Fellowship 2023 Is Underway
January 30, 2023 | By
The first cohort of the Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship program kicked off with a bang!
On January 9th, we welcomed our first cohort of school food leaders from across the country to participate in the year-long Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship program. Over the next year, Fellows will participate in weekly live learning sessions with content area leads, gain hands-on experience in exemplary school districts and through the Culinary Institute for Child Nutrition, earn a certificate in food systems and food justice, and build their network of scratch-cooked school food peers. Their experience will culminate in an implementation-based capstone project demonstrating the application of their learning to benefit their home school district and ultimately cultivate transformative change within the school food system!
On January 9th, we welcomed our first cohort of school food leaders from across the country to participate in the year-long Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship program. Over the next year, Fellows will participate in weekly live learning sessions with content area leads, gain hands-on experience in exemplary school districts and through the Culinary Institute for Child Nutrition, earn a certificate in food systems and food justice, and build their network of scratch-cooked school food peers. Their experience will culminate in an implementation-based capstone project demonstrating the application of their learning to benefit their home school district and ultimately cultivate transformative change within the school food system!
Fellows began their learning journey with a program welcome from Chef Ann Cooper, Founder and President of the Chef Ann Foundation; Mara Fleishman, Chief Executive Officer of the Chef Ann Foundation; and Kim Herrington, Senior Programs Director for the Whole Kids Foundation. During the second week of their program, Fellows sat down with Administrator Cindy Long, from the USDA Food & Nutrition Service and the Director of Sweetwater Unified High School District Food Services program, Eric Span, who each provided remarks about the importance of empowering our school food workforce, while praising Fellows’ commitment to bettering school food across the country and sharing their best wishes for an impactful learning year.
Fellows began their learning journey with a program welcome from Chef Ann Cooper, Founder and President of the Chef Ann Foundation; Mara Fleishman, Chief Executive Officer of the Chef Ann Foundation; and Kim Herrington, Senior Programs Director for the Whole Kids Foundation. During the second week of their program, Fellows sat down with Administrator Cindy Long, from the USDA Food & Nutrition Service and the Director of Sweetwater Unified High School District Food Services program, Eric Span, who each provided remarks about the importance of empowering our school food workforce, while praising Fellows’ commitment to bettering school food across the country and sharing their best wishes for an impactful learning year.
“School food professionals provide our kids with one of the most fundamental and meaningful forms of care – nourishment.” said Cindy Long, Administrator of the Food and Nutrition service at the USDA. “During the pandemic, it was the school food professionals who showed up as heroes, delivering nutritious food to students each day, despite many challenges. With The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship, this tireless work is being lifted up, empowering the next generation of heroes in school food, and ensuring school meals continue on a positive trajectory of nourishing all students.”
“School food professionals provide our kids with one of the most fundamental and meaningful forms of care – nourishment.” said Cindy Long, Administrator of the Food and Nutrition service at the USDA. “During the pandemic, it was the school food professionals who showed up as heroes, delivering nutritious food to students each day, despite many challenges. With The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship, this tireless work is being lifted up, empowering the next generation of heroes in school food, and ensuring school meals continue on a positive trajectory of nourishing all students.”
