 (This project is made possible by funding from Steve and Connie Ballmer and the San Juan Island Community Foundation.)
In the 2008-09 school year, Experience Food Project and the San Juan Island School District embarked on a very important partnership. After four years of field trials, EFP was ready to implement a fully integrated and comprehensive k-12 pilot project that would yield critical data and provide a benchmark of information in order to scale-up. These data and benchmarks focus on the feasibility, costs, benefits and challenges of implementing a whole foods-based school food service program emphasizing local ingredients and integrating food education and community involvement. The district accepted the challenge of an Extreme School Food Makeover and offered unparalleled access to and a reallocation of resources. With the help of community volunteers, EFP revamped the kitchen, developed menus featuring local foods, negotiated favorable agreements with the Public Service Employees Union and put the pilot project into place in record time.
The project's aggressive work plan includes:
- Improving the quality and content of school food
- Integrating classroom enrichment programs
- We are integrating a food education program in classrooms with grade-appropriate lesson plans that correlate with school menus, implement teacher training, and develop a vertical strategy to ensure every student in grades k-12 receives a base level of information in the first year of the project.
- Developing a data catchment strategy
- Improving revenues and introducing cost savings
- Developing and implementing a Community Engagement Strategy
- Developing and implementing new cycle menus that serve to:
- Reflect a more contemporary nutrition outlook
- Improve the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Introduce new foods and menus
- Increase participation in the school meals program
- Improve student knowledge of food systems
- Increasing access to local foods
- We have integrated many local foods while developing a long-term strategy to educate local growers, produce a Growers Guide and Pricing Index, and develop a fully vetted contract for growing procedures that meets all USDA and OSPI requirements.
We have identified key indicators for measuring the project’s progress. These include:
- Food and Nutrition Data
- Objective data:
- Participation in school lunch program by students and teachers/staff
- Participation in federal free/reduced price lunch program
- Changes in detentions/behavioral problems
- Changes in absenteeism/sick days for students and teachers/staff
- Student visits to nurse for illnesses
- Subjective data:
- Feedback from students on quality/enjoyment of food
- Feedback from teachers and administrators/staff about quality/enjoyment of food and changes in student behavior
- Survey families regarding changes in eating habits and frequency of family mealtimes
- Interviews with school nurse regarding health of students
- Economic Data
- EFP and its partner EcoPraxis, a community-based research non-profit, have undertaken an economic evaluation of the SJISD pilot project from a systems perspective to understand the economic incentives for all players to participate in transitioning to a healthy food service. The economic analysis will provide a detailed picture of both the transition costs involved in reorganizing school meal service and the on-going system operational costs and benefits.
- Though these system-level metrics, we will be able to develop an understanding of how community self-reliance and capabilities development lead to economic sustainability.
- Our work includes developing user-friendly materials for passing this understanding on to other communities.
We are also redefining labor requirements to meet a new operating strategy that identifies and corrects inefficiencies, allows for scheduling to accommodate new uses for facilities, and navigates a positive outcome with the labor union.
Reporting documents and full proposal are available for review by request.
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