch periods leave students with limited time to select and eat their meals. Cafeteria staff work hard to have meals plated in advance or ready for quick service to minimize students' time waiting in line. Food allergies:As more students suffer from food allergies, school nutrition professionals must identify potential allergens and protect affected children as they select their meals. SNA’s The State of School Nutrition 2018 survey found that schools are offering more options, such as gluten-free foods, for students with allergies and intolerances. Constance “Connie” Little, SNSNutrition Services Supervisor Beavercreek City Schools, Ohio Connie’s nutrition knowledge, operations savvy and leadership skills have resulted in a more efficient, student-focused nutrition services program. Learn more .Little secured over $38,000 in grants to support special initiatives, including the high school’s Beavercreek Breakfast Club, which increased student participation by 15 percent. She made staff training fun by developing a Wizard of Oz themed program to teach staff the nutrition requirements for school meals, ensuring students receive healthy, well-balanced meals. To promote team building and boost staff skills, she also created the “Bake A Great Team” bake-off – complete with team rules, baking supplies, judging criteria and award ribbons. Strict food safety standards: School meal programs are required to implement a school food-safety program based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) principles and receive two required health/safety inspections for each school kitchen. Identifying the reimbursable meal: Cashiers must ensure each student selects enough items for their meal to be eligible for a federal reimbursement. Every student must take a fruit or vegetable with their lunch and have a minimum of three meal components on their tray. Cashiers must carefully track the number of meals served and account for a la carte purchases. Speed is of the essence to prevent line delays! Encouraging students to take healthier options: Cafeteria staff work hard to make healthy school meals appealing to students and the cafeteria a warm and welcoming environment. Oftentimes, staff members are heard encouraging students to try their fruits and vegetables, and many students say the biggest smiles they see all day are in the lunch line.