Offering breakfast at all Indian Prairie District 204 schools is one of the ideas being studied to get more kids interested in eating at school.
Ronald Johnson, the district’s director of support services, outlined for the school board this week how Indian Prairie’s new food service vendor, Organic Life, is turning around declining participation in the school lunch program.
He said the number of meals served daily in District 204 started declining in December 2016, when Indian Prairie was providing an average of 8,769 meals daily in a district with 28,000 students. At the start of the 2017-18 school year, participation levels dipped to an average of 8,652 daily meals.
Organic Life has turned the slump around, serving an average of 9,113 meals daily in February, Johnson said. Despite a slow start, District 204 has served more than one million meals so far this school year, he said.
Board member Lori Price told the Organic Life representative at the meeting she was impressed with the numbers.
“You made some headway with this. I guess I expected some of the results to actually be lower just because you are new and have those learning curves,” Price said.
Erica Arlinksy, vice president of Organic Life, said hot lunch is served at all district schools, though meals are only prepared at the three valley high schools and all the middle schools.
Meals for Indian Plains High School and the 11 elementary schools are prepared in the kitchen at Metea Valley High School. Neuqua Valley’s kitchen prepares food for remaining 10 elementary schools.
Breakfast is served at all the high schools, six middle schools and 16 elementary schools. Johnson said he and Arlinksy are exploring the possibility of providing a breakfast program at all district schools.
Several board members expressed a desire to see that happen.
Board member Susan Taylor-Demming asked if the district has any comparative data from schools that currently provide breakfast, particularly since the district sends out reminders before testing to encourage kids to have a good breakfast.
Johnson industry data shows a definite connection.
“If you’re fed and you’re not hungry, it does lead to better grades. There is data that shows that,” he said.
“Depending on the social-economic status, you may be getting one meal when you get home, and you don’t know what that meal is. We want to provide a nutritious meal — breakfast and lunch if possible,” Johnson said.
Board member Mark Rising said the district must do anything it can to ensure every kid eats breakfast, especially students who are eligible for free or reduced-fee lunches. He said it helps kids from a focus standpoint.
“I’ve seen the data, too, on the national studies. It makes a huge difference in academic performance when those kids can get something, even if it’s just a grab-and-go thing,” Rising said.
Besides providing breakfast, Johnson said he will be working with Organic Life to increase reimbursable meal participation by 2.5 percent.
One area that could boost lunch participation is in-line speed at the middle school level, board member Justin Karubas said.
Karubas said he’s eaten lunch at elementary, middle and high school levels and the district is losing middle school students at lunch because the lines are so long.
Johnson said that issue is under review as are ways to keep menus fresh and filled with items students want to eat.
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