Get Schools Cooking
Our Get Schools Cooking program helps school districts transition from a heat-and-serve to a scratch-cooking operational model so they can serve students fresher, healthier, and more appetizing meals.
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Get Schools Cooking
Our Get Schools Cooking program helps school districts transition from a heat-and-serve to a scratch-cooking operational model so they can serve students fresher, healthier, and more appetizing meals.
Applications are closed. Sign up for the interest list below to be notified when applications open again.
Overview
Through our most hands-on initiative, Get Schools Cooking, we meet K-12 districts where they are so they can gradually transition from serving students primarily highly processed heat-and-serve meals to serving them fresh, healthy, delicious meals made from scratch.
After conducting a comprehensive assessment of a district’s menu, financial position, facilities infrastructure, staffing, and marketing efforts, we help districts create a strategic plan and over the course of three years take actionable steps toward increasing their scratch cooking capacity. We also provide system improvement grants to help districts implement our recommendations.
Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous funding support from Whole Kids, The Rachael Ray Foundation, Waverley Street Foundation, and other donors.
Overview
Through our most hands-on initiative, Get Schools Cooking, we meet K-12 districts where they are so they can gradually transition from serving students primarily highly processed heat-and-serve meals to serving them fresh, healthy, delicious meals made from scratch.
After conducting a comprehensive assessment of a district’s menu, financial position, facilities infrastructure, staffing, and marketing efforts, we help districts create a strategic plan and over the course of three years take actionable steps toward increasing their scratch cooking capacity. We also provide system improvement grants to help districts implement our recommendations.
Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous funding support from Whole Kids, The Rachael Ray Foundation, Waverley Street Foundation, and other donors.
Workshop
Districts attend a two-day workshop at a Chef Ann Foundation partner district to learn about foundational strategies for successful school food reform and to see scratch cooking operations first-hand.
School Food Institute Courses
Districts complete intensive online courses through the Chef Ann Foundation’s School Food Institute, which offers up to 11 courses on topics that include scratch cooking recipes and menu development, school food finance, procurement, sustainable lunchrooms, and more.
On-Site Assessment
Chef Ann Foundation’s school food experts observe all aspects of a district’s current school food practices and collect data to provide practical steps the district can take to start or expand its scratch cooking program.
Assessment Report
We provide a comprehensive assessment report to districts that details the steps it needs to take to move toward scratch cooking. The key program areas we asses include food, finances, facilities, human resources, and marketing.
Our research partners also conduct a baseline procurement assessment and provide a baseline score for the healthfulness of the schools meals being served.
Strategic Planning
Our school food experts provide district leaders a strategic plan to review the recommendations from the assessment report and the actions the district would need to take to start or expand its scratch cooking operations.
Technical Assistance
We provide districts both on-site and virtual technical assistance support in areas identified in the assessment report. Areas include, but are not limited to: culinary skills, kitchen efficiency, budget development, staffing plan, recipe development, or marketing.
Connect and Reflect
We host peer-to-peer support sessions that offer space for districts to discuss current school food topics, share information, and learn what other districts are doing across Get Schools Cooking cohorts.
Systems Assistance Grant
Districts have the opportunity to apply for a systems assistance grant to help them reach their scratch cooking goals.
Evaluations
Districts participate in ongoing qualitative interviews and regularly submit program data to measure their progress starting or expanding their scratch cooking operations.
Accomplishments
School districts that have completed our Get Schools Cooking program have:
- Introduced a variety of scratch-cooked recipes to their menus
- Installed salad bars
- Began procuring more local ingredients
- Eliminated highly processed products such as frozen chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, and packaged sandwiches from menus
- Gained community support for school food change
- Learned how to cook raw proteins, like whole-muscle chicken
- Began offering students a wider and fresher variety of fruits and vegetables
- Implemented software to improve efficiency
- And much more!
Accomplishments
School districts that have completed our Get Schools Cooking program have:
- Introduced a variety of scratch-cooked recipes to their menus
- Installed salad bars
- Began procuring more local ingredients
- Eliminated highly processed products such as frozen chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, and packaged sandwiches from menus
- Gained community support for school food change
- Learned how to cook raw proteins, like whole-muscle chicken
- Began offering students a wider and fresher variety of fruits and vegetables
- Implemented software to improve efficiency
- And much more!
