Reimaging School Nutrition: Lesson from Alexandria City Public Schools

March 10, 2020

At Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS), we are committed to ensuring that all children have the nutrition they need to thrive. We are first and foremost in the business of making and serving food. In fact, the ACPS Strategic Plan for 2020 includes the goal of increasing healthy meals and nutrition so that all students are ready to learn and reach their full academic and health potential. With a Free and Reduced Meal Rate of greater than 60%, we have our work cut out for us.

To achieve the goals outlined in our strategic plan, ACPS School and Nutrition Services (ACPS Nutrition) will be working tirelessly to increase access to nutritious, appealing school meals and to implement lessons on the importance of nutritious foods. We rely on the expertise of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, School Nutrition Specialists, and Financial Analysts. Their expertise and experience allow us to plan nutritious meals and snacks that meet and/or exceed federal guidelines in an affordable manner. In the Fall of 2019, ACPS hired its first Executive Chef, who will be responsible for increasing the frequency of scratch-made entrees, staff culinary training, local foods, and sustainability efforts within the ACPS Nutrition programs.

As regulated by the Virginia Department of Education and the Child Nutrition Programs, we serve traditional breakfast, lunch, snacks, supper, and summer meals. We are committed to experimenting with new ways of delivering food to increase access and quality. Here is a snapshot of some of the innovative ways we are working to achieve this goal:

Meal Service

Breakfast After the Bell — With funding from the American Dairy Association Northeast and No Kid Hungry for supplies and equipment, we implemented a Breakfast After the Bell program in seven schools. These programs are designed to expand school breakfast participation by making breakfast a part of the school day and have been shown to reduce tardiness, absenteeism, and negative behavioral issues during the school day.

Breakfast in the Classroom – ACPS Nutrition is implementing this model in several of our schools. Students eat together while receiving morning announcements or brief nutrition education lessons. This removes the stigma of participating in breakfast which has long been associated with having a free or reduced-price meal status.

Grab and Go Breakfast – This model of meal service provides quick options for older students to pick up breakfast and head to class. Older students are not always hungry first thing in the morning or their buses may arrive too late to school for them to participate in a traditional breakfast model.

Greens & More Bar — With funding from former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign, ACPS has been able to expand exposure to fresh produce through new self-select salad bars at every elementary and K8 school. Children are more likely to consume fruits and vegetables when they have selected the item for themselves.

Summer and after-school meals for the City of Alexandria and ACPS — Through this program ACPS, in partnership with school administrators, non-profits, and parents we have implemented an aggressive outreach campaign to ensure that children and families know how to access healthy food during out of school time hours.

Nutrition Education

Virginia Cooperative Extension – ACPS Nutrition is partnering with the Virginia Cooperative Extension to bring nutrition education and wellness courses and training to our students, parents, and teachers. Through these classes, participants learn basic nutrition and cooking skills, grocery shopping strategies, and family-friendly physical activities. By ensuring that our parents have the tools they need at home, allows us to help our students access nutritious foods even when school is out.

Internships — Provide internship opportunities for dietetic interns (individuals training to become Registered Dietitian Nutritionists) and graduate students with an interest in school nutrition, food service management, and/or nutrition education. These internships help ACPS Nutrition increase access to new ideas and fresh perspectives while exposing the next generation to a meaningful career in school nutrition.

Community Outreach

Stakeholders. Our stakeholders include our students, parents, faculty, and staff members of ACPS. Engaging with them through surveys, focus groups, and community meetings provides key feedback on how to improve our operations.

Local public health and food access groups. We liaison with community groups such as the School Health Advisory Board, Hunger Free Alexandria, and other City of Alexandria public health departments to connect vital services throughout the city.

We see this as just the beginning for ACPS Nutrition. To further increase access to healthy nutritious food, we are planning on:

Eliminating artificial colors and ingredients from our main menus
Increasing the frequency of scratch-made and speed scratch entrees
Increasing frequency of plant-based, culturally appropriate entrees
Reducing our environmental footprint
Increasing the frequency of regionally grown, raised or produced menu items

As a major food hub for the City of Alexandria, we have a responsibility to provide quality student-friendly, culturally appropriate foods for our students. For so many, school may be the only time they receive a meal. ACPS Nutrition and its stakeholders are passionate about these changes and investment in our students’ futures. It’s efforts like these that help to advance the Action Plan for a Healthy Virginia’s goals of ensuring that all children can reach their full health potential and thrive.

Robyn Douglas, MPP, RDN, SNS
Nutrition Coordinator
School Nutrition Services
Alexandria City Public Schools