Building a Healthier Future for Virginia's Kids

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a fresh and enthusiastic cohort to Virginia Food for Virginia Kids! The Chef Ann Foundation will help guide Virginia schools through division-specific strategic plans to incorporate scratch cooking, local procurement, and culturally inclusive meal offerings. By collaborating with the Virginia Department of Education, we will guide Food Service Directors through assessments and recommendations to maximize efficiencies and maintain a sustainable program. 

As we embark on this exciting journey together, we are eager to introduce the passionate individuals who will be driving positive change and shaping the future of food in Virginia. This unique opportunity combines the development and execution of strategic plans, hands-on training, and in-person and virtual technical assistance to assist divisions in the three core areas of focus.

The following divisions have been selected for the 2023–2024 school year cohort:

• Chesterfield County Public Schools; Region 1
• Suffolk City Public Schools; Region 2
• King George County; Region 3
• Fairfax County Public Schools; Region 4
• Amherst County Public Schools; Region 5
• Harrisonburg City Public Schools; Region 5
• Radford City Public Schools; Region; 7
• Prince Edward County Public Schools; Region 8

By being selected for this year’s cohort, each division will take part in the following program components: 
 

School Food Institute Courses 

The School Food Institute gives school food service professionals and childhood nutrition advocates the in-depth training, operational skills, and strategic vision necessary to make school food fresh, healthy, and sustainable. Our engaging online courses give you a front row seat in Chef Ann Cooper’s classroom, where you can learn directly from a leader in school food change on how to transition school meal programs to scratch-cooked operations that provide real, healthy food to kids at school every day.

Assessments & Recommendations 

The primary purpose of the district assessment is to gain insight into current operations. By understanding department practices, districts can develop a strategy to realize their vision for student meals. The Phase II assessments are based on data analysis and on-site observations. District reports will contain recommendations to be used in strategic planning to increase scratch cooking from a systems-change lens. The Chef Ann Foundation will provide strategic plan worksheets and direction for creating plans to implement the recommendations in the reports.
 

SCALE and Virtual Interviews 

SCALE (Scratch Cooking Assessment & Learning Evaluation) is a free digital platform that is designed and managed by the Chef Ann Foundation to provide individualized reports based on current school food programs. SCALE data includes the division’s current scratch cooking, food, human resources, marketing, and finance processes. Virtual interviews, in addition to SCALE, will help gather specific information about scratch cooking, local procurement and culturally inclusive meals as well as division food service equipment and facilities.

Strategic Planning 

The Chef Ann Foundation will deliver division-specific strategic plans based on data collected from the on-site visits, virtual interviews and the SCALE assessment. Strategic plans are progression tools that identify areas of opportunity, provide recommendations for improvement and track progress.

Technical Assistance

The Chef Ann Foundation will provide technical assistance to all participating school divisions to address any roadblocks faced during the implementation of the strategic plans.

Technical assistance includes: 

• Two individual, virtual technical assistance sessions with each participating division.
• Three quarterly group calls with all participating school divisions.
• Monthly group check-ins with all participating school divisions.
• On-demand technical assistance via phone, email, or virtual meeting platform.